Human Spaceflight

Are missions to the Moon and Mars feasible?

Introduction

NASA's human spaceflight program is stuck in low orbit, held back by budget constraints, political bickering, competing visions and daunting technical challenges. A White House-commissioned panel has warned that the program is on an “unsustainable trajectory” because of funding limitations, and plans to build a new generation of rockets, return to the Moon and eventually go to Mars are under intense scrutiny. Meanwhile, the impending termination of the Space Shuttle could leave a seven-year gap during which the United States could have to rely on Russia to ferry astronauts to space. The future of NASA's human spaceflight program — including whether to build a lunar settlement — rests heavily on whether the Obama administration presses for more space funding. Meanwhile, private companies are working to ...

locked icon

Sign in to access this content

Get a 30 day FREE TRIAL

  • Watch videos from a variety of sources bringing classroom topics to life
  • Read modern, diverse business cases
  • Explore hundreds of books and reference titles