International Space Station-
This is a place where astronauts can work off the earth for the earth. NASA is learning how to prepare future generations of astronauts to be able to stay for longer missions. In doing so the soon to be projects like round trip to Mars and asteroids will be possible. Most importantly the Space Station is used as a floating laboratory as its function is to give astronauts the resources for their scientific research. The way they keep this running is by sending rockets and other designed spacecrafts with supply to the space station enabling it to function. With the scientific research being done there this gives way to the United States being able to advance on shared goals for space exploration.
International Space Station ISS
Mission to Mars-
One of the highest regarded and viral upcoming missions is being able to send someone to mars. On the journey to Mars they will have to build they most complex and advance rocket of all time. It is planned to carry four astronauts and will be launch from Florida. According to “What’s Next For NASA?” the rocket will be on the SLS or the Space Launch System which is one of a kind and is capable of taking humans ever farther than Earth’s orbit. But before any of this goes on NASA plans on developing the Asteroid Redirect Mission. This in simplistic terms will be the capturing and redirecting an asteroid to orbit the moon. We will then explore this for Data for around a decade.
New 2020 Mars Rover
The Mars 2020 Rover Mission. One of the key pieces of further exploration on Mars, NASA is seeking signs of habitable conditions there. A key difference on the new Rover is that it will have a drill on it which will enable it to collect core samples including rocks and soils. With this data it can look for past life forms. This mission also entails getting NASA the information to help send somewhere there if they can gather oxygen from the Martian atmosphere. This is planned to happen around July or August of 2020 when it is a good time between both planets. This will reduce costs and keep the risk low. Included on the NASA Website website is a full description of the updates and add ons to the new mars over.
The new Satellites
The big clunky designs of satellites are being transformed into compact devices that could fit into your hands. In fact these satellites are so transportable and different from the other versions NASA is allowing students and schools to submit their own designs. They have already designed some satellites to be the size of a stamp and they have been launched. If everything goes well and they get the data NASA needs, the plan is to send them up in masses and allow them to float freely picking up all the data they can.
The Europa Drill
If you are interested in aliens then you should be interested in this project. Jupiter’s moon Europa is make astronomers go crazy because under its oceans there is a 30-kilometer-thick shell of ice. Basically NASA is trying to figure out how they are going to break through the ice, keep in mind it would be hard for them to do that here let alone all the way on Jupiter. The funding for this mission was given by President Obama and could begin as soon as 2022. NASA has already worked out a new technology that will hopefully punch through the ice (its a nuclear powered ice cannon). They are currently testing it on Alaska’s Matanuska Glacier, keep in mind they can’t maintain a giant drill bit so instead they are using a nuclear core to produce scorching jets of watch that will cut the ice.
http://listverse.com/2014/09/22/10-strange-projects-in-development-at-nasa/
http://www.nasa.gov/about/whats_next.html
I love articles about Space because there is still so much to learn about it. Sure I might not be able to fully comprehend the physics behind it or other mumbo jumbo science stuff, but learning that there’s a chance we are going to put people on mars, or that there was a radio signal received in the 70s called the Wow! Telegram is really cool. I think people will realize that NASA is more important then they realize, I believe NASA can pull us together rather then other things that divide us, however add politics into the mix and then all of a sudden its a budget issue. Do you think NASA is going to stagnant for a while then pick back up steam? Here is an article explaining the WOW! signal.
https://www.theguardian.com/science/across-the-universe/2016/apr/14/alien-wow-signal-could-be-explained-after-almost-40-years
The missions described in your post and the undiscovered vastness of space is fascinating. I’m intrigued by people like our recent class guest speaker, “planet-hunter” and Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Dr. Jason Wright. However, compared to the funding that goes towards space exploration, the funds for ocean exploration are sparse. Last year in my marine biology class, I learned that less than 5% of the oceans on our own planet have been explored. This article, explains this dilemma, although it is biased in favor of decreased human exploration in space and increased ocean exploration. As a huge food source, a source of many marine-related jobs and medical advancements, and a climate regulator, the sea provides abounding benefits. With so much left to explore and other possible existing benefits, should we be exploring the oceans instead of space?
Sweet post! I have a friend that is working at NASA so it is cool to see some things that he could possibly be working on. What really surprised me in your post was the Asteroid Redirect Mission. I am amazed by the fact that it is possible to redirect an asteroid so it orbits around the moon. How would NASA go about this? What happens if it doesn’t work? The concept of redirecting an asteroid had me questioning a lot of things. So, I decided to look it up. http://www.nasa.gov/content/what-is-nasa-s-asteroid-redirect-mission . It seems that NASA plans on sending a robot into space that has a robotic arm. This arm would then grab the asteroid and move it into the moon’s orbit. The fact we have that technology amazes me. Could this possibly save us from an asteroid or meteor hitting earth? Even though that is probably a far stretch, technology is always getting better so it could be possible. I can only imagine what kind of things NASA will be doing around 2030. Who knows, maybe we will find out about a new habitable planet like Earth? It seems as if we will have to wait to find out.
Space has always been an interest of mine, so I found this article very interesting. I especially liked the part about one of Jupiter’s moons. What could possibly be under that ice or in that ice could be something we’ve never seen before or maybe even something that was once living. The thought that something else has to be out there is always in my head when talking about space so the part about the ice on Jupiter’s moon really caught my eye. I thought this article on possible planted that could house life was very interesting. http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/18/us/planet-discovery/
I love the topic of planet exploration. The thought of us possibly inhabiting another planet is amazing to me. Do you think NASA will be able to get us there soon? I know they have a plan of sending humans up to see if we are able to colonize on it. Here is some information of the program for that.
http://www.mars-one.com/