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What has happened is a prologue for NASA, at least for manned flights.
The United States is working to put the boots back on the moon, as the nation did nearly five decades ago, said NASA chief Jim Bridenstine in a video message commemorating the 60th anniversary from the agency.
"President [Dwight] Eisenhower launched our country in the space age, and president [John F.] Kennedy has given us the charge to reach the moon, "said Bridenstine in a 2-minute video." We are celebrating our legacy today with great promises and a directive from the president to return to the moon and to go on Mars.
Bridenstine was referring to Space Policy Directive 1 (SPD 1), signed by President Donald Trump in December 2017. SPD 1 asks NASA to send people back to the moon, but not to the flags of the United States. Apollo. The moon should rather serve as a springboard to more distant destinations, especially the red planet.
NASA plans to build a lunar orbit space station called the Lunar Orbital-Gateway in 2022. This outpost will be a gateway for future missions to the lunar surface and more distant destinations, including Mars.
Credit: NASA
In response to SPD 1, NASA has developed plans for a small lunar orbiting space station called the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway, which the agency plans to build in 2022. If all goes as planned, the bridge will be ready welcome astronauts by the mid-2020s; Crews could conduct sorties from this outpost to the lunar surface before the end of this decade, NASA officials said.
The agency is targeting the 2030s for its first crewed mission on the Red Planet. While the initial incursion may remain in the orbit of Mars, surface missions are definitely in the cards. NASA officials emphasized that they want astronauts to explore the Martian landscape and perform various types of research, including looking for signs of life.
Bridenstine also touched on NASA's other tasks and achievements in her brief video message.
"In six incredible decades, we have brought to the world an incredible number of bold missions in the fields of science and aviation and human exploration," he said. "NASA and its employees have never failed to raise the bar of human potential or to chart a course in the future – and we still do it."
Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally posted on Space.com.
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