Table of Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

NASA Guiding Principles for Exploration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Solar System and Beyond—Exploration Roadmap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Lunar Testbeds and Missions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Mars Research, Testbeds, and Missions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Outer Moons Research and Missions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Extrasolar Planet Research and Observatories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Exploration Building Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

NASA Transformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

National Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Left: An artist’s concept of a spacecraft, equipped with a centrifuge

and nuclear–electric propulsion, traveling to Mars.
 Introduction

“The American experience stirred mankind from discovery to exploration. From the
cautious question of what they knew was out there . . . into an enthusiastic reaching
to the unknown.”
Daniel J. Boorstin (1914– )

“Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.”

Carl Sagan (1934–1996)

Understanding from the unknown. Comprehension We also stand at a pivotal time in the history of
from the cosmos. Insight from the infinite. The rela- human space flight, when important choices about
tionship between discovery and exploration has driv- investments in the Space Shuttle, the International
en human curiosity for all of recorded history. Since Space Station, and follow-on programs are being
the time of the ancient philosophers, we have striven made in the wake of the Space Shuttle Columbia
to comprehend our place in the universe and have tragedy. Just as decisions to begin the Space Station
looked to the heavens for answers to the questions: and Space Shuttle programs were made 20 and 30
Where do we come from? Are we alone? Where are years ago, the direction we set for our human space
we going? flight programs today will define space exploration
for decades to come.
Exploration and discovery have been especially
important to the American experience. New World The President’s Vision for space exploration is bold
pioneers and American frontiersmen showed our and forward-thinking. It expands scientific discov-
Nation the importance of the knowledge, technolo- ery and the search for habitable environments and
gy, resources, and inspiration that flow from explo-
life by advancing human and robotic capabilities
ration. Like the ancients, America has also explored
across multiple worlds. This plan provides the
the heavens, and in the latter half of the 20th centu-
ry, the Apollo Moon landings became the most dis- framework for fulfilling the President’s direction,
tant milestone in the continuing American explorato- guided by the principles on the facing page. It is
ry tradition. responsive to recent science findings, the NASA
Strategic Plan, the report of the Columbia Accident
At the beginning of the 21st century, we stand at a Investigation Board, and the new space exploration
unique time in our exploration of the heavens. The policy. It seeks to establish a sustainable and flexi-
exploratory voyages of the next few decades have ble approach to exploration by pursuing compelling
the potential—within our lifetimes—to answer age- questions, developing breakthrough technologies,
old questions about how life begins, whether life leveraging space resources, and making smart deci-
exists elsewhere, and how we could live out there. sions about ongoing programs. It will help drive
critical national technologies in power, computing,
Our understanding of the universe and its habitabili- nanotechnology, biotechnology, communications,
ty is being revolutionized by new discoveries. networking, robotics, and materials. It will start
Scientists have found new forms of life in environ- exciting new programs now to inspire the next gen-
ments once thought inhospitable. Spacecraft have eration of explorers.
identified potential new resources on the Moon.
Robotic probes have found evidence of water, a key Our generation inherited great legacies from the
ingredient of life, on the planet Mars. A mission to exploratory voyages and discoveries of earlier cen-
Jupiter has revealed that oceans likely underlay the turies. Starting with an exploration roadmap (see
icy surfaces of that planet’s moons. Astronomers page 4), this document outlines a plan for achieving
have discovered over 100 planets, and counting, cir- great legacies that our century can leave to future
cling other stars. Together, these findings indicate generations.
that our universe may be more habitable than previ-
ously known. Instead of a dry, lifeless universe,
there may be many worlds that harbored life in the
past and can support life today.

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Space Administration
NASA Guiding Principles for Exploration

Pursue Compelling Questions

Exploration of the solar system and beyond will be guided by compelling questions of scientific and socie-
tal importance. NASA exploration programs will seek profound answers to questions about the origins of
our solar system, whether life exists beyond Earth, and how we could live on other worlds.

Across Multiple Worlds

NASA will make progress across a broad front of destinations, starting with a return to the Moon to enable
future human exploration of Mars and other worlds. Consistent with recent discoveries, NASA will focus
on possible habitable environments on Mars, the moons of Jupiter, and in other solar systems. Where advan-
tageous, NASA will also make use of destinations like the Moon and near-Earth asteroids to test and demon-
strate new exploration capabilities.

Employ Human and Robotic Capabilities

NASA will send human and robotic explorers as partners, leveraging the capabilities of each where most use-
ful. Robotic explorers will visit new worlds first, to obtain scientific data, assess risks to our astronauts,
demonstrate breakthrough technologies, identify space resources, and send tantalizing imagery back to
Earth. Human explorers will follow to conduct in-depth research, direct and upgrade advanced robotic
explorers, prepare space resources, and demonstrate new exploration capabilities.

For Sustainable Exploration

NASA will pursue breakthrough technologies, investigate lunar and other space resources, and align ongo-
ing programs to develop sustainable, affordable, and flexible solar system exploration strategies.

Use the Moon as a Testing Ground For Mars and Beyond

Under this new Vision, the first robotic missions will be sent to the Moon as early as 2008 and the first
human missions as early as 2015 to test new approaches, systems and operations for sustainable human and
robotic missions to Mars and beyond.

Starting Now

NASA will pursue this Vision as our highest priority. Consistent with the FY 2005 Budget, NASA will
immediately begin to realign programs and organization, demonstrate new technical capabilities, and under-
take new robotic precursor missions to the Moon and Mars before the end of the decade.

The Vision for

Space Exploration 3
 NOTE: All missions indicate launch dates.

4 National Aeronautics and

Space Administration
 Solar System and Beyond—
Exploration Roadmap
Over the next three decades, NASA will send robotic probes to explore
our solar system, including our Earth’s Moon, the planet Mars, the
moons of Jupiter and other outer planets, and will launch new space tel-
escopes to search for planets beyond our solar system. These robotic
explorers will pursue compelling scientific questions, demonstrate
breakthrough technologies, identify space resources, and extend an
advanced telepresence that will send stunning imagery back to Earth.

Starting at the Moon in 2008 and at Mars in 2011, NASA will launch
dedicated robotic missions that will demonstrate new technologies and
enhance our scientific knowledge of these destinations. These new
technologies and discoveries will pave the way for more capable robot-
ic missions and eventually human missions. The first human explorers
will be sent to the Moon as early as 2015, as a stepping stone to demon-
strate sustainable approaches to exploring Mars and other worlds.

To support these missions, a number of key building blocks are neces-

sary. These include new capabilities in propulsion, power, communica-
tions, crew transport, and launch, as well as the refocusing of ongoing
programs like Space Station research. Major achievements, including
the completion of Space Station assembly, test flights of new crew
transport capabilities, and space technology demonstrations, are expect-
ed before the end of this decade.

The activities in each of the sections in this roadmap, Moon, Mars,

Outer Moons, Extrasolar Planets, and Exploration Building Blocks, are
described in detail on the following pages. Sections describing changes
in the NASA organization and resources to implement this plan are also
included.

Right: The International Space Station as seen

from the Shuttle Endeavour.

The Vision for

Space Exploration 5
 Facing page, left: Astronaut Nancy Currie, wearing an advanced, lightweight
spacesuit, works with NASA’s Robonaut, a robotic assistant for space explo-
ration. Facing page, right: A false-color mosaic taken by Galileo. Researchers
use the different colors to determine the mineral composition of the lunar sur-
face. Above: An artist’s concept of lunar exploration.

6 National Aeronautics and

Space Administration
Lunar Testbeds and Missions
“The moon is a silver pin-head vast,
That holds the heaven’s tent-hangings fast.”
William R. Alger (1823–1905)
“The Use of the Moon,” Oriental Poetry

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Apollo robotic missions as early as 2015. The Moon will
program demonstrated American technical strength provide an operational environment where we can
in a race against the Soviet Union to land humans on demonstrate human exploration capabilities within
the Moon. Today, NASA’s plans for a return to the relatively safe reach of Earth. Human missions to
Moon are not driven by Cold War competition, but the Moon will serve as precursors for human mis-
by the need to test new exploration technologies and sions to Mars and other destinations, testing new
skills on the path to Mars and beyond. Additionally, sustainable exploration approaches, such as space
during the 1990s, robotic missions identified poten- resource utilization, and human-scale exploration
tial evidence of water ice at the Moon’s poles, a systems, such as surface power, habitation and life
resource that could make exploration further into the support, and planetary mobility. The scope and
solar system easier to conduct. types of human lunar missions and systems will be
determined by their support to furthering science,
NASA will begin its lunar testbed program with a developing and testing new approaches, and their
series of robotic missions. The first, an orbiter to applicability to supporting sustained human space
confirm and map lunar resources in detail, will exploration to Mars and other destinations.
launch in 2008. A robotic landing will follow
in 2009 to begin demonstrating capabilities for sus- The major focus of these lunar activities will be
tainable exploration of the solar system. Additional on demonstrating capabilities to conduct sustained
missions, potentially up to one a year, are planned to research on Mars and increasingly deep and more
demonstrate new capabilities such as robotic net- advanced exploration of our solar system.
works, reusable planetary landing and launch sys- Additionally, these robotic and human missions will
tems, pre-positioned propellants, and resource pursue scientific investigations on the Moon, such
extraction. as uncovering geological records of our early solar
system.
A human mission to the Moon will follow these

The Vision for

Space Exploration 7
 Facing page, left: Gullies on Mars, like this one in the Newton Basin, may have
been formed by groundwater in geologically recent times. Facing page, right:
The Mars Science Lander will land the roving Mars Science Laboratory on the
surface of Mars. Above: A drawing of astronauts and robots exploring Mars.

8 National Aeronautics and

Space Administration