A lengthy National Research Council (NRC) report into the US Human Space Flight program cited the need for a \u201cPathway\u201d approach to NASA\u2019s exploration ambitions, stepping stones that would result in the ultimate goal of landing humans on the surface of Mars. The 285 page report, released on Wednesday, provided a refined view of NASA\u2019s current roadmap, claiming international cooperation \u2013 including an alliance with the Chinese \u2013 and the potential use of the Moon as a proving ground, is required to achieve the \u201cHorizon Goal\u201d.<\/p>\n
NRC Report:<\/p>\n
The study, involving a huge team of experts, has been a long time in the making, having been directed by Congress via the 2010 Authorization Act. However, the study did not get underway until its first meeting in February 2013.<\/p>\n
Its findings support key architecture, such as the Space Launch System (SLS), but appears to be at odds with the finer points of NASA\u2019s current capability driven exploration roadmap.<\/p>\n
![\"Z11\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Z11.jpg\")
During the media overview on Wednesday (review live coverage of the event), the differences between the panel\u2019s findings and NASA\u2019s roadmap were made clear, with the panel making the blunt claim that NASA\u2019s current approach will not result in human\u2019s landing on Mars as projected.<\/p>\n
The Agency has only noted their intention to explore the Red Planet \u201cin the mid 2030s\u201d, while specific Design Reference Missions (DRMs) continue to be tagged as \u201cforward work\u201d.<\/p>\n
Overall, the \u201cStepping Stones\u201d approach noted by the NRC, which stressed it was not tasked with recommending policy, is close to NASA\u2019s current plan \u2013 which currently involves staged exploration of Near Earth Asteroids (NEAs) as a proving ground for the technology required for human transit to Mars.<\/p>\n
However, the NRC panel believe there are \u201ccompelling technical reasons for including the lunar surface as a stepping stone.\u201d<\/p>\n
This is deeply at odds with the current NASA administrator Charlie Bolden, who claims a political decision to return lunar surface sorties to the roadmap would effectively end all hope of human missions to Mars by the 2030s.<\/p>\n
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General Bolden\u2019s comments came after internal documentation placed the potential for NASA missions to the Moon within the ESD Concept Of Operations (Con Ops) presentations (L2) \u2013 listing it alongside the main NEA (Earth Earth Asteroid) missions under the Architectural Timeframe Design Reference Missions (DRMs).<\/p>\n
![\"Altair](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/Z66.jpg\" "\\"Altair")
\u201cLunar Surface Sortie (LSS): Lands four crew members on the surface of the Moon in the equatorial or Polar Regions and returns them to Earth,\u201d noted one such example within the ESD Con Ops presentation.<\/p>\n
However, General Bolden \u2013 likely under instruction from his White House paymasters \u2013 pulled no punches in completely dismissing a return to the Constellation Program (CxP) approach of targeting the Moon as a stepping stone to Mars.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to try and get all of us on to the same sheet of music in terms of the roadmap,\u201d noted the NASA head during an address in 2013, adding it would cost many billions of dollars just to build the Lunar Lander.<\/p>\n
![\"Altair](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/Z511.jpg\")
\u201c(If we) have someone in the next administration who could take us back to a human lunar mission, it\u2019s all over, we will go back to square one.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe (that would mean we) would have missed the second greatest opportunity for humanity to go on to deep space and do what humans have wanted to do for hundreds of years.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the NRC study showing favor towards a return to the Lunar Surface, a potential battle between lawmakers who continue to express a wish for NASA to return to the Moon, and the current NASA leadership, may be in the offing in the coming months.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Z3151.jpg\")
Another potential battleground may be over the NRC\u2019s evaluation of international cooperation. While NASA has already noted \u2013 and indeed implemented \u2013 exploration associations with the likes of the European Space Agency (ESA), the NRC study claims it would be in NASA\u2019s \u201cbest interests\u201d to be open to China becoming an exploration partner.<\/p>\n
Such a notion is likely to be challenged by some lawmakers who see China more as a threat than a partner. Notably, the Chinese are well known for making bold exploration claims, yet the reality is they continue to lag behind the United States and Russia.<\/p>\n
However, it\u2019s the cost of achieving a mission to Mars that continues to be a key driver, not least when NASA\u2019s budget is spread over many expensive programs.<\/p>\n
![\"AMS-02](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Z8.jpg\")
In showing the funding squeeze, the NRC charts show an element of irony, with the International Space Station\u2019s important research into long duration space missions \u2013 specifically the impacts on the human body \u2013 unintentionally providing a constraint on the Agency\u2019s ability to build the hardware required for such missions.<\/p>\n
The panel stated the ISS is useful for long duration space flight, but its operational costs impact on funding exploration.<\/p>\n
As such, additional funding would be required to realistically allow for the construction of key hardware required for Mars missions.<\/p>\n
![\"Z14\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Z14.jpg\")
As overviewed by the report, such advances include Mars EDL (Entry, Descent and Landing) technologies, radiation shielding, next-generation in-space propulsion and power systems, planetary ascent propulsion, advanced Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS), habitats and in-situ resource utilization \u2013 a lot of which had been previously overviewed in the post-CxP \u201cFlexible Path\u201d plan.<\/p>\n
With the ISS\u2019 lifetime extended to 2028, funding for \u201cnew projects\u201d would only be available near the end of the next decade via a flat budget, while an inflation adjusted budget would only result in modest new spending while the ISS was still in orbit.<\/p>\n
![\"Z79\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Z79.jpg\")
\u201cOur committee concluded that any human exploration program will only succeed if it is appropriately funded and receives a sustained commitment on the part of those who govern our nation,\u201d noted Purdue University president, former Governor of Indiana, and committee co-chair Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat commitment cannot change direction election after election. Our elected leaders are the critical enablers of the nation\u2019s investment in human spaceflight, and only they can assure that the leadership, personnel, governance, and resources are in place in our human exploration program.\u201d<\/p>\n
Notable, the NRC Panel admitted they were not tasked with delving into the details surrounding commercial endeavors to the Red Planet, mainly because the commercial sector is \u201cmore secretive\u201d when compared to NASA \u2013 meaning they would have only been able to speculate their potential, had they been asked to study their roles.<\/p>\n
However, it is well known SpaceX wants to lead Earth\u2019s drive towards humans on Mars, within a timescale that is potentially a decade ahead of NASA\u2019s potential missions to the planet.<\/p>\n
![\"Z12\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Z121.jpg\")
SpaceX are already preparing to test the hugely powerful Raptor engine, which is part of their Mars mission architecture.<\/p>\n
For the interim, the NRC report is being digested by NASA\u2019s leadership, who issued a brief and somewhat politically benign statement, based on preliminary readings of the study.<\/p>\n
\u201cNASA welcomes the release of this report. After a preliminary review, we are pleased to find the NRC\u2019s assessment and identification of compelling themes for human exploration are consistent with the bipartisan plan agreed to by Congress and the Administration in the NASA Authorization Act of 2010 and that we have been implementing ever since,\u201d noted the statement, which was issued by NASA PAO.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a consensus that our horizon goal should be a human mission to Mars and the stepping stone and pathways thrust of the NRC report complements NASA\u2019s ongoing approach.<\/p>\n
\u201cNASA has made significant progress on many key elements that will be needed to reach Mars, and we continue on this path in collaboration with industry and other nations. We intend to thoroughly review the report and all of its recommendations.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is likely the report will be at the center of upcoming political hearings, set to begin next month. Although, as stated by the NRC committee \u2013 made of unpaid volunteers \u2013 any changes will need to occur sooner, rather than later, if NASA is to get back on track to achieving the \u201cHorizon Goal\u201d of human on Mars.<\/p>\n
(Images: via NASA, NRC and L2).<\/p>\n
(Click here: http:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/l2\/ \u2013 to view how you can support NSF\u2019s running costs and access thousands of gbs of content available on no other site)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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