posted 02-14-2012 11:36 AM               

The Future of American Space Flight

NASA is embarking on a new era of space exploration in which humans will travel deeper into the solar system than ever before.

The International Space Station (ISS) is the centerpiece for space operations. Serving as a test bed for research and new technologies, the space station is a steppingstone toward future exploration destinations.

The commercial industry will transport cargo and eventually crew to the space station while NASA focuses on developing the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV), Space Launch System (SLS), and advanced exploration systems that will enable a sustainable human presence to destinations such as the moon, near-Earth asteroids and Mars.

A related NASA.gov interactive includes videos discussing exploration destinations:

• Sandra Magnus — Why do we explore space and what benefits do we obtain?
  
• Doug Cooke — What are the Lagrange points?
  
• Waleed Abdalati — What will we learn by sending humans to Mars?
  
• Harrison Schmitt — Why should we go back to the Moon?
  
• Tom Jones — What can be gained from NEA explorations?