(CNN) -- Blasting off from Earth and hurtling through space at thousands of miles an hour, it takes astronauts three days to reach the moon -- a tiny distance in a universe measured in light years, but a fantastic voyage on a human scale.
Buzz Aldrin walks on the moon on July 20, 1969. NASA is preparing to send astronauts back and build a lunar base.
Now plans are under way to go back, even as the future of U.S. human space exploration is under close scrutiny and pressure is growing on NASA to aim for another alien world.
It's a crossroads Neil Armstrong could have hardly imagined on July 20, 1969, when he became the first human to set foot on the moon and uttered his now famous phrase: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
Today, NASA is working to return astronauts to the moon by 2020 and establish a lunar base that would allow them to stay on the desolate surface for up to six months by 2025.
The goal this time is for the explorers to make themselves at home, study the terrain and learn how to work in a harsh environment to prepare for trips beyond the moon.
"The next giant leap has begun," NASA promises on the logo of its Constellation Program, the new fleet ofspace exploration vehicles that the agency's former administrator, Michael Griffin, once famously called "Apollo on steroids."
Set to replace the space shuttles, Constellation builds on the legacy of Apollo -- the program that landed humans on the moon six times in the late 1960s and early '70s -- but incorporates modern technologies and influences.
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What I want to know is why we are not working on getting to the sun? The source of energy is a constant debate here on our little blue planet. Why are we not heading in the direction of the greatest source of energy in our solar system? Why are we instead trying to distance ourselves from that energy source, the sun?
ReplyDeleteI think NASA needs to take a serious step back, literally, and work on getting to the sun. ....then, on capturing the sun's energy and sending it more efficiently to the earth. Let's not wait for the sun's energy to come to us. Let's be proactive and go get the sun's energy.
Why doesnt your link work? :)
ReplyDeleteI think I would approve of any space travel- the moon, the sun, Mars, etc. But Best Friends DO NOT approve of the use of performance enhancing drugs.
"...Constellation Program, the new fleet of space exploration vehicles that the agency's former administrator, Michael Griffin, once famously called 'Apollo on steroids.' "
So, I ask you Mr. Griffin, what's wrong with regular Apollo? Apollo didnt need steroids to get us to the moon. Lets ponder that.
Buzz Aldrin punching a guy.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOo6aHSY8hU