Motivations
This is an exciting but uncertain time in space exploration. For the first time in decades, NASA is developing new hardware that can take humans into deep space. Commercial partners are providing access to low-Earth orbit.
But NASA’s budget has shrunk while its commitments have grown. What can NASA do with this new capability?
The Planetary Society believes that Mars should be the goal for human spaceflight. NASA shares this belief. However, the 2014 National Academies report, Pathways to Exploration, stated that existing plans for getting humans to Mars are unaffordable under realistic budget projections.
The Planetary Society conducted this workshop and wrote this report in an effort to add a constructive voice to the conversation about the future of human spaceflight. The question we want to address: “is there a way to build a sustainable, executable, and affordable program to get humans to Mars?”
We believe that a long-term, focused, and step-wise approach to Mars exploration could provide the necessary framework to build a broad coalition needed to support this endeavor. Orbiting first is a practical solution to the problem of year-to-year affordability while still clearly advancing the humans-to-Mars goal.
We will use the results and information gathered at the workshop as a cornerstone in our efforts to positively impact the direction of NASA’s human spaceflight program.