Over the next decade, America will return to the Moon and begin exploring regions of deep space that have never before been seen by human eyes. New American space exploration systems launching next year will provide the capability to reach Mars and beyond – and NASA will lead the world in achieving these unprecedented missions.
Recently, Dr. Mary Lynne Dittmar — President and CEO of the Coalition for Deep Space Exploration — laid out the argument for our national space program in Politico.
Dr. Dittmar argues the programs and infrastructure necessary for sustained American leadership in space — NASA’s powerful Space Launch System rocket and Lunar Gateway (just to name a few key pieces of the plan) — require “a robust, government-funded infrastructure ‘backbone.’”
The National Research Council recently called for a “‘stepping stones’ approach toward Mars together with a ‘feed-forward’ approach” — a strategy that calls for developing technology that can meet both near and long term needs. These approaches provide America with its best chance at reaching Mars, but they also require a government that is willing to embrace the cost and the risk of these systems.
It’s time for America to renew our commitment to NASA’s deep space exploration mission.
To quote Dr. Dittmar, “Our future is in our hands. Let’s get on with it.”
Curious about the details of Dr. Dittmar’s plan?