Space has long been recognized as the frontier of human ability. When President Kennedy promised the world that America would go to the moon in his now famous speech he could not have realized exactly how far humanity would take the quest to get to space. Since then, there have been many new and exciting space adventures. From the launch of Hubble and its repair to the ISS, space missions have been expanding in their scope and in their thrill. To celebrate these achievements we’ve put together a list of the five most exciting journeys of space exploration that are being planned now.
A Return to the Moon
One of the most exciting journeys being planned in the near term is a return to the moon. NASA plans to use lunar missions to help establish the groundwork for other trips in the future. Additionally NASA has the goal of establishing the location of water reserves on the moon and other lunar exploration objectives.
NASA is not alone in its desire to return to the moon. China is launching a lunar probe soon to explore the surface of our satellite. The Chinese mission will be the first time that a country has put a rover on the moon since the Soviets in 1976.
The first and most obvious space journey being planned is a crewed mission to Mars. NASA is working on a new launch system, the Orion spacecraft, that will take astronauts to the red planet. The goal of this mission is to gain new understandings about solar system formation, space colonization, and to look for evidence of life outside of Earth.
NASA is not the only group that is planning on going to Mars. Other private enterprises like Space-X are also working on the necessary technology to send explorers to Mars. It remains to be seen what other governments and companies will join the effort to be the first to put a human on the planet.
Another mission being planned by NASA is one to redirect an asteroid into orbit around the Moon. Once the asteroid has been re-directed NASA plans to send missions to explore it and bring back samples for study. It is hoped that this will teach us more about the early solar system and also provide the data we would need to prevent an asteroid from impacting the Earth.
James Webb Space Telescope
Not all of the missions being planned right now involve human exploration. The James Webb Space Telescope is collaboration between NASA and a number of other national space agencies. It is scheduled to be launched from French Guiana in 2018. The JWST will dramatically expand humanity’s ability tlo explore the universe at different points in its life and will provided unparalleled images and data. There are even some who think that it could be the key to finding an Earth-like planet.
A mission to Mars isn’t the only place where private companies are getting involved with space. A number of companies are also planning on offering different space tourism options. As a result individuals will be able to pay a private corporation to take a trip to space for the first time in human history. Virgin Galactic is planning to offer Low Earth Orbit trips in the neat future, and other companies are making their own plans for space tourism.