Exploring The Moon And Mars

Americans are divided over the future of the U.S. space program. Some say it's time to send astronauts back to the Moon, as well as to Mars for the first time. They believe that exploring these worlds will lead to all sorts of payoffs, including new scientific knowledge, new sources of energy, and perhaps even future homes for humans. Others strongly disagree. They argue that the dangers and costs of crewed space exploration are too great to be justified. They believe that robots can do a better job of exploring the Moon, Mars, and other parts of space—for much less money and with no risk to human life. Understanding this debate involves looking at the facts and figures and talking to experts on both sides. It also involves some probing questions: • In a time of economic crisis, should the United States be spending billions of dollars on crewed space exploration? • How would science, industry, and human society benefit from crewed missions to the Moon and Mars? • Who should foot the bill—the United States, a consortium of nations, or private business? To answer these questions, this book looks at the costs of crewed missions to Mars and the Moon, as well as the potential payoff; the dangers of space exploration, both physical and psychological; and the potential for human settlement on Mars. We'll hear a variety opinions—from astronauts, astronomers, U.S. presidents, and NASA officials. Supplemented with quotes, anecdotes, and discussions from the pages of USA TODAY, The Nation's No. 1 Newspaper, this book will broaden your understanding of the issue and help you form your own opinion, either for or against crewed missions to the Moon and Mars.

Can astronauts reach Mars by 2035? Absolutely, says Buzz Aldrin, one of the first men to walk on the moon. Celebrated astronaut, brilliant engineer, bestselling author, Aldrin believes it is not only possibly but vital to America's future to keep pushing the space frontier outward for the sake of exploration, science, development, commerce, and security. What we need, he argues, is a commitment by the U.S. President as rousing as JFK's promise to reach the moon by the end of the 1960 - an audacious, inspiring goal-and a unified vision for space exploration. In Mission to Mars, Aldrin plots that trajectory, stressing that American-led space exploration is essential to the economic and technological vitality of the nation and the world. Do you dare to dream big? Then join Aldrin in his thought provoking and inspiring Mission to Mars.

From September 2007 to June 2008 the Space Studies Board conducted an international public seminar series, with each monthly talk highlighting a different topic in space and Earth science. The principal lectures from the series are compiled in Forging the Future of Space Science. The topics of these events covered the full spectrum of space and Earth science research, from global climate change, to the cosmic origins of life, to the exploration of the Moon and Mars, to the scientific research required to support human spaceflight. The prevailing messages throughout the seminar series as demonstrated by the lectures in this book are how much we have accomplished over the past 50 years, how profound are our discoveries, how much contributions from the space program affect our daily lives, and yet how much remains to be done. The age of discovery in space and Earth science is just beginning. Opportunities abound that will forever alter our destiny.