Is anyone else excited about the new manned missions that NASA is planning to the Moon and Mars? Even though the missions are several years out, the systems are in development now.

The shuttles will be retired in a few years and then NASA will shift to a new capsule-type vehicle called Orion to transport astronauts to space and back. The Orion capsule will be boosted into space using rocket systems derived from the shuttle boosters. For missions to the Moon, the capsule will dock with a separate lander and even larger rocket system that can boost the lander and capsule from Earth orbit to the Moon.

The overall system is called Constellation and the rockets that boost it into orbit are the Ares I and Ares 5. Some of the biggest rockets ever made are in development for this program. Systems derived from these will be able to send astronauts to Mars or to the asteroids. Here's some info on the NASA website about Constellation, the Orion vehicle, and the Ares rockets: NASA - Constellation Program: NASA's New Spaceships

I think it is really exciting! I barely remember the moon missions from when I was just a little kid. But I was so excited by it at the time and I always wondered why they didn't continue. I was enthusiastic about the shuttle program, but now I think that probably the shuttle was a long wrong turn and a detour from where we ought to be exploring in space. The shuttle could only go to low earth orbit, and we should be going to the moon and beyond. Finally we are working on those kinds of systems again!

I think it's great, but I haven't found too many people that are very interested, and most people don't even seem to know that NASA is actively building the new system right now.

Does anyone care?
What do you think about this?
dragonrider Reviewed by dragonrider on . New manned missions to Moon, Mars --- what do you think? Is anyone else excited about the new manned missions that NASA is planning to the Moon and Mars? Even though the missions are several years out, the systems are in development now. The shuttles will be retired in a few years and then NASA will shift to a new capsule-type vehicle called Orion to transport astronauts to space and back. The Orion capsule will be boosted into space using rocket systems derived from the shuttle boosters. For missions to the Moon, the capsule will dock with a Rating: 5