Future Space Exploration A Summary of “The Global Exploration Roadmap”, International Space Exploration Coordination Group, August 2013 Summarized by: John Vose Sixth Grade Science Teacher Copperas Cove Junior High School March 18, 2014

Programs like the space program change due to many influences. Such as: Politics Funding Orders from heads of state Scientific advances Currently space exploration has shifted emphasis from individual countries pursuing their own space programs to an atmosphere of global, or nearly global, cooperation.

What is it?

Space agencies participating in the International Space Exploration Coordination Group are developing the Global Exploration Roadmap. The roadmap is a plan for steps for international exploration of space to multiple destinations including eventually Mars. All agree that individual national space programs are no longer the way to go. This international plan will replace the “space race”.

Basic concepts of the Roadmap: Mars is the most interesting destination for human missions a human mission to Mars is the long-term goal for the Global Exploration Roadmap, there is much work to be done before the risks associated with a Mars mission can be reduced to an acceptable levels required technologies must be developed and tested.

Key roadmap elements: common goals and objectives, long-range human exploration scenarios, and cooperating on activities preparing for exploration.

Common Goals and Objectives Develop Exploration Technologies and Capabilities: things required to live and work in space Engage the Public in Exploration: opportunities for the public to be active in space exploration Enhance Earth Safety: by working together for defense against asteroids, comets, orbital debris, etc Extend Human Presence: go beyond low-Earth orbit and increase number of people and duration of missions

Common Goals and Objectives (continued) Perform Science to Support Human Exploration: reduce risk by studying what space does to people Perform Space, Earth, and Applied Science: go to various destinations and do science in those unique environments Search for Life: is or was life present outside of Earth? Stimulate Economic Expansion: use knowledge gained in space to improve life on Earth

Human Space Exploration Plan: The complicated graphic on the next slide shows the simultaneous exploration by ISECG partners in cooperation with each other of Low Earth Orbit, Near Earth Objects, the Moon, and Mars through 2030 and beyond. There are plans for robotic missions, human missions, and cargo missions. It also shows planned and conceptual transportation and exploration equipment.

Human Exploration Preparatory Activities: Use of the ISS for Exploration: The life of the ISS has been extended until at least 2020 so it will be available to current and future partners. Robotic Missions: have always come before manned missions. They ensure human health and safety while giving maximum return on investments. Advanced Technology Development: No one space agency can afford to develop all of the technology needed for future space exploration on its own. By spreading out this challenge we can get these technologies sooner.

Human Exploration Preparatory Activities (continued): Development of New Space Systems and Infrastructure: We will need a whole new generation of capabilities and systems with technology that hasn’t been discovered, yet. Analogue Activities: Some testing can be done on Earth. When the thing being tested does not rely on all of the conditions of space then testing can be done on Earth under controlled conditions with lots of participation from students, astronauts, scientists, and engineers. Managing Health and Human Performance Risks: We must learn to know, understand, and overcome risks to humans during longer missions and on the surface of other objects in the solar system.

The Final Frontier: Future exploration of space and our Solar System is going to be a cooperative venture on the part of many space agencies around the world. No longer will we be in a competitive, politically-fueled “Space Race” with an economic and ideological enemy. Instead we will “boldly go where no one has gone before” as a united planet.

References: Last Name Unknown, Laura (July 27, 1999). Yoda Talks! [Public Blog Post]. Retrieved March 7, 2013 from 36/yoda/sounds/yodasounds.html 36/yoda/sounds/yodasounds.html International Space Exploration Coordination Group (August 2013). The global exploration roadmap.