NASA's plan to reach the stars

With the ongoing efforts going torwards NASA's Project Constellation I think that we finally have the stepping stones that could very possibly take us to Mars and beyond.

The 2 vehicles being researched by NASA is the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle and the Ares Launch Vehile. I'll link a video below this paragragh but beware the video might take a while to load for people with slow internet connections.

Constellation Project - 04:27

NASA animation of the Ares I and V vehicles. Also known as the crew and cargo launch vehicles. These are the proposed vehicles to supersede the Space Shuttle program which ends in 2010. This animation depicts the proposed lunar exploration mission scenario..

I'm excited that we are moving away from the Space Shuttle program in 2010 and moving into a program that could start a new era of space exploration, in which new milestones in human space flight can be achieved.

My only wish is that we could adopt one space program where many nations could contribute technology and funding. The Space Station is a fine example how this could someday be possible. A "Space Race" could be viewed as healthy, but I think much more ground could be gained if everyone could work together under one program instead of many programs racing to see who can get it done first.
















[edit on 18-4-2007 by Empyrean Madness]