NASA Posts Global Exploration Roadmap

News provided by

Sep 22, 2011, 12:29 ET

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA is releasing the initial version of a Global Exploration Roadmap (GER) developed by the International Space Exploration Coordination Group. This roadmap is the culmination of work by 12 space agencies, including NASA, during the past year to advance coordinated space exploration.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO)

The GER begins with the International Space Station and expands human presence throughout the solar system, leading ultimately to crewed missions to explore the surface of Mars.

The roadmap identifies two potential pathways: "Asteroid Next" and "Moon Next." Each pathway represents a mission scenario that covers a 25-year period with a logical sequence of robotic and human missions. Both pathways were deemed practical approaches to address common high-level exploration goals developed by the participating agencies, recognizing that individual preferences among them may vary.

To view the document, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/about/isecg/

For information about NASA and human exploration, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/exploration

SOURCE NASA