The STS-114 mission is NASA’s first launch in a new adventure that will someday send people to Mars. But Mars won’t be the end of the adventure. Human beings will keep exploring new worlds!
The president announced a plan for NASA called the Vision for Space Exploration. The first step is to start flying the Space Shuttle again. That step is here! Next, the Space Shuttle will help finish the International Space Station (ISS), and astronauts on the ISS will learn even more about living in space.
NASA will also build a new spacecraft to fly people to the Moon, and they will build bases there. People will learn more about living in other worlds. Robots will gather information about Mars and other places in our solar system. When NASA has learned enough, they will be ready for the next step—sending people to Mars!
But, even then, the adventure will be just beginning. Space is vast, and there are lots of places to explore.
Visit the links below for more resources from NASA:
Recycling for Moon, Mars, and Beyond
What do you do with your garbage on the Moon? A team of NASA scientists
hope to build a recycling incinerator.
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The Engine That Does More
Before man travels to Mars, NASA hopes to design new engines that
will let us fly through the solar system more quickly.
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Travel Agent
Research a planet in our Solar System and design a travel brochure
about that planet to encourage future travelers to visit that
planet.
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Student Section
Measuring the Distance
Compare the planets Earth and Mars
and demonstrate the distance between the two planets.
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Student Section
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