Desert To Simulate An Asteroid Environment In Upcoming
Exercises
NASA is once again taking human space exploration to the Arizona
desert in tests to simulate conditions on other worlds. This year,
for the first time, the desolate desert landscape will stand in for
an asteroid. Visiting an asteroid presents NASA with challenges the
agency is only beginning to tackle. Among them are how to travel
between sites of interest on an asteroid's surface and how to
conduct spacewalks in its microgravity.
Manned Missions, When They Happen, Will Launch From Complex
41
When the United States again undertakes manned spaceflight, the
CST-100 spacecraft designed by Boeing will launch atop a United
Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket, according to the company. If
NASA selects Boeing for a development contract with sufficient
funding, ULA will provide launch services for an autonomous orbital
flight, a transonic autonomous abort test launch, and a crewed
launch, all in 2015.
Images From MRO Show Seasonal Changes Over Several Years
Observations from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) have
revealed possible flowing water during the warmest months on Mars.
"NASA's Mars Exploration Program keeps bringing us closer to
determining whether the Red Planet could harbor life in some form,"
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said, "and it reaffirms Mars as
an important future destination for human exploration."
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