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89-613: The initial effort, officially known as the Vision for Space Exploration (VSE), includes plans for return missions to the Moon with astronauts , and with the intent of establishing a permanent lunar base . Once such plans are attained, the focus will shift to missions on Mars and beyond. This plan was announced on January 15, 2004 by US President George W. Bush at the NASA Headquarters . The organizations involved in supporting

178-503: A counterweight to a Moon-based space elevator . NASA has also outlined plans for human missions to the far side of the Moon . All of the Apollo missions have landed on the near side. Unique products may be producible in the nearly extreme vacuum of the lunar surface, and the Moon's remoteness is the ultimate isolation for biologically hazardous experiments. The Moon would also become

267-553: A spending bill which gave NASA the $ 16.2 billion that President Bush had sought to kick-start the Vision. According to then-NASA chief Sean O'Keefe , that spending bill "was as strong an endorsement of the space exploration vision, as any of us could have imagined." In 2005, Congress passed S.1281, the NASA Authorization Act of 2005 , which explicitly endorsed the Vision. Former NASA Administrator Michael Griffin

356-663: A "sustainable course of long-term exploration." NASA estimated that the original policy would cost $ 230 billion (in 2004 dollars) through 2025, including the Commercial Crew and Cargo program, which is separate from the Constellation program. However, unsolved technical and design challenges made it impossible for NASA to provide a conclusive estimate. Upon taking office, President Obama declared Constellation to be "over budget, behind schedule, and lacking in innovation." A review concluded that it would cost on

445-533: A Space Conference on April 15, 2010, in Florida. This came at a time when the president's administration was being criticized considerably for leaving the Constellation Program out of the 2011 budget. At the conference, President Obama and top officials, as well as leaders in the field of spaceflight, discussed the future of U.S. efforts in human spaceflight and unveiled a plan for NASA that followed

534-506: A development philosophy used for the original Saturn I , test-launching one stage at a time, which George Mueller had firmly opposed and abandoned in favor of "all-up" testing for the Saturn V . As of May 2010, the program got as far as launching the first Ares I-X first-stage flight on October 28, 2009 and testing the Orion launch abort system before its cancellation. Ares V would have had

623-561: A fan club for a status quo that has failed so miserably time after time in our nation's quest for space ." The SEA holds an annual "Legislative Blitz" in Washington, D.C. . Vision for Space Exploration The Vision for Space Exploration ( VSE ) was a plan for space exploration announced on January 14, 2004 by President George W. Bush . It was conceived as a response to the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster ,

712-533: A four-person crew for lunar missions) on an Ares I rocket. Once the Orion spacecraft docked with the landing module and the Earth Departure Stage (EDS), the EDS would then fire again and propel the Orion spacecraft to a nearby near-Earth asteroid where the crew would then land and explore its surface. Once the task was completed, the Orion spacecraft would then depart from the asteroid and, upon reaching

801-647: A human," the vision announced by the President states that "robotic missions will serve as trailblazers—the advanced guard to the unknown." Others, such as the Mars Society , have argued that it makes more sense to avoid going back to the Moon and instead focus on going to Mars first. Throughout much of 2004, it was unclear whether the U.S. Congress would be willing to approve and fund the Vision for Space Exploration. However, in November 2004, Congress passed

890-524: A maximum lift capacity of about 188 metric tons (414,000 lb) to low Earth orbit (LEO), compared to the Space Shuttle 's capacity of 24.4 metric tons (54,000 lb), and the Saturn V 's 118 metric tons (260,000 lb). The Ares V would have carried about 71 metric tons (157,000 lb) to the Moon , versus the Saturn V 's 45 metric tons (99,000 lb) lunar payload. The Ares V design consisted of six RS-68 engines with assistance from

979-738: A new funding bill for 2011. NASA continues the development of the Orion spacecraft for deep space travel. In an effort to reduce costs, it has contracted for private development of vehicles for use in low Earth orbit. Since May 2020, the Commercial Crew Development program has used the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft to bring people to and from the International Space Station, while Boeing's Starliner spacecraft started operating in 2024 for

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1068-698: A pair of 5.5-segment SRBs. Five RS-25 engines were originally planned for the Ares V, but the RS-68 engines are more powerful and less complex and therefore less expensive than the SSMEs. The Ares V would have flown for the first eight minutes of powered flight, then the Earth Departure Stage would have placed itself and the Altair spacecraft into low Earth orbit while awaiting the arrival of the Orion. Toward

1157-696: A period of years without human spaceflight capability from the US. Termination of the Space Shuttle program, without any planned alternatives, in 2011 ended virtually all US capability for reusable launch vehicles. This severely limited any future of low Earth orbit or deep space exploration. Ultimately, the lack of proper funding caused the VSE to fall short of its original goals, leaving many projects behind schedule as President George W. Bush's term in office ended. Keith Cowan wrote in 2014, "The damage done to America and

1246-629: A proposal for continued crewed space exploration after the completion of the International Space Station and the planned retirement of the Space Shuttle program in 2010. This proposal was to be a way to "establish an extended human presence on the Moon" to "vastly reduce the costs of further space exploration." Included in this would be the "harvesting and processing of lunar soil into rocket fuel or breathable air." According to Bush, experience gained could help "develop and test new approaches and technologies and systems" to begin

1335-488: A proving ground toward the development of In-Situ Resource Utilization , or "living off the land" (i.e., self-sufficiency) for permanent human outposts. In a position paper issued by the National Space Society (NSS), a return to the Moon should be considered a high priority space program , to begin development of the knowledge and identification of the industries unique to the Moon. The NSS believes that

1424-494: A robust research and development program that would include work on propellant depots . After reviewing the report, and following congressional testimony, the Obama administration decided to exclude Constellation from the 2011 United States federal budget . On February 1, 2010, the President's proposed budget was released, which included no funding for the project, and it became law on April 15, 2011. President Obama hosted

1513-518: A single Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) derived in part from the primary boosters used in the Space Shuttle system, connected at its upper end by an interstage support assembly to a new liquid-fueled second stage powered by a J-2X rocket engine. NASA selected the Ares designs for their anticipated overall safety, reliability and cost-efficiency. NASA began developing the Ares I low Earth orbit launch vehicle (analogous to Apollo's Saturn IB ), returning to

1602-710: A sustained and affordable human and robotic program to explore the Solar System and beyond; extend human presence across the Solar System, starting with a human return to the Moon by the year 2020, in preparation for human exploration of Mars and other destinations; develop the innovative technologies, knowledge, and infrastructures both to explore and to support decisions about the destinations for human exploration; and to promote international and commercial participation in exploration to further U.S. scientific, security, and economic interests. In pursuit of these goals,

1691-408: A sustained human presence on the Moon, including a robust precursor program to promote exploration, science, commerce and US preeminence in space, and as a stepping stone to future exploration of Mars and other destinations." Work began on this revised Constellation Program, to send astronauts first to the International Space Station , then to the Moon , and then to Mars and beyond. Subsequent to

1780-782: Is a supporter of the Vision, but modified it somewhat, saying that he wants to reduce the four-year gap between the retirement of the Space Shuttle and the first crewed mission of the Crew Exploration Vehicle. NASA's "Lunar Architecture" forms a key part of its Global Exploration Strategy, also known as the Vision for Space Exploration. The first part of the Lunar Architecture is the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter , which launched in June 2009 on board an Atlas V . The preliminary design review

1869-560: Is planned to fly aboard Artemis II in 2025 and on several subsequent missions. Altair (formerly known as the Lunar Surface Access Module, LSAM) was designed to be the main transport vehicle for astronauts on lunar missions. The Altair design was much larger than its predecessor, the Apollo Lunar Module , at almost five times the volume, occupying a total of 1,120 cubic feet (32 m ) compared with

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1958-551: Is that funding for VSE could instead be harnessed to advance science and technology, such as in aeronautics, commercial spacecraft and launch vehicle technology, environmental monitoring, and biomedical sciences. However, VSE itself is poised to propel a host of beneficial Moon science activities, including lunar telescopes, selenological studies and solar energy beams. With or without VSE, human spaceflight will be made sustainable. However, without VSE, more funds could be directed toward reducing human spaceflight costs sufficiently for

2047-581: Is to begin development of the knowledge and identification of the industries unique to the Moon, because "such industries can provide economic leverage and support for NASA activities, saving the government millions." As Tumlinson additionally notes, the goal is to "open space ... to human settlement ... to create ways to harvest the resources ... not only saving this precious planet, but also ... assuring our survival." Regarding "the Moon, NASA should support early exploration now. ... " Constellation program The Constellation program (abbreviated CxP )

2136-400: The Ares I and Ares V , when the program was created. Ares I was designed for the sole purpose of launching mission crews into orbit, while Ares V would have been used to launch other hardware which required a heavier lift capacity than the Ares I booster provided. In addition to these two boosters, NASA designed other spacecraft for use during Constellation, including the Orion crew capsule,

2225-641: The Ares I , employs many concepts from the Apollo program. The design of the J-2X engine intended for use on the Ares V booster rocket was originally to be similar to the J-2 engine of the Apollo-era Saturn V and Saturn IB rockets. In designing the J-2X, NASA engineers visited museums, searched for Apollo-era documentation and consulted with engineers who worked on the Apollo program. "The mechanics of landing on

2314-769: The Ares V for cargo. This would have allowed the two launch vehicles to be optimized for their respective missions, and allowed a much higher total lift for the Ares V without being cost-prohibitive. The Constellation Program thus combined the Lunar Orbit Rendezvous method adopted by the Apollo program 's lunar missions with the Earth Orbit Rendezvous method which had also been considered. The name Ares (the Greek god called Mars in Roman mythology)

2403-540: The Earth Departure Stage secondary booster, and the Altair lunar lander. The Orion spacecraft was designed for the Constellation program as a crew compartment for use in low Earth orbit . Lockheed Martin was selected as the prime contractor for the Orion project on August 31, 2006, and Boeing was selected to build its primary heat shield on September 15, 2006. NASA initially planned to develop different Orion capsules tailored for specific missions. The Block I Orion

2492-588: The Saturn V rocket, the crewed Orion spacecraft would be launched separately from the uncrewed EDS and lunar lander. The Ares V/Altair stack would be assembled at the Vehicle Assembly Building and then transported to LC-39A , and the Ares ;M/Orion stack would be transported to the adjacent Pad 39B. The Ares V/EDS/Altair stack would be launched first, into a 220 miles (360 km) high circular orbit. Approximately 90 minutes later,

2581-522: The Space Shuttle . But unlike the X-33 and other programs intended to replace the Shuttle, Constellation reused concepts from the Apollo and Space Shuttle programs . The shape of the Orion command module closely resembles the aerodynamic shape of the Apollo command and service module . However, in other areas Orion employs updated technology. The design of the launch vehicle taking Orion into orbit,

2670-443: The lunar orbit insertion (LOI) burn. Once in lunar orbit, the crew would refine the trajectory and configure the Orion spacecraft for uncrewed flight, allowing all four crew members to transfer to the Altair vehicle and land on the Moon, while the Orion waits for their return. Upon receiving clearance from Mission Control, the Altair would undock from the Orion and perform an inspection maneuver, allowing ground controllers to inspect

2759-550: The Altair would rendezvous and dock with the waiting Orion spacecraft, and the crew would then transfer, along with samples collected on the Moon, back to the Orion. After jettisoning the Altair, the crew would perform the Trans Earth Injection (TEI) burn for the return trip to Earth. After a two-and-a-half-day coast, the crew would jettison the Service Module (allowing it to burn up in the atmosphere) and

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2848-441: The Apollo lander's 235 cubic feet (6.7 m ). It was to stand 32 feet (9.8 m) tall and span 49 feet (15 m) wide from tip to tip of the landing gear. Like its predecessor, the Altair design consists of two parts: an ascent stage which houses the four-person crew; and a descent stage consisting of the landing gear, and storage for the majority of the crew's consumables (oxygen and water) and for scientific equipment. Unlike

2937-468: The Ares I/Orion would then launch with the crew into a nearly identical orbit. The Orion would then rendezvous and dock with the Altair/EDS combination already in low-Earth orbit. After the necessary preparations for lunar flight, the EDS would fire for 390 seconds in a translunar injection (TLI) maneuver, accelerating the spacecraft to 25,000 miles per hour (40,200 km/h). After this burn,

3026-640: The Augustine Panel's "Flexible Path to Mars" option, modifying President Obama's prior proposal to include the continuing development of the Orion capsule as an auxiliary system to the ISS and setting the year 2015 as the deadline for the design of a new Super Heavy Launch Vehicle. In October 2010, the NASA authorization bill for 2010 was signed into law which canceled Constellation. However, previous legislation kept Constellation contracts in force until passage of

3115-649: The CM would reenter the Earth's atmosphere using a special reentry trajectory designed to slow the vehicle from its speed of 25,000 miles per hour (40,200 km/h) to 300 miles per hour (480 km/h) and thus allow a Pacific Ocean splashdown. The Crew Module would then be flown back to Kennedy Space Center for refurbishment, while lunar samples would be routed to the Johnson Space Center 's (JSC) Lunar Receiving Laboratory for analysis. The Orion Asteroid Mission

3204-538: The Cape and Mission Control in Houston, the Ares I would then launch. After a two-day orbital chase, the Orion spacecraft , having jettisoned much of the initial stack during takeoff, would meet with the International Space Station . After getting the go ahead from Houston, Orion would then dock with the ISS. The six-man crew (at a maximum) would then enter the station in order to perform numerous tasks and activities for

3293-489: The EDS would be jettisoned. During the three-day trans-lunar coast, the four-man crew would monitor the Orion's systems, inspect their Altair spacecraft and its support equipment, and correct their flight path as necessary to allow the Altair to land at a near-polar landing site suitable for a future lunar base. Approaching the lunar far side, the Orion/Altair combination would orient the Altair's engines forward and make

3382-441: The Earth from asteroid impacts . This would be the first crewed mission to any extraterrestrial body besides the Moon, and would represent a step towards a human mission to Mars . The mission would start in a similar fashion to the lunar landing mission described above, using an Ares V to launch the landing module into Low Earth orbit , followed by the launch of an Orion spacecraft, with a two- or three-person crew (as opposed to

3471-439: The International Space Station and missions beyond low Earth orbit. Outlining some of the advantages, U.S. President George W. Bush addressed the following: Establishing an extended human presence on the moon could vastly reduce the costs of further space exploration, making possible ever more ambitious missions. Lifting heavy spacecraft and fuel out of the Earth's gravity is expensive. Spacecraft assembled and provisioned on

3560-548: The J-2X. Like Apollo, Constellation would have flown a lunar orbit rendezvous mission profile, but unlike Apollo, Constellation would have also employed Earth orbit rendezvous , conveying the crew to the vehicle. The lander, known as Altair , would have been launched separately on the Ares V rocket, a rocket based on both Space Shuttle and Apollo technologies. Orion would have been launched separately and would have linked up with Altair in low Earth orbit. Also, unlike Apollo, Orion would have remained uncrewed in lunar orbit while

3649-546: The Launch Abort System (LAS), which provides capability for the astronauts and Crew Module to escape from the launch vehicle should problems arise during launch ascent. The Orion Crew Module is designed to be reusable, allowing NASA to construct a fleet of Orion crew modules. Despite the cancellation of the Constellation program, development of the Orion spacecraft continues, with a test launch performed on December 5, 2014. Orion flew aboard Artemis I in 2022 and

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3738-570: The Lunar Module, Altair was designed to land in the lunar polar regions favored by NASA for future lunar base construction. Altair, like the Lunar Module, was not designed to be reusable, and the ascent stage would be discarded after use. The Altair descent stage was to be powered by four RL-10 rocket engines, which are also those used in the Centaur upper stage of the Atlas V rocket. Unlike

3827-512: The MAV to return to their interplanetary vehicle in Mars orbit, which would then be used to return to Earth. The mission would conclude with the re-entry and landing of the Orion capsule. NASA lists a number of reasons for a human return to the Moon on its website: In the words of former NASA Administrator, Michael D. Griffin , "The goal isn't just scientific exploration.... It's also about extending

3916-444: The MAV. The second cargo payload would be a habitat that the astronauts would live in during the stay on the surface. In the next launch window, 26 months after the first, the crew would go to Mars in an interplanetary transfer vehicle with nuclear thermal rocket and propellant modules assembled in Earth orbit. Once at Mars, the crew would rendezvous with the Mars habitat in orbit, land on Mars, and explore for 500 days. The crew would use

4005-414: The Mars goal also found expression in the name given to the program's booster rockets: Ares (the Greek equivalent of the Roman god Mars ). The technological aims of the program included the regaining of significant astronaut experience beyond low Earth orbit and the development of technologies necessary to enable sustained human presence on other planetary bodies. Constellation began in response to

4094-405: The Moon and getting off the Moon to a large extent have been solved," said Constellation program manager Jeff Hanley. "That is the legacy that Apollo gave us." However, as the J-2X program progressed, it became apparent that, because of revised safety requirements and the growing mass of the upper stage, it was necessary to scrap the original J-2 design completely and use a completely new design for

4183-407: The Moon may be a repository of the history and possible future of Earth, and that the six Apollo landings only scratched the surface of that "treasure". According to NSS, the Moon's far side, permanently shielded from the noisy Earth, is an ideal site for future radio astronomy (for example, signals in the 1–10 MHz range cannot be detected on Earth because of ionosphere interference ). When

4272-424: The Moon's weaker gravity field . While simultaneously serving as a proving ground for a wide range of space operations and processes, the Moon may serve as a cost-effective construction, launching and fueling site for future space exploration missions. For example, future Ares V missions could cost-effectively deliver raw materials for future spacecraft and missions to a Moon-based space dock positioned as

4361-528: The Orion CSM, which would use the descent stage as both a launchpad and a platform for future base construction. Alternately, there was a small possibility that the original plan of using LOX/CH 4 –fueled engines on board the Block II (lunar) Orion CSM and Altair ascent stage would have been adopted. NASA planned to use two separate boosters for the Constellation Program missions – the Ares I for crew and

4450-402: The Orion spacecraft, flying missions in low Earth orbit to service the International Space Station, and in conjunction with the Altair and Earth Departure Stage vehicles, on crewed flights to the polar regions of the Moon. There were no well-defined plans at the time of cancelation for a crewed flight to Mars , the ultimate goal of the project, but a mission to a Near-Earth asteroid was in

4539-601: The Space Exploration Alliance include: The Space Exploration Alliance (SEA) initially aimed to gain widespread congressional support for the new national Vision for Space Exploration outside Low Earth orbit , which the SEA refers to as "Moon, Mars and Beyond". The SEA's efforts included a campaign on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. held from July 11 to July 13, 2004. Many signed petitions from National Space Society (NSS) members were presented during

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4628-610: The Vision called for the space program to complete the International Space Station by 2010; retire the Space Shuttle by 2010; develop a new Crew Exploration Vehicle (later renamed Orion ) by 2008, and conduct its first human spaceflight mission by 2014; explore the Moon with robotic spacecraft missions by 2008 and crewed missions by 2020, and use lunar exploration to develop and test new approaches and technologies useful for supporting sustained exploration of Mars and beyond; explore Mars and other destinations with robotic and crewed missions; pursue commercial transportation to support

4717-520: The Vision was announced in January 2004, the U.S. Congress and the scientific community gave it a mix of positive and negative reviews. For example, U.S. Representative Dave Weldon (Republican–Florida) said, "I think this is the best thing that has happened to the space program in decades." Though physicist and outspoken crewed spaceflight opponent Robert L. Park stated that robotic spacecraft "are doing so well it's going to be hard to justify sending

4806-519: The agency's current course invited "failure, disillusionment, and [loss of] the longstanding international perception that human space-flight is something that the United States does best." The report recommended that Mars be the next major goal of human space flight. Several possible paths for reaching the planet by 2037 were explored in the report, which noted that returning to the Moon would offer "significant advantages" as an intermediate step in

4895-418: The betterment of low Earth orbit research, business, and tourism. Alternatively, VSE could afford advances in other scientific research ( astronomy , selenology ), in-situ lunar business industries, and lunar-space tourism. The VSE budget required termination the Space Shuttle by 2010 and of any US role in the International Space Station by 2017. This would have required, even in the most optimistic plans,

4984-657: The congressional visits. The NSS members were able to secure their first-year funding for the Vision for Space Exploration initiative. A second campaign was held on May 17 through May 19, 2005, in conjunction with the NSS's annual International Space Development Conference . In a press release issued on October 15, 2005, the Space Frontier Foundation announced its intent to leave the Alliance, citing "philosophical differences" and an unwillingness to become "

5073-547: The crawler-transporter reached the pad, the stack and the Launcher Platform would be left in place and the crawler-transporter removed to a safe distance. After final safety checks, the ground crew would fill up the second stage with liquid hydrogen (LH 2 ) and liquid oxygen (LOX) fuel, and the crew, wearing all-purpose spacesuits , would enter the spacecraft three hours before liftoff. Once they were locked in, and after all systems were cleared by controllers at both

5162-437: The crew would put on their extravehicular activity (EVA) spacesuits and commence the first of five to seven lunar EVAs, collecting samples and deploying experiments. After completing their Lunar Sortie operations, the crew would then enter the Altair and fire the ascent stage engine to lift off from the surface, using the descent stage as a launchpad (and leaving it as a platform for future base construction). Upon entering orbit,

5251-413: The current RL-10 engines in use, these newer RL-10s were to have the ability to throttle down to as low as 10% rated thrust (the older specifications allow for 20%), thus allowing the use of Altair for both the lunar orbit insertion (LOI) and landing stages of lunar missions. The ascent stage was designed to be powered by a single engine, likely a hypergolic engine similar or identical to the main engine of

5340-500: The duration of their flight, usually lasting six months, but possibly shortened to four or lengthened to eight, depending upon NASA's goals for that particular mission. Once completed, the crew would then reenter the Orion, seal itself off from the ISS, and then undock from the station. Once the Orion reached a safe distance from the ISS, the Command Module (after having jettisoned the disposable service module) would re-enter in

5429-424: The end of the program, it became apparent that the ablatively-cooled RS-68B engines would not withstand the heat from the solid rocket boosters at launch, and NASA began again to consider using RS-25 engines instead of upgrading the RS-68 to be regeneratively-cooled . The Earth Departure Stage (EDS) was the propulsion system designed to put the Altair upper stage on a lunar trajectory from within low Earth orbit. It

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5518-477: The entire crew landed on the lunar surface. Toward the end of the mission, the Altair spacecraft would have launched into lunar orbit to link up with the Orion spacecraft in lunar orbit rendezvous. Like Apollo, the Orion capsule would then have returned to Earth, re-entering the atmosphere and landing in water. Like those of the Apollo Program, Constellation program missions would involve its main vehicle,

5607-498: The findings of the Augustine Committee in 2009 that the Constellation Program could not be executed without substantial increases in funding, on February 1, 2010, President Barack Obama proposed to cancel the program, effective with the passage of the U.S. 2011 fiscal year budget . He then revised administration statements in a major space policy speech at Kennedy Space Center on April 15, 2010. On October 11,

5696-478: The first Mars launch window , two cargo payloads would be launched into Earth orbit, as well as a nuclear thermal rocket stage for each payload, in order to boost them to Mars. Alternatively, chemical (specifically liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen) propellant stages could have been used, although this would have required more launches. One cargo payload would include a Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV), as well as In-situ resource utilization equipment to generate propellant for

5785-507: The goal of sending astronauts back to the Moon was "more like reaching for past glory than striving for new triumphs". In February 2009, the Aerospace Technology Working Group released an in-depth report asserting that the Vision had several fundamental problems with regard to politics, financing, and general space policy issues and that the initiative should be rectified or replaced. Another concern noted

5874-549: The goals laid out in the Vision for Space Exploration under NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe and President George W. Bush . O'Keefe's successor, Michael D. Griffin , ordered a complete review, termed the Exploration Systems Architecture Study , which reshaped how NASA would pursue the goals laid out in the Vision for Space Exploration, and its findings were formalized by the NASA Authorization Act of 2005 . The Act directed NASA to "develop

5963-530: The hardware of the Constellation Project, primarily the Orion spacecraft (or a variation based on the Orion), and the Ares V cargo-launch vehicle. A design study utilizing Constellation launch vehicles, known as Design Reference Architecture 5.0, was completed in 2009. In DRA 5.0, a Mars mission would have involved multiple launches of an Ares V rocket, as well as an Ares I to launch the crew. In

6052-620: The initial planning phase as of 2008. After being manufactured at private plants, the parts of the Ares I/Orion stack would be tested and assembled at the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center . Once assembly was completed and a launch date was set, the crawler-transporter would transport the completed stack, along with the launch support tower and the Mobile Launcher-1 , out to LC-39B . Once

6141-419: The moon could escape its far lower gravity using far less energy, and thus, far less cost. Also, the moon is home to abundant resources. Its soil contains raw materials that might be harvested and processed into rocket fuel or breathable air. We can use our time on the moon to develop and test new approaches and technologies and systems that will allow us to function in other, more challenging environments. One of

6230-444: The order of $ 150 billion for Constellation to reach its objective if adhering to the original schedule. Another review in 2009, ordered by President Obama, indicated that neither a return to the Moon nor a crewed flight to Mars was within NASA's current budget. The Augustine panel proposed various options, that included two primary destination points (the Moon and deep space), three different types of Super Heavy Launch vehicles , and

6319-434: The process. The National Space Society (NSS), a private nonprofit, regards a return to the Moon as a high priority for the US space program, in order to develop the body of scientific knowledge of the Moon, particularly in regards to its potential for the creation of new industries, in order to provide further funding for further space exploration. On January 14, 2004 President George W. Bush requested that NASA develop

6408-542: The range of human habitat out from Earth into the Solar System as we go forward in time.... In the long run a single-planet species will not survive.... If we humans want to survive for hundreds of thousands or millions of years, we must ultimately populate other planets ... colonize the Solar System and one day go beyond." A report published in June 2014 by the US National Academy of Sciences called for clear long-term space goals at NASA. The report said that

6497-403: The rest of the world by unsustainable deficits is real, and any lack of zeal in facing this problem would be a mistake. In that context, this would be a good time for Congress to look again at Bush's plans for NASA to re-establish a human presence in deep space. The outgoing Republican Congress gave its Republican president too much benefit of the doubt on this undertaking. The new Congress must, at

6586-504: The same manner as all NASA spacecraft prior to the Shuttle, using the ablative heat shield to both deflect heat from the spacecraft and to slow it down from a speed of 17,500 mph (28,200 km/h) to 300 mph (480 km/h). After reentry was completed, the forward assembly would be jettisoned, and two drogue parachutes released, followed at 20,000 feet (6,100 m) by three main parachutes and airbags filled with nitrogen (N 2 ), which does not combust when exposed to heat, allowing

6675-568: The same purpose. Furthermore, it seeks human-rating for the launch vehicles in the United States Air Force's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles program. Private spacecraft are also operating under the Commercial Resupply Services program bringing cargo to ISS. The Orion spacecraft and Ares V (also Jupiter DIRECT family of rockets) was modified and reauthorized in 2010/2011 as the main payload of

6764-429: The signing of the NASA Authorization Act of 2010 shelved the program, with Constellation contracts remaining in place until Congress would act to overturn the previous mandate. In 2011, NASA adopted the design of its new Space Launch System . One of the main goals of Constellation was the development of spacecraft and booster vehicles to replace the Space Shuttle . NASA had already begun designing two boosters,

6853-477: The spacecraft to splashdown. The Command Module would then be returned to Kennedy Space Center for refurbishment for a later flight. Unlike the Apollo CM, which was used only for one flight, an Orion CM could theoretically be used up to ten times under normal operating conditions. Unlike the Apollo missions, where both the Apollo command and service module and the Apollo Lunar Module were launched together on

6942-483: The spacecraft via live TV mounted on Orion for any visible problems that would prevent landing (on Apollo this was done by the Command Module Pilot). After receiving approval from ground controllers, the two craft would separate to a safe distance and the Altair's descent engines would fire again for powered descent to a pre-determined landing spot previously selected by uncrewed spacecraft. Upon landing,

7031-595: The state of human spaceflight at NASA , and as a way to regain public enthusiasm for space exploration . The policy outlined by the " Vision for Space Exploration " was replaced first by President Barack Obama 's space policy in April 2010, then by President Donald Trump 's "National Space Strategy" space policy in March 2018, and finally by President Joe Biden 's preliminary space policy proposals in spring 2021. The Vision for Space Exploration sought to implement

7120-522: The stated goals for the Constellation program is to gain significant experience in operating away from Earth 's environment, as the White House contended, to embody a "sustainable course of long-term exploration." The Ares boosters are a cost-effective approach – entailing the Ares V 's enormous, unprecedented cargo-carrying capacity – transporting future space exploration resources to

7209-476: The very least, articulate more convincing reasons than have yet been heard for such a colossal expenditure." "A large portion of the scientific community" concurs that NASA is not "expanding our scientific understanding of the universe" in "the most effective or cost-efficient way." Proponents for VSE argue that a permanent settlement on the moon would drastically reduce costs for further space exploration missions. President George W. Bush voiced this sentiment when

7298-486: The vicinity of Earth, would jettison both the service module and the landing module in a manner similar to that of Apollo 13 before entering the atmosphere for a Pacific Ocean splashdown. The ultimate goal of NASA's Constellation program was a crewed mission landing humans on Mars in the 2030s as a spiritual successor to the Apollo Applications Program in the 1960s. The mission would utilize

7387-566: The vision was first announced (see quote above), and the United States Senate has re-entered testimony by Space Frontier Foundation founder Rick Tumlinson offered previously to the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation advocating this particular perspective. The reason that the National Space Society regards a return to the Moon as a high space program priority

7476-491: Was a crewed spaceflight program developed by NASA , the space agency of the United States , from 2005 to 2009. The major goals of the program were "completion of the International Space Station " and a "return to the Moon no later than 2020" with a crewed flight to the planet Mars as the ultimate goal. The program's logo reflected the three stages of the program: the Earth (ISS), the Moon, and finally Mars—while

7565-519: Was a proposed NASA mission to a near-Earth asteroid (NEA) which would use the standard Orion spacecraft , and a landing module based on a modified Altair lunar lander. Most of its specific details are now deprecated by the cancellation of the Constellation Program and related designs. Such a mission could assess the potential value of water, iron, nickel, platinum and other resources on the asteroid; test possible ways to extract them; and possibly examine or develop techniques which could be used to protect

7654-545: Was chosen for the boosters as a reference to the project's goal of landing on Mars. The numbers I and V were chosen to pay homage to the Saturn rockets of the 1960s. The Orion spacecraft would have been launched into a low Earth orbit by the Ares I rocket (the "Stick"), developed by Alliant Techsystems , Rocketdyne , and Boeing . Formerly referred to as the Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV), the Ares I consisted of

7743-537: Was completed in February 2006 and the critical design review was completed in November 2006. An important function of the orbiter will be to look for further evidence that the increased concentrations of hydrogen discovered at the Moon's poles is in the form of lunar ice . After this the lunar flights will make use of the new Ares I and Ares V rockets. In December 2003, Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin voiced criticism for NASA's vision and objectives, stating that

7832-541: Was designed as the second liquid-fueled stage of the Ares V rocket. The Orion spacecraft would have been launched separately by Ares I, and then met and docked with the Ares V-launched EDS/Altair combination, delivering the crew and configuring the spacecraft for its journey to the Moon in a process known as Earth orbit rendezvous . NASA planned to use the first vehicles developed in the Constellation Program for Earth-orbit tasks formerly undertaken by

7921-430: Was to be used for International Space Station missions and other Earth orbit missions, while the Block II and III variants were designed for deep-space exploration. Orion's design consists of three main parts: a crew module (CM) similar to the Apollo command module , but capable of sustaining four to six crew members; a cylindrical service module (SM) containing the primary propulsion systems and consumable supplies; and

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