{"425691":{"#nid":"425691","#data":{"type":"news","title":"NRC report highlights challenges of human exploration of space","body":[{"value":"\u003Ch3\u003EWhen will NASA send humans to Mars?\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Ctable width=\u0022160\u0022 border=\u00220\u0022 cellspacing=\u00221\u0022 cellpadding=\u00225\u0022 align=\u0022right\u0022\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\u0022rtecenter\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EDr. Robert Braun is a member of the technical committee that spent 18 months working on the\u003Cstrong\u003EPathways to Exploration\u003C\/strong\u003Ereport that was released this week by the NRC.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA report released this week from the National Research Council identifies several obstacles to this long-held dream but, human exploration of Mars may be possible if we commit sufficient resources and technology, says Dr. Robert Braun a member of the technical committee that contributed to the 286-page\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nap.edu\/catalog.php?record_id=18801\u0022\u003EPathways to Exploration\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;report.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201dThe report stresses the importance of NASA investments in a broad range of advanced space technologies to bring the nation\u0027s human exploration goals within our reach. These same investments build our nation\u0027s economic and national security, \u0022 said Braun, a former chief technologist with NASA, currently the director of Georgia Tech\u0027s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/cstar.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECenter for Space Technology And Research\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Human exploration of space is among the most daunting engineering challenges ever undertaken. Expanding human presence into deep space requires ingenuity, dedication and a sustained investment in new technologies and capabilities.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAfter reviewing several areas of possible benefit \u2013 the economy, national security, international relations, inspiration, scientific discovery and human survival \u2013 the report found that \u201ca national consensus on the long-term future of human spaceflight beyond our commitment to the ISS remains elusive.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Pathways report encourages scientists, policy makers, and others to take larger questions into consideration before abandoning this ambitious goal.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cHaving considered past and current space policy, explored the international setting, articulated the enduring questions and rationales, and identified public and stakeholder opinions, the committee draws on all this information to ask a fundamental question: What type of human spaceflight program would be responsive to these factors? This committee argues that it is a program in which humans operate beyond LEO [low earth orbit] on a regular basis\u2014in other words, a sustainable human exploration program beyond LEO.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nap.edu\/catalog.php?record_id=18801\u0022\u003ERead the report\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Human exploration of Mars may be possible if we commit sufficient resources and technology, says Dr. Robert Braun a member of the technical committee that contributed to the 286-page Pathways to Exploration report."}],"uid":"27456","created_gmt":"2015-07-16 12:46:28","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:19:08","author":"Britanny Grace","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2014-06-20T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2014-06-20T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"1239","name":"School of Aerospace Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"2082","name":"aerospace engineering"},{"id":"408","name":"NASA"},{"id":"13171","name":"NRC"},{"id":"2575","name":"Robert Braun"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":["communications@ae.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}