Our Strategy for the Journey to Mars
An Orbital ATK Cygnus
is berthed to the ISS with
1.6 tons of supplies during
the Orb-1 mission in
January 2014.
Living and working in space require accepting risk, and the journey is worth the risk.
Crews must be protected from the unique hazardous environments of deep space
and on the Martian surface. Often, systems will have to operate autonomously or
remain dormant for years in preparation for crew. Overcoming these challenges will
be essential on the journey to Mars. These technological and operational challenges
fall into three categories: transportation, sending humans and cargo through space
efficiently, safely, and reliably; working in space, enabling productive operations for crew
and robotic systems; and staying healthy, developing habitation systems that provide
safe, healthy, and sustainable human exploration. Bridging these three categories are
the overarching logistical challenges facing crewed missions lasting up to 1,100 days
and exploration campaigns that span decades.
Planning and Implementing a Pioneering
Approach
A pioneering approach enables a sustained expansion of human presence into the
solar system, rather than a once-in-a-generation expedition. This approach
requires us to recognize and address two key challenges.
The first challenge is recognition that pioneering space is as much a logistics and
supply chain challenge as a technological challenge. Historically, pioneers on Earth
could not rely solely on supplies from home to sustain them and neither can the
first pioneers on Mars. NASA will have to learn new ways of operating in space,
based on self-reliance and increased system reliability; ISRU, including recycling
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