Three Phases on
Our Journey to Mars
The journey to Mars passes through three thresholds, each with increasing challenges
as humans move farther from Earth. NASA and our partners are managing these
challenges by developing and demonstrating capabilities in incremental steps.
EARTH
RELIANT
Earth Reliant exploration is focused on research aboard the ISS. On the space station,
we are testing technologies and advancing human health and performance research that
will enable deep-space, long-duration missions.
•• Human health and behavioral research
•• Advanced communications systems
•• Material flammability tests
•• Extravehicular operations
•• Mars mission class environmental control and life support systems
•• 3-D printing
•• Material handling tests for in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) demonstrations
PROVING
GROUND
In the Proving Ground, NASA will learn to conduct complex operations in a deep
space environment that allows crews to return to Earth in a matter of days. Primarily
operating in cislunar space, NASA will advance and validate capabilities required for
human exploration of Mars.
•• A series of Exploration Missions (EMs), starting with EM-1, the first
integrated test of SLS and Orion, anticipated in 2018
•• The Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission in 2020 that will collect a large boulder
from a near-Earth asteroid, then ferry it to the Proving Ground and the
Asteroid Redirect Crew Mission that will allow astronauts to investigate and
sample the asteroid boulder
•• An initial deep-space habitation facility for long-duration systems testing
•• Autonomous operations, including rendezvous and docking and state of the
art information technology solutions
•• Concepts to minimize resupply needs through reduction, reuse, and recycling
of consumables, packaging, and materials
•• Other key operational capabilities required to become Earth Independent
EARTH
INDEPENDENT
Earth Independent activities build on what we learn on ISS and in cislunar space
to enable human missions to the Mars vicinity, including the Martian moons, and
eventually the Martian surface. With humans on Mars, we will be able to advance
science and technology in ways only dreamed of with current robotic explorers. Future
Mars missions will represent a collaborative effort among NASA and its partners—a
global achievement that marks a transition in humanity’s expansion as we go to Mars
not just to visit, but to stay.
•• Living and working within transit and surface h