NASA conducted an exploration forum this week where several administrators, scientists and other NASA personnel outlined how this US space agency plans to land human astronauts first on an asteroid and then Mars. They hope accomplish the manned Mars mission by 2030. One can speculate whether unofficial work has already been done for such initiatives but this does mark an important point in NASA’s public push to take humans to outer space – the first one since the mission to put man on the moon.
The full presentation is long (2.5 hours) but worth watching for space enthusiasts and budding, future astronauts 🙂
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has several space launch facilities in the United States and US controlled territories. The main East Coast facility in the Unites States is Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Brevard County, Florida. This facility is adjacent to the Kennedy Space Center and is used for east-west launch orbit spacecraft.
Kennedy Space Center fridge magnet
NASA’s main west coast facility is located at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Located in Central California, Vandenberg is preferred for spacecraft requiring a north-south orbit.
An Atlas V rocket on the launch pad at Vandenburg Air Force base
