Experts Grapple With Exploration Agenda

By Leonard David
Senior Space Writer
posted: 07 April 2005
10:00 am ET

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado -- How to keep the nation’s Moon, Mars and beyond programs on track and scientifically rewarding was discussed here Wednesday during the session, "The Vision for Space Exploration - Getting There from Here".

Science to inform exploration was the message from NASA’s James Garvin, Chief Scientist for the space agency. "Science is alive and well at NASA," he said.

Along with an extensive Mars exploration agenda, as well as an emerging return to the Moon program, NASA is also studying the Earth to look for earth-like worlds outside our solar system, Garvin explained.

"Science is all about connections" Garvin added, pointing to scientific investigations of collisions from asteroids and comets that have rocked Earth and other celestial bodies.

"Collisions are something that bind us together," Garvin said.

The panel moderated by Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of New York’s Rose Center for Earth and Space, attracted more than 300 attendees.

Maureen Heath, Vice President, Civil Space for Northrop Grumman Space Technology said "enormous breakthroughs" are ahead. She painted a picture of space exploration out to 2035.

Spotting other earth-like worlds circling distant stars, nuclear-powered spacecraft hauling new classes of scientific sensors, spaceborne telescopes diving ever deeper into time, and Mars return samples – these and other adventures are on the horizon, Heath predicted.

Finding life on Mars, Heath said, may spur a new type of environmental movement to protect life on the red planet, as well as on Earth.

Heath said, however, that the technology needed to drive space exploration is not what keeps her awake with worry at night. Maintaining the political will to explore does, and it’s an issue we need to focus on, she suggested.

NASA is woefully under-funded to fully carry out the visionary quest of Moon, Mars and beyond exploration, Heath stated.

http://www.space.com/news/050407_nss_exploration.html