The Future of Humanity Awaits in Deep Space, NASA Chief Says

Check it out, ATS.

I know some here are not fans of Mr. Bolden but in reading this article on Space.com concerning his vision for Soace exploration, I gotta say I'm pretty impressed. Ge sounds like a man of action which is just what NASA needs-someone who comes from the trenches and knows how things work and can get things done.

BOULDER, Colorado – The way NASA chief Charles Bolden sees it, the future of U.S. human space exploration is in deep space, but there’s need to reach organizational escape velocity from ideologues and Apollo-era holdovers. What’s more, for a robust commercial space industry to sustain cargo and crew services, far more destinations are needed than just the International Space Station.

I hav preached this notion for ages. NASA needs destinations. The infracstructure has to be put in place to reach those destinations.

Most people can deal with the moon, Bolden said, adding that everybody is still in the Apollo era.
"We're going to go back there … but we are looking at the future. And the future for humanity is deep space. It's getting to Mars. It's trying to find answers to the question of how do we protect this planet against asteroids and other threats," Bolden said.

Yes! Preach!

"We have got to have a low-Earth orbit infrastructure. It has to be put in place," Bolden told reporters at a LASP press event.
"Everybody likes to talk about grand visions and stuff — but at some point, then, you've got to take the grand vision, and you've got to do little things to make that grand vision work," Bolden said. "And we're now at that point … We've talked enough about the grand vision. We're now talking real, gory details. People are now seeing the sausage made … let me put it that way."

I'm tearing up in reading this. Finally, someone saying what we all have in the back of our minds...We need to beak free of the Apollo era with new technologies and new ideas to create a new future.

Bolden said, could perhaps depart from the International Space Station by boarding into a vehicle that cycles back and forth between Mars and a near-Earth rendezvous, but never fully re-enters Earth's gravity well.
"And that's the way they are going to go … much cheaper, much more efficient," Bolden said. That Mars transport vehicle "stays out there until it dies, and then we replace it with another. That's the vision for the future," he concluded.

This is the best news I've heard all day! What says ATS?

www.space.com...

NASA needs some more money.

they get some tiny fraction of the budget NSA, FBI, CIA, armor, navy or airforce.....

and in my opinion they need a huge boost in cash and people.

originally posted by: Biigs
NASA needs some more money.

they get some tiny fraction of the budget NSA, FBI, CIA, armor, navy or airforce.....

and in my opinion they need a huge boost in cash and people.

There's something brewing behind the scenes in terms of Space exploration; I can feel it. As the private sector takes hold of low Earth orbit for commerce and what not, NASA will get a lot more productive as it moves onto a new phase of exploration; one that requires new innovation(s), and new technology(ies).

a reply to: lostbook

The future is in space, we will need another planet soon. Mars is definitely target #1 as we can reach it in approximately 5 months. Scientists reckon there may be underground water and if that's the case my grandchildren may become Martian citizens!

I also think there is something brewing regarding space exploration and I hope Nasa gets all the money they need to make it possible.

....if only the Enterprise was real.....lol

originally posted by: Agartha
a reply to: lostbook

The future is in space, we will need another planet soon. Mars is definitely target #1 as we can reach it in approximately 5 months. Scientists reckon there may be underground and if that's the case my grandchildren may become Martian citizens!

I also think there is something brewing regarding space exploration and I hope Nasa gets all the money they need to make it possible.

....if only the Enterprise was real.....lol

What happened to the guy who had the Kickstarter campaign for raising money to build an Enterprise? I wonder if he made his goal? Probably not.

All being said, I think our new future in Space will happen in the blink of an eye. I like what Bolden has to say about taking action when it comes to Space ventures. Things are falling into place very quickly.

a reply to: Agartha

Until there is profit in space travel it won't happen. The corporate sector will be first to get 'man to Mars' and it will be a very profitable venture too.

originally posted by: Biigs
NASA needs some more money.

they get some tiny fraction of the budget NSA, FBI, CIA, armor, navy or airforce.....

and in my opinion they need a huge boost in cash and people.

NASA has great engineers and scientists but, it is a government bureaucracy and a military one at that. We can't expect real innovation to come from within that environment.

I have high hopes for NASA licensing technologies that have fallen by the wayside to private companies.

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Biigs
NASA needs some more money.

they get some tiny fraction of the budget NSA, FBI, CIA, armor, navy or airforce.....

and in my opinion they need a huge boost in cash and people.

NASA has great engineers and scientists but, it is a government bureaucracy and a military one at that. We can't expect real innovation to come from within that environment.

I have high hopes for NASA licensing technologies that have fallen by the wayside to private companies.

Yes. As do i

There is a reason we don't have a base on the moon you know. Isn't the Moon the most logical place to launch into deep space? We had the money for a moon base. Why do you think they wasted it on that halfassed shuttle program?

There is something we are not being told!!!

originally posted by: LarryLove
a reply to: Agartha

Until there is profit in space travel it won't happen. The corporate sector will be first to get 'man to Mars' and it will be a very profitable venture too.

Or the Military/Industrial complex completely takes over the space program; if they haven't already. for weponizing of space.

I'll bet the MilitaryNASA is screaming for money now that the Chinese are showing interest in space.

originally posted by: olaru12
There is a reason we don't have a base on the moon you know. Isn't the Moon the most logical place to launch into deep space? We had the money for a moon base. Why do you think they wasted it on that halfassed shuttle program?

There is something we are not being told!!!

I've heard rumors about something being hidden on the Moon. There are plenty of threads here on ATS about secret Alien Moon bases and such. Of course none of s can prove it.

originally posted by: LarryLove
a reply to: Agartha

Until there is profit in space travel it won't happen. The corporate sector will be first to get 'man to Mars' and it will be a very profitable venture too.

I agree completely. Fortunately, it is profitable. There are an ample amount of resources on Mars. However, at the time, its not practical.

originally posted by: LarryLove
a reply to: Agartha

Until there is profit in space travel it won't happen. The corporate sector will be first to get 'man to Mars' and it will be a very profitable venture too.

We won't conquer space until we conquer money. Plain and simple.

originally posted by: lostbook
Check it out, ATS.

I know some here are not fans of Mr. Bolden but in reading this article on Space.com concerning his vision for Soace exploration, I gotta say I'm pretty impressed. Ge sounds like a man of action which is just what NASA needs-someone who comes from the trenches and knows how things work and can get things done.

The NASA Administrator is not a czar.

There have been some very good ones over the years. Charles Bolden is one. Dan Goldin (who fast tracked hte "Origins" programs which lead to Kepler) is another.

However just being good at knowing how things work and getting things done is useless if the Congress doesn't appropriate the money for said 'things'.

originally posted by: Bone75

originally posted by: LarryLove
a reply to: Agartha

Until there is profit in space travel it won't happen. The corporate sector will be first to get 'man to Mars' and it will be a very profitable venture too.

We won't conquer space until we conquer money. Plain and simple.

100x this!!!!

originally posted by: olaru12
There is a reason we don't have a base on the moon you know. Isn't the Moon the most logical place to launch into deep space?

Not really. It's still a gravity well. It's just that it's gravity well is 1/6th that of earth.

A large space platform/space station at one of the Lagrange points would probably make more sense logically for launching missions into deep space once we have that kind of infrastructure.

originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: Biigs
NASA needs some more money.

they get some tiny fraction of the budget NSA, FBI, CIA, armor, navy or airforce.....

and in my opinion they need a huge boost in cash and people.

NASA has great engineers and scientists but, it is a government bureaucracy and a military one at that.

NASA is a civilian agency, you know, like the FAA.

This guy doesn't even know if human beings can survive in deep space for any extended period of time and he's saying that's where our future is?

Bit of a stretch.

I know most people would vehemently disagree with this, but I'm highly doubtful human beings can survive off-world for very long (downer, I know). Our biology is inextricably tied to this planet and its processes; they are one and the same. I know we've been to the Moon (or so they say) and everyone survived. They were out there for like a week or something ("but the space station..." yeah, yeah). Permanent colonization of another planet?

Different animal entirely.

originally posted by: Bone75

We won't conquer space until we conquer money. Plain and simple.

True, but if we go into deep space (assuming we can survive) with the idea that we're going to "conquer" it...

...we're going to have our asses handed to us on a dilithium platter. And rightly so. The universe does not exist for human beings to control and dominate.

I would hope the galactic community wouldn't put up with our warped way of looking at the universe.

a reply to: lostbook

A big problem with 'the future of humanity' is how much humans have to do with it.

NASA ride the washes and tides of domestic politics and are sometimes curtailed from international cooperation due to US foreign policy. It's fine working with Russia and China, for example, until it isn't - sanctions etc. The same goes for any other space agency - it's not purely about NASA and the USA.

Private ventures might be a way of getting past budgets by drawing in private capital/investors. Then again, SpaceX is suing the USAF for overlooking them and awarding billions to Lockheed Martin and Boeing. Politics?

SpaceX, Mars ferries and modular components are all evidence (like we ever need it) of ambition and engineering creativity. Proof, if you like, that we humans can do great things. Downside is we humans are shackled to vested interests, domestic policies and political expediencies. The Sputnik and Apollo programs were all about politics, policies and propaganda and show that, when politics favours Science, it can achieve great goals.