1 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:43,480 Coming up on Destination Tomorrow, we take a look at NASA's new plan for space exploration. 2 00:00:43,480 --> 00:00:48,160 We'll find out about some of the robotic missions that will lead the way for our astronauts. 3 00:00:48,160 --> 00:00:52,560 And we will talk about some of the challenges of getting to and staying on other worlds. 4 00:00:52,560 --> 00:01:03,360 All this and more next on Destination Tomorrow. 5 00:01:03,360 --> 00:01:04,360 Hello everyone. 6 00:01:04,360 --> 00:01:05,360 I'm Steele McGonigal. 7 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:06,360 And I'm Kara O'Brien. 8 00:01:06,360 --> 00:01:09,440 Welcome to this special edition of Destination Tomorrow. 9 00:01:09,440 --> 00:01:13,960 On this episode, we'll be focusing on NASA's new exploration plans to travel to the Moon, 10 00:01:13,960 --> 00:01:15,600 Mars and beyond. 11 00:01:15,600 --> 00:01:19,360 In recent months, NASA planners have been preparing for a new initiative that will set 12 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:22,520 a pioneering vision for NASA's exploration programs. 13 00:01:22,520 --> 00:01:26,720 To prepare for this vision, NASA researchers are developing a step-by-step process that 14 00:01:26,720 --> 00:01:30,880 will enable us to reach this goal in a safe and economical way. 15 00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:35,640 First by using robotic missions as a testbed, then gradually moving into human missions, 16 00:01:35,640 --> 00:01:40,040 NASA is paving the way for a human presence on other worlds in the next few decades. 17 00:01:40,040 --> 00:01:44,280 This new NASA vision will help us carry on the basic human desire to explore. 18 00:01:44,280 --> 00:01:48,880 From the earliest discoverers to our modern travelers, every step taken from the known 19 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:52,840 into the unknown has helped to feed this exploration instinct. 20 00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:58,040 One of the most important agencies ever formed to help meet this need is NASA, or the National 21 00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:00,480 Aeronautics and Space Administration. 22 00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:04,840 Obviously, exploration has been one of the cornerstones of the NASA mission throughout 23 00:02:04,840 --> 00:02:05,840 its existence. 24 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:11,160 Over the years, the talented men and women of NASA have changed our world for the better, 25 00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:15,040 making exciting discoveries that have not only furthered the space program, but have 26 00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:17,680 also transformed our daily lives here on Earth. 27 00:02:17,680 --> 00:02:22,640 In fact, for every dollar NASA spends in space, at least seven dollars is returned 28 00:02:22,640 --> 00:02:26,000 to the public by way of inventions and discoveries. 29 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:31,000 This investment return can be seen in everyday technologies, ranging from cordless power 30 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:33,840 tools, cancer research, to weather prediction. 31 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:40,480 Over 30,000 inventions and discoveries have been made as a direct result of NASA's involvement. 32 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:44,600 Although NASA has done a great job pushing the envelope of exploration in space and back 33 00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:48,280 here on Earth, there is still much more that needs to be done. 34 00:02:48,280 --> 00:02:52,120 Even with great public support to reach our exploration goals, few people understand the 35 00:02:52,120 --> 00:02:54,720 challenges we'll face in getting to other worlds. 36 00:02:54,720 --> 00:02:59,080 To help us better understand the technical and environmental problems we'll encounter, 37 00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:03,280 researchers will first plan to test the waters by increasing our robotic presence throughout 38 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:04,720 the universe. 39 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:08,960 These robotic missions will expand our knowledge base and help us focus training that will 40 00:03:08,960 --> 00:03:11,840 prepare humans for the next step of exploration. 41 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:15,480 Now to help us understand how this will work, Jennifer Pulley spoke with Mark Saunders at 42 00:03:15,480 --> 00:03:22,400 NASA Langley Research Center to find out more. 43 00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:26,080 The history of the space program is very impressive. 44 00:03:26,080 --> 00:03:31,960 Since its beginnings in 1958, NASA has grown to be one of the most revolutionary agencies 45 00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:33,240 in recorded history. 46 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:38,320 With President Kennedy's goal to reach the moon by the end of the 1960s, I believe that 47 00:03:38,320 --> 00:03:45,200 this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal before this decade is out of landing 48 00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:49,080 a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth. 49 00:03:49,080 --> 00:03:53,260 And with the backing of the American public, technologies that would have seemed impossible 50 00:03:53,260 --> 00:03:58,640 in earlier years were being developed and perfected in record time. 51 00:03:58,640 --> 00:04:02,160 This drive and determination has never left the agency. 52 00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:07,680 Today, a new generation of researchers are gearing up for the next big step. 53 00:04:07,680 --> 00:04:11,880 Crewed missions back to the moon, to Mars, and beyond. 54 00:04:11,880 --> 00:04:14,560 However, major challenges await. 55 00:04:14,560 --> 00:04:19,720 Questions of crew safety, medical concerns, the need for new technology development, and 56 00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:23,760 a host of other issues make this goal very daunting. 57 00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:28,280 To lead the way, robotic missions are being planned that can give researchers a better 58 00:04:28,280 --> 00:04:31,960 idea of what human crews can expect in space. 59 00:04:31,960 --> 00:04:36,280 I spoke with Mark Saunders at NASA Langley Research Center to help us understand how 60 00:04:36,280 --> 00:04:38,640 these robotic missions will work. 61 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:42,960 Our robotic missions are actually precursors to what it is that we're trying to accomplish 62 00:04:42,960 --> 00:04:43,960 with humans. 63 00:04:43,960 --> 00:04:48,920 They're the probes that we're sending out to help us understand what it is that we're 64 00:04:48,920 --> 00:04:51,120 getting to when we send people there. 65 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:57,720 They're testing new systems, collecting data about what's actually happening on the planet's 66 00:04:57,720 --> 00:05:00,980 surface as well as the atmosphere. 67 00:05:00,980 --> 00:05:07,340 We want to make sure that we understand this to the maximum extent so that we're always 68 00:05:07,340 --> 00:05:09,620 sending humans in a safe way. 69 00:05:09,620 --> 00:05:13,300 So, Mark, what is the definition of a robotic mission? 70 00:05:13,300 --> 00:05:18,220 People think of robots in many different ways, and those of us in the agency actually do 71 00:05:18,220 --> 00:05:19,820 that as well. 72 00:05:19,820 --> 00:05:26,740 We're making spacecraft, you know, as an example, the Hubble Space Telescope is a robotic spacecraft. 73 00:05:26,740 --> 00:05:31,900 It's actually very smart, but we talk to it a lot with people on the ground that kind 74 00:05:31,900 --> 00:05:36,820 of tell it what to do on a periodic basis, usually in terms of minutes. 75 00:05:36,820 --> 00:05:42,300 But as you get robots that are going farther out into the solar system, they need to really 76 00:05:42,300 --> 00:05:47,100 operate a lot on their own because it takes a long time for us to talk to them, so radio 77 00:05:47,100 --> 00:05:50,260 waves go out there and it's hours before we hear back from them. 78 00:05:50,260 --> 00:05:52,540 So they're actually operating pretty much by themselves. 79 00:05:53,060 --> 00:05:57,340 What can we expect from robotic missions in the next few years? 80 00:05:57,340 --> 00:06:02,660 As all of us have been watching, the Mars Exploration Rovers have been doing a great 81 00:06:02,660 --> 00:06:09,700 job on Mars, Cassini is at Saturn with its Huygens probe. 82 00:06:09,700 --> 00:06:15,800 We're planning the next series of missions, both for scientific purposes as well as to 83 00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:21,300 prepare us to send people on to the moon and then on to Mars. 84 00:06:21,300 --> 00:06:25,940 The first of these planned robotic missions will be going back to the moon. 85 00:06:25,940 --> 00:06:31,900 The goal is to have these robots pave the way for humans by mapping the lunar surface, 86 00:06:31,900 --> 00:06:36,060 surveying potential landing sites, and searching for water ice. 87 00:06:36,060 --> 00:06:41,940 Now tapping into water ice could be very important because human explorers could not only convert 88 00:06:41,940 --> 00:06:47,300 it into oxygen and hydrogen for breathing, but they could also use the gases to produce 89 00:06:47,300 --> 00:06:50,820 rocket propellant for future missions to Mars. 90 00:06:50,820 --> 00:06:56,060 In short, these robotic missions will allow NASA planners to design the needed equipment 91 00:06:56,060 --> 00:07:00,620 for astronauts to live and work on the moon, while also helping them prepare for future 92 00:07:00,620 --> 00:07:02,660 missions to Mars. 93 00:07:02,660 --> 00:07:07,260 One of our biggest concerns is always making sure that our missions are as reasonably safe 94 00:07:07,260 --> 00:07:12,380 as possible for the human, as the human participates in it. 95 00:07:12,380 --> 00:07:17,220 So when we send out robotic missions to the moon and to Mars, we're trying to understand 96 00:07:17,940 --> 00:07:22,700 what the moon and Mars represent in terms of their environmental conditions, what they're 97 00:07:22,700 --> 00:07:29,180 made of, are there any elements there both in the atmosphere on Mars or on the surface 98 00:07:29,180 --> 00:07:35,660 or on the surface of the moon that might have some toxic properties, and as well as their 99 00:07:35,660 --> 00:07:40,860 physical characteristics, their composition, so that we understand when we build a human 100 00:07:40,860 --> 00:07:46,540 spacecraft to go with humans in it, that the system that we send is compatible with the 101 00:07:46,540 --> 00:07:48,340 environment that it's going to be in. 102 00:07:48,340 --> 00:07:50,220 So that's one major point. 103 00:07:50,220 --> 00:07:56,220 The second point is that, like the explorers of old, to the degree that we can use resources 104 00:07:56,220 --> 00:08:00,700 that we find, we want to be able to use those resources to help sustain them. 105 00:08:00,700 --> 00:08:03,620 And doing this, by the way, reduces the cost. 106 00:08:03,620 --> 00:08:09,820 So although it may cost us some to develop the technologies now, when we go, if they 107 00:08:09,820 --> 00:08:14,300 don't have to take stuff, it's, you know, we don't have to pay to get it off the surface, 108 00:08:14,580 --> 00:08:18,300 and we're not paying to get water off the surface, if we can find water there. 109 00:08:18,300 --> 00:08:21,100 So is most of the technology already developed? 110 00:08:21,100 --> 00:08:24,460 Technology is actually the key to what it is that we're trying to do. 111 00:08:24,460 --> 00:08:31,460 New technologies will enable us to be more efficient in how we go, allow us to actually 112 00:08:31,460 --> 00:08:38,460 take lighter weight systems, cheaper systems, more reliable, safer systems, so that the 113 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:44,140 overall cost to the American taxpayer is dramatically less than the Apollo program. 114 00:08:44,140 --> 00:08:46,900 We've discussed going to the moon, going to Mars. 115 00:08:46,900 --> 00:08:50,220 What other destinations do you foresee for robotic missions? 116 00:08:50,220 --> 00:08:52,180 Obviously, asteroids. 117 00:08:52,180 --> 00:08:53,780 And everybody's familiar with asteroids. 118 00:08:53,780 --> 00:08:57,420 We certainly have quite a few disaster movies around them. 119 00:08:57,420 --> 00:09:02,660 But there are a lot of scientists and engineers who believe that asteroids have the potential 120 00:09:02,660 --> 00:09:06,340 for resources that we might actually mine and use. 121 00:09:06,340 --> 00:09:13,340 And so one other destination are asteroids. 122 00:09:15,140 --> 00:09:22,140 What's your strategy? 123 00:09:23,940 --> 00:09:30,060 What our strategy is, is to begin to make small steps towards the moon, to Mars, and 124 00:09:30,060 --> 00:09:32,740 then on to destinations beyond that. 125 00:09:32,740 --> 00:09:38,460 So we're going to gradually, over the next decades, push our human exploration beyond 126 00:09:38,460 --> 00:09:43,900 the boundaries as our robotic explorers find out new things about what's interesting 127 00:09:43,900 --> 00:09:48,740 out there. 128 00:09:48,740 --> 00:09:52,220 Coming up, we'll find out about some of the major challenges facing astronauts on 129 00:09:52,220 --> 00:09:53,380 long-duration missions. 130 00:09:53,380 --> 00:09:58,020 But first, did you know a special robot is being designed to work primarily outside a 131 00:09:58,020 --> 00:10:01,740 spacecraft on extravehicular activities, or EVAs? 132 00:10:01,740 --> 00:10:04,300 The Robonaut will not be autonomous. 133 00:10:04,300 --> 00:10:08,700 Astronauts inside the spacecraft will use virtual reality display technology to visually 134 00:10:08,700 --> 00:10:15,700 immerse themselves in the robot's workspace while remaining safe inside the spacecraft. 135 00:10:18,340 --> 00:10:23,260 As we all know, traveling into space, even on short missions, is a very difficult endeavor. 136 00:10:23,260 --> 00:10:27,660 But the complexity increases dramatically when planning for missions that last for months 137 00:10:27,660 --> 00:10:29,380 or years at a time. 138 00:10:29,380 --> 00:10:33,780 With current predictions of crewed travel to Mars lasting at least three years, NASA 139 00:10:33,780 --> 00:10:38,020 researchers must find a way to prepare our astronauts for long missions. 140 00:10:38,020 --> 00:10:42,700 To help us understand some of the challenges future astronauts will face, Tonya St. Romain 141 00:10:42,700 --> 00:10:49,700 spoke with Orlando Figueroa at NASA Headquarters to find out more. 142 00:10:50,260 --> 00:10:56,940 Since the early 1960s, the general public has accepted space travel as almost commonplace. 143 00:10:56,940 --> 00:11:01,220 Moon missions, shuttle flights, and trips to the International Space Station have helped 144 00:11:01,220 --> 00:11:04,540 us learn about the challenges of traveling into space. 145 00:11:04,540 --> 00:11:09,420 But with new exploration missions to Mars and beyond, different and possibly even more 146 00:11:09,420 --> 00:11:12,580 challenging problems will need to be overcome. 147 00:11:12,580 --> 00:11:17,020 Just the journey to Mars will require a new way of thinking about space flight. 148 00:11:17,020 --> 00:11:22,180 New vehicles need to be developed, and the crew's physiological concerns such as radiation 149 00:11:22,180 --> 00:11:26,980 exposure, bone loss, and food storage need to be addressed before the mission can be 150 00:11:26,980 --> 00:11:27,580 undertaken. 151 00:11:27,940 --> 00:11:32,380 To help find out more about some of these challenges, I spoke with Orlando Figueroa 152 00:11:32,380 --> 00:11:34,780 at NASA Headquarters. 153 00:11:34,780 --> 00:11:40,660 Some of the major challenges in getting crews, human beings, to another world deal with the 154 00:11:40,660 --> 00:11:41,700 environment of space. 155 00:11:41,700 --> 00:11:47,380 Not only is it very difficult to get them on their way to the new world, but the radiation 156 00:11:47,380 --> 00:11:51,380 environment that they're going to be exposed to, the duration of those flights, other than 157 00:11:51,380 --> 00:11:56,740 the moon, most destinations in the solar system are pretty far away, so you're going to spend 158 00:11:56,740 --> 00:11:59,460 several months in the process. 159 00:11:59,460 --> 00:12:06,220 They also need to carry a significant amount of resources, water, food, to be able to live 160 00:12:06,220 --> 00:12:07,340 in space. 161 00:12:07,340 --> 00:12:12,780 And they're in confined spaces where they need to exercise and to keep their body healthy. 162 00:12:12,780 --> 00:12:16,940 We on Earth have to be able to keep track of their health, you know, how are they doing, 163 00:12:16,940 --> 00:12:18,560 what happens if they get sick. 164 00:12:18,560 --> 00:12:22,180 So an enormous number of challenges that we have to overcome before we're ready to take 165 00:12:22,180 --> 00:12:23,180 that step. 166 00:12:23,900 --> 00:12:27,820 Orlando, give me an idea of what the proposed spacecraft might look like. 167 00:12:27,820 --> 00:12:33,620 The proposed spacecraft to take the humans in their journey through space are just, as 168 00:12:33,620 --> 00:12:35,020 we speak, being designed. 169 00:12:35,020 --> 00:12:40,180 They're called crew exploration vehicles, vehicles designed to be able to carry on board 170 00:12:40,180 --> 00:12:47,180 a number of astronauts and have all of the equipment necessary, the food and other equipment, 171 00:12:47,180 --> 00:12:52,060 for them to be able to go on their journey. 172 00:12:52,060 --> 00:12:57,220 Now they are in similar shape, perhaps, to some that we observed during the Apollo era. 173 00:12:57,220 --> 00:13:02,660 Bigger, much greater capability, and new rockets that are being developed to take them into 174 00:13:02,660 --> 00:13:03,660 space. 175 00:13:03,660 --> 00:13:09,460 Once in space, the system they're going to be using for propulsion will rely upon chemical, 176 00:13:09,460 --> 00:13:14,500 combination of nuclear energy and or chemical, these type of technologies that are being 177 00:13:14,500 --> 00:13:16,540 developed as we speak. 178 00:13:16,540 --> 00:13:20,680 Using current rocket technology, it would take at least six months to get to Mars. 179 00:13:20,680 --> 00:13:25,280 In order to cut back on that time, NASA researchers are looking at new methods of propulsion that 180 00:13:25,280 --> 00:13:27,680 would greatly reduce trip duration. 181 00:13:27,680 --> 00:13:32,800 One of the most promising plans called Project Prometheus could cut this travel time to about 182 00:13:32,800 --> 00:13:34,120 two months. 183 00:13:34,120 --> 00:13:39,280 A Prometheus spacecraft would use nuclear propulsion rather than chemical propulsion 184 00:13:39,280 --> 00:13:42,200 to increase speeds to distant worlds. 185 00:13:42,200 --> 00:13:46,560 The nuclear option would make a crewed Mars mission much easier because it would reduce 186 00:13:46,560 --> 00:13:50,360 the need to carry so much food, fuel and oxygen. 187 00:13:50,360 --> 00:13:54,720 Greater power would also mean that Martian launch windows would be longer, allowing a 188 00:13:54,720 --> 00:13:59,240 more flexible choice of launch and return times, leading to a crewed landing mission 189 00:13:59,240 --> 00:14:03,520 that could last as little as three or four months, as opposed to the current projection 190 00:14:03,520 --> 00:14:05,120 of about three years. 191 00:14:05,120 --> 00:14:08,880 Another concern is the crew's exposure to radiation when they're in space. 192 00:14:08,880 --> 00:14:12,920 So how will the vehicle protect them from the radiation that's in space? 193 00:14:12,920 --> 00:14:18,520 Well space has a certain level of radiation that can get significantly worse if they are 194 00:14:18,520 --> 00:14:20,560 exposed to solar emissions. 195 00:14:20,560 --> 00:14:27,120 You have a solar ejection, these are highly charged particles that are traveling incredibly 196 00:14:27,120 --> 00:14:29,440 fast through space. 197 00:14:29,440 --> 00:14:35,680 On Earth we have the benefit of having a magnificent magnetic field that provides great protection 198 00:14:35,680 --> 00:14:38,400 against that radiation, those particles. 199 00:14:38,400 --> 00:14:40,000 In space you're fully exposed. 200 00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:46,080 So clearly we need to worry about the design of a spacecraft and make certain that it provides 201 00:14:46,080 --> 00:14:51,440 a certain amount of shielding or a combination of materials that can increase the stoppage 202 00:14:51,440 --> 00:14:53,360 ability of those particles. 203 00:14:53,360 --> 00:14:59,160 It cannot be 100% effective, so you also need a way to predict when such a coronal mass 204 00:14:59,160 --> 00:15:05,160 ejection may come through, to give them some adequate warning and perhaps have the astronauts 205 00:15:05,160 --> 00:15:10,040 move to a safer area in the spacecraft to protect themselves. 206 00:15:10,040 --> 00:15:16,040 So it's a combination of systems and prediction and other capabilities that would make it 207 00:15:16,040 --> 00:15:18,120 much safer. 208 00:15:18,120 --> 00:15:22,880 Will being in microgravity for long periods of time be detrimental to the astronauts? 209 00:15:22,880 --> 00:15:26,120 In space there is no gravity, of course, or very limited gravity. 210 00:15:26,120 --> 00:15:31,200 So your bones are not needed for the same purpose or the same strength that you would 211 00:15:31,200 --> 00:15:32,640 need them here on Earth. 212 00:15:32,640 --> 00:15:38,280 Likewise your muscles, you don't need to exert as much pressure or force in order to move 213 00:15:38,280 --> 00:15:39,280 around. 214 00:15:39,280 --> 00:15:40,600 You're not fighting gravity. 215 00:15:40,600 --> 00:15:43,920 So therefore you also tend to lose muscle mass. 216 00:15:44,640 --> 00:15:49,720 But obviously once you get to the destination, you're going to need that, again, not necessarily 217 00:15:49,720 --> 00:15:50,720 if it's to Mars. 218 00:15:50,720 --> 00:15:54,480 It's about half of the gravity of Earth, so you wouldn't need as much. 219 00:15:54,480 --> 00:15:59,200 Nevertheless, you need a certain amount of strength and muscle mass to be able to move 220 00:15:59,200 --> 00:16:00,840 around and be healthy. 221 00:16:00,840 --> 00:16:09,360 So part of the challenge is to define techniques, skills, equipment, etc., that allow the astronauts 222 00:16:09,360 --> 00:16:16,280 to remain healthy and to protect their bone and muscle mass to do the journey and return 223 00:16:16,280 --> 00:16:17,280 back to Earth. 224 00:16:17,280 --> 00:16:20,240 Because we have to worry about bringing them back when they're done. 225 00:16:20,240 --> 00:16:25,880 A strong element of the Vision for Space exploration is this combination of humans and machines 226 00:16:25,880 --> 00:16:27,600 working together. 227 00:16:27,600 --> 00:16:32,640 To learn about a new world, normally we begin the process by sending robots that explore 228 00:16:32,640 --> 00:16:38,560 and understand the environment from a science perspective as well as from an engineering 229 00:16:38,560 --> 00:16:40,040 and safety perspective. 230 00:16:40,040 --> 00:16:45,640 Where would humans go to do further scientific research and explore this new world? 231 00:16:45,640 --> 00:16:50,280 Now it is a daunting task right now for us to develop all the capabilities that will 232 00:16:50,280 --> 00:16:51,560 take us there. 233 00:16:51,560 --> 00:16:54,720 And because of that, we're taking a stepwise approach. 234 00:16:54,720 --> 00:17:00,520 We're going first to the Moon, where we're going to bring capabilities, develop technologies, 235 00:17:00,520 --> 00:17:06,040 develop the knowledge necessary for humans to survive in that environment for a long 236 00:17:06,040 --> 00:17:07,320 period of time. 237 00:17:07,320 --> 00:17:12,040 And from there, then start graduating, if you will, to Mars as the next target. 238 00:17:12,040 --> 00:17:16,160 The next target where we can start proving the scientific theories and explore this new 239 00:17:16,160 --> 00:17:19,240 world and then move on beyond. 240 00:17:19,240 --> 00:17:23,280 That's what the Vision for Space exploration is all about. 241 00:17:23,280 --> 00:17:27,800 We at NASA are incredibly excited about the opportunities that the Vision for Space exploration 242 00:17:27,800 --> 00:17:28,800 are bringing forth. 243 00:17:28,800 --> 00:17:35,440 And who knows what we may discover, who knows what we may learn. 244 00:17:35,440 --> 00:17:39,120 Coming up, we'll find out what some of the challenges will be for actually living and 245 00:17:39,120 --> 00:17:40,400 working on other worlds. 246 00:17:40,400 --> 00:17:45,520 But first, did you know that the early days of flight had its share of challenges as well? 247 00:17:45,520 --> 00:17:51,160 For example, on May 14, 1918, the U.S. Post Office released the first stamps commemorating 248 00:17:51,160 --> 00:17:54,600 airmail delivery, which were scheduled to begin the next day. 249 00:17:54,600 --> 00:17:59,960 Unfortunately, the plane pictured on the stamp, the J-4 jetty, was mistakenly printed upside 250 00:17:59,960 --> 00:18:01,400 down. 251 00:18:01,400 --> 00:18:05,200 During the inaugural flight, Airman George Boyle had problems from the start. 252 00:18:05,200 --> 00:18:08,120 Eventually crashing his jetty into a Maryland cornfield. 253 00:18:08,120 --> 00:18:13,200 Scrambling from his plane, he stood, looking at it, lying upside down, exactly as the inverted 254 00:18:13,200 --> 00:18:19,240 stamps had predicted. 255 00:18:19,240 --> 00:18:22,440 The prospect of living and working on other worlds is very exciting. 256 00:18:22,440 --> 00:18:26,520 But there are many questions that need to be answered before this vision can become 257 00:18:26,520 --> 00:18:27,520 a reality. 258 00:18:27,520 --> 00:18:32,560 Food concerns, radiation exposure, spacesuits that can withstand the rigors placed upon 259 00:18:32,560 --> 00:18:37,240 them, and a host of other problems are concerns for NASA planners. 260 00:18:37,240 --> 00:18:47,500 Johnny Alonzo spoke with Lisa Guerra at NASA Headquarters to find out how it works. 261 00:18:47,500 --> 00:18:51,200 In the late 60s and early 70s, researchers at NASA learned quite a bit about living and 262 00:18:51,200 --> 00:18:55,280 working on other worlds with the success of the Apollo moon landings. 263 00:18:55,280 --> 00:18:59,260 These missions helped broaden our understanding of how humans can work and interact outside 264 00:18:59,260 --> 00:19:00,600 of the comforts of Earth. 265 00:19:00,600 --> 00:19:04,800 But even though much was learned about problems astronauts would face on other worlds, the 266 00:19:04,800 --> 00:19:10,080 human presence on the moon was relatively short, generally only a few days at a time. 267 00:19:10,080 --> 00:19:14,400 Future missions to Mars will be much longer, potentially lasting years at a time. 268 00:19:14,400 --> 00:19:17,880 Things that many of us take for granted such as food, clothing, medical care and safety 269 00:19:17,880 --> 00:19:21,960 will be some of the biggest challenges that need to be addressed by NASA planners. 270 00:19:21,960 --> 00:19:25,200 To help us understand what is being done to prepare for these long duration missions, 271 00:19:25,200 --> 00:19:30,120 I spoke with Lisa Guerra at NASA Headquarters to find out how it works. 272 00:19:30,120 --> 00:19:36,080 The major challenge to live and work on other worlds is predominantly adapting to a new 273 00:19:36,080 --> 00:19:37,080 environment. 274 00:19:37,080 --> 00:19:41,520 The crews will be coming to these new worlds, and the one we've been looking at in particular 275 00:19:41,520 --> 00:19:46,280 is Mars, and have to arrive and adapt to the environment. 276 00:19:46,280 --> 00:19:52,600 That environment on Mars involves a third of our Earth's gravity, as well as different 277 00:19:52,600 --> 00:19:59,680 weather patterns, dust storms, which we are particularly concerned with, radiation, which 278 00:19:59,680 --> 00:20:05,000 we have to measure and understand how to protect the crews against. 279 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:13,000 And in particular, these crews will be traveling for long distances from Earth to Mars, and 280 00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:17,720 we will have to have the crews fend for themselves once they get there. 281 00:20:17,720 --> 00:20:23,880 There will not be hosts of doctors and NASA personnel when they arrive, and so are they 282 00:20:23,880 --> 00:20:28,320 physically able to adapt to this environment as soon as they get there. 283 00:20:28,320 --> 00:20:32,880 So when our astronauts arrive at Mars, will they have to go permanent basis, or could 284 00:20:32,880 --> 00:20:35,280 they just live on the spacecraft that they arrive in? 285 00:20:35,280 --> 00:20:40,400 Whether they live in their spacecraft, or we would have to have a more permanent habitat 286 00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:44,840 for them, would depend on how long they would stay at Mars. 287 00:20:44,840 --> 00:20:48,800 And there are two different approaches to sending crews to Mars. 288 00:20:48,800 --> 00:20:55,520 One involves a short stay, and that's on the length of about 30 days on the surface of 289 00:20:55,520 --> 00:20:56,520 Mars. 290 00:20:56,520 --> 00:21:01,600 If that's how long they would be there, they could probably live out of their spacecraft, 291 00:21:01,600 --> 00:21:04,280 much like the Apollo astronauts did. 292 00:21:04,280 --> 00:21:10,720 However, if we take the other approach to going to Mars, they could be there for almost 293 00:21:10,720 --> 00:21:16,520 500 days, from a year to 500 days in Mars vicinity. 294 00:21:16,520 --> 00:21:21,720 And in that case, it's a very long time for six people to live out of one spacecraft, 295 00:21:21,720 --> 00:21:27,600 so we would probably have a larger habitat and presence on the surface. 296 00:21:27,600 --> 00:21:34,200 It would also mean we'd probably need other power sources than solar power, because they'd 297 00:21:34,200 --> 00:21:39,360 have to sustain their activities for such a long period of time, and with the weather 298 00:21:39,360 --> 00:21:44,700 and dust conditions, it makes solar power very difficult on Mars. 299 00:21:44,700 --> 00:21:50,360 So Lisa, when astronauts are on Mars for years at a time, how would they get their food and 300 00:21:50,360 --> 00:21:51,360 water? 301 00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:57,360 And if they could stay for over a year, ideally, you could use some of the resources that might 302 00:21:57,360 --> 00:21:59,200 be on Mars. 303 00:21:59,200 --> 00:22:05,360 And with our current Mars robotic program, we are trying to determine the levels of potential 304 00:22:05,360 --> 00:22:14,640 water or water ice on the planet, and if we do find sources in large quantities of water, 305 00:22:14,640 --> 00:22:21,160 we could use that for the crews, as well as use it in fuel cells for power generation. 306 00:22:21,960 --> 00:22:27,400 We could also use the atmosphere, which is made up predominantly of carbon dioxide, and 307 00:22:27,400 --> 00:22:33,600 you could use methods to decompose the carbon dioxide into oxygen, and then we could use 308 00:22:33,600 --> 00:22:37,560 that oxygen for the spacecraft air. 309 00:22:37,560 --> 00:22:45,360 As far as food goes, again, if you have water and oxygen, you could ultimately see the crews 310 00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:52,320 developing their own growth chambers and actually growing their own food, and that would be 311 00:22:52,320 --> 00:22:56,240 something we'd look into if we were staying there for a long time. 312 00:22:56,240 --> 00:23:00,240 What are some of the differences astronauts might face working on the Moon compared to 313 00:23:00,240 --> 00:23:01,520 working on Mars? 314 00:23:01,520 --> 00:23:08,080 The difference between spending and occupying time on the Moon to Mars, first and foremost, 315 00:23:08,080 --> 00:23:12,700 is that the Moon is much closer to the Earth, about a three-day trip. 316 00:23:12,700 --> 00:23:16,180 We could actually rescue the crews if necessary. 317 00:23:16,180 --> 00:23:18,940 They could come back and get medical care. 318 00:23:18,940 --> 00:23:25,220 They would not have to be as self-sufficient, and you could set up a, like a ferry system 319 00:23:25,220 --> 00:23:29,220 with logistics, much like we do with the space station. 320 00:23:29,220 --> 00:23:35,500 So again, the crews could operate for varying amounts of time, but still be reliant on the 321 00:23:35,500 --> 00:23:41,700 Earth, whereas the distance to Mars is so much greater, we'd have to build the reliability 322 00:23:41,700 --> 00:24:06,060 and maintainability into our systems and have the crews be much more self-sufficient. 323 00:24:06,060 --> 00:24:11,100 Right now, NASA is planning to use the Moon as a testbed for Mars. 324 00:24:11,100 --> 00:24:18,540 This would be primarily a systems-type testbed, design some of these life support systems 325 00:24:18,540 --> 00:24:25,060 and spacesuits, and use them and work them on the Moon and learn from that engineering 326 00:24:25,060 --> 00:24:29,900 experience and then improve the design for Mars. 327 00:24:29,900 --> 00:24:33,860 One major challenge that will need to be addressed will be what type of spacesuit our astronauts 328 00:24:33,860 --> 00:24:35,260 will wear on other worlds. 329 00:24:35,260 --> 00:24:39,060 The current suits used on the shuttle and in the space station work well, but they are 330 00:24:39,060 --> 00:24:43,740 not designed for full-range motions like walking and working on a planetary surface. 331 00:24:43,740 --> 00:24:46,700 So future suits will probably look more like the suits that were used during the Apollo 332 00:24:46,700 --> 00:24:47,700 program. 333 00:24:47,700 --> 00:24:51,540 These new suits will need to be much more durable and better suited for the harsh conditions 334 00:24:51,540 --> 00:25:15,780 astronauts will encounter on other worlds. 335 00:25:22,540 --> 00:25:27,780 The other issue, though, with spacesuits for Mars is the dust issue. 336 00:25:27,780 --> 00:25:33,900 The dust tends to be very electrostatic and there are concerns that if you came into the 337 00:25:33,900 --> 00:25:41,260 habitat or the airlock with your suit, that dust would get circulated into the air system. 338 00:25:41,260 --> 00:25:48,020 So there are concepts being developed where maybe the suit never comes into your habitat, 339 00:25:48,020 --> 00:25:54,460 but you actually step out of it, like walk out from the back of your suit into your habitat 340 00:25:54,460 --> 00:25:58,300 and the suit's always exposed to the environment. 341 00:25:58,300 --> 00:26:05,860 We're looking at this as not just a milestone, but a journey to actually get beyond Earth 342 00:26:05,860 --> 00:26:10,980 orbit, to get beyond the Moon and go to other worlds. 343 00:26:10,980 --> 00:26:16,460 And so everything we do today and everything we expect to do in the next couple of decades 344 00:26:16,460 --> 00:26:22,860 will give us a capability to enable us to get to Mars. 345 00:26:22,860 --> 00:26:28,820 And it may not be within my career, but it may be the young engineers in school today 346 00:26:28,820 --> 00:26:34,020 that they will see it through, and the next generation, the next generation. 347 00:26:34,020 --> 00:26:35,740 So that's how it works. 348 00:26:35,740 --> 00:26:41,260 So for the next generation of explorers, walking Mars might be in the cards, but with my pole 349 00:26:41,260 --> 00:26:45,860 here at NASA, I guess I might see you there. 350 00:26:45,860 --> 00:26:47,820 That's it for this edition of Destination Tomorrow. 351 00:26:47,820 --> 00:26:48,820 I'm Steel McGonigal. 352 00:26:48,820 --> 00:26:49,820 And I'm Kara O'Brien. 353 00:26:49,820 --> 00:26:52,820 For all of us here at NASA, we'll see you next time.