A NASA, university and industry team is studying mid-decade human exploration beyond low Earth orbit. Detailed by the team are options for long-duration “Gateway” habitats.
An interim look at such a prospect is being briefed at high-levels within NASA, a plan that also makes use of outputs by a Future In-Space Operations (FISO) Working Group.
Priorities for future long-duration human operations to achieve science and human space flight priorities must build upon experience gained via extended International Space Station (ISS) operations.
The Gateway to space is envisioned as being designed to incorporate robust, more compact versions of systems developed on ISS, as well as designed for lunar surface habitats and pushing beyond low Earth orbit toward more ambitious targets.
Key to the proposal is a preliminary concept for a Gateway at the Earth-Moon Lagrange point – or E-M L1 — advocated as a “stepping stone” that responds to the current political/budgetary opportunity for human space flight.
Doing so at EM L1 may permit a major demonstration with, for example, next-generation systems developed via ISS experience, with that hardware operating beyond low Earth orbit for the first time.
The team looking at a mid-decade human exploration beyond low Earth orbit option is a collaborative effort, drawing upon expertise from United Launch Alliance, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Johnson Space Center, Langley Research Center, the University of Texas, John Frassanito & Associates, as well as inflatable space structure experts from Bigelow Aerospace and ILC Dover.
By Leonard David