As civil space policies and programs have evolved, the geopolitical environment has changed dramatically. Although the U.S. space program was originally driven

For several decades it has been widely accepted that human space exploration is the exclusive domain of government agencies. The cost of performing such mission

More than four decades have passed since a human first set foot on the Moon. Great strides have been made in our understanding of what is required to support an

In January 2004 NASA was given a new policy direction known as the Vision for Space Exploration. That plan, now renamed the United States Space Exploration Poli

Seeking to reenergize Americans' passion for the space program, the value of further exploration of the Moon, and the importance of human beings on the final fr