A cura di @MostroDeiBiscotti.

Quale dovrebbe essere il prossimo obiettivo dell’esplorazione spaziale per la NASA?

Ars Technica ha posto questa domanda a John Grunsfeld, fisico, astronauta ed ex responsabile scientifico della NASA, e a Paul Spudis, geologo presso la NASA e autore di The Value of the Moon: How to Explore, Live, and Prosper in Space Using the Moon’s Resources.

Nella doppia intervista vengono argomentati pro e contro di entrambi gli obiettivi, mentre si avvicina, forse, l’ora delle decisioni irrevocabili.

A choice must be made. For the last six years, NASA has continued developing a deep space capsule, Orion, as well as begun construction on a large new rocket, the Space Launch System, as the foundation of an exploration program. NASA has promoted a “Journey to Mars,” but in reality the space agency has taken no definitive steps to preclude either a Moon or Mars pathway. That decision will have to be made soon. Within the next four years or so, the space agency must start designing and building specific hardware, for landing and living on either the Moon or Mars.