USA Today journalist Dan Vergano this Sunday evening published an interesting article entitled: "Asteroids emerge as next frontier of space exploration" pointing to the new and recent destination goal set by the president. In which Vergano writes "An astronaut 'sprint' mission would three to five years later [2025], with a 20- to 75-day outbound trip, a one- to two-week stay and a 45-day trip home, 'marking humanity's first foray beyond the Earth—Moon system,' says the December [NASA] study." [Vid NEOnauts].
Some see the asteroids as the logical next step beyond the surface of the Moon; asteroids as the next step to the exo-moon of Mars; and, the surface of The Red Planet below. The presidential directive does provide a human space map. A map of human expansion beyond the Earth -Moon system and ultimately to the Jovian moon Europa before the end of this century, if one is willing to look ahead.
Federal law does require survey of all near Earth asteroids (NEO's) of any significant size for these objects may hold many keys to knowledge, resource supplies, and more Earthly dangers as these NEO asteroids do lurk and perhaps with damaging human impact.
The goals are high. They shall require the combined efforts of spacefaring governments and their commercial space launch elements from around the blue and partly cloudy globe to achieve human but commercial exploration of the Moon, and NASA-driven human missions to the asteriods, exo-Moon Phobos, the surface of Mars, the Asteroid Belt and on to the surface of a new water world.
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