Bush’s announcement has generated much critical comment, not least in the pages of this magazine. Is it just electioneering? Will budget overruns send the vision the same way as his father’s plan for a Mars mission? Are NASA’s management skills up to the job of making it happen – and bringing the astronauts safely home?
Money, management and any number of other unforeseeable events could derail the plan. But NASA has already taken the first steps towards implementing it, setting up an Office of Exploration Systems to develop technologies for the proposed missions. In this 12-page special report, we examine the technologies that the agency will have to dream up if it is to make Bush’s vision a reality, and the opportunities that may open up for scientists living on the moon or walking on Mars.
