NASA Officials: Cash Push Needed To Send Humans to Asteroids

摘要

The technology needed to send astronauts to a near-Earth asteroid is close at hand, NASA officials say, but Congress must fund research and development of robotic precursors and advanced propulsion capabilities if the agency expects to affordably meet U.S. President Barack Oba-ma's 2025 goal for such missions.rnDoug Cooke, NASA associate administrator for exploration, said cutting-edge research in key areas, including in-space fuel storage and advanced propulsion, could make space travel more efficient and reduce the cost of sending astronauts to asteroids and other deep space destinations. But legislation moving through Congress this year would provide substantially less than NASA has proposed spending to mature promising technologies for manned missions to asteroids and other destinations.