| ABSTRACT -- On January 14, 2004, President Bush announced a new Vision for Space Exploration in the 21st Century. The fundamental goal of this vision is to advance U.S scientific, security, and economic interest through a robust space exploration program. The ultimate goal is to extend a human presence across the solar system, starting with a human return to the Moon by the year 2020, in preparation for human exploration of Mars and other destinations. The space missions in this plan require advanced systems and capabilities that will accelerate the development of many critical technologies, including power, computing, nanotechnology, biotechnology, communications, networking, robotics, and materials. This talk will describe the goals of the Exploration Initiative, and identify some of the challenges that must be overcome. |
