Publisher's Synopsis
IN THE NEXT DECADE, NASA will seek to expand humanity's presence in spacebeyond the International Space Station (ISS) in low Earth orbit to a new habitationplatform around the Moon. By the late 2020s, astronauts will live and work far deeperin space than ever before. As part of our push outward into the solar system, NASAis working to help commercialize human spaceflight in low Earth orbit. After thegovernment pioneers, develops, and demonstrates a space capability-from rocketsto space-based communications to Earth observation satellites-the private sectorrealizes its market potential and continues innovating. As new companies establisha presence, the government often withdraws from the market or becomes one ofmany customers.In 2016, we are once again at a critical stage in the development of space. Themost successful long-term human habitation in space, orbiting the Earth continuouslysince 1998, is the ISS. Currently at the apex of its capabilities and the pinnacleof state-of-the-art space systems, it was developed through the investments and laborsof more than a dozen nations and is regularly resupplied by cargo delivery services.Its occupants include six astronauts and numerous other organisms from Earth's ecosystems, from bacteria to plants to mice. Research is conducted on the spacecraftfrom hundreds of organizations worldwide, ranging from academic institutions tolarge industrial companies and from high-tech start-ups to high school science classes.However, its operational lifetime may be exceeded by the late 2020s, compelling itsretirement to make way for new spacecraft and new missions
