Why We Explore

why do we explore?
Why Do We Explore?

From the time of our birth, humans have felt a primordial urge to explore -- to blaze new trails, map new lands, and answer profound questions about ourselves and our universe.

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Exploration History

An image of an active region of the sun captured by the Solar Maximum Mission satellite.
This Month in Exploration

Visit every month to find out how aviation and space exploration have improved life for humans on Earth and in space.

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Conferences and Speeches

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Exploration Related Events

Find past speeches and conference materials here!

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Exploration at NASA

    Exploration at NASA At the core of NASA's future in space exploration is a return to the moon, where we will build a sustainable long term human presence.

    As the space shuttle approaches retirement, NASA is building the next fleet of vehicles to service the International Space Station and return humans to the moon, and possibly to Mars and beyond. In support of these efforts, ESMD is performing field tests, designing surface systems and conducting advanced human research to ensure that future missions are safe, sustainable and affordable.

Top Featured Stories

NASA Tests All-Composite Space Capsule

Composite Crew Module

Future spacecraft may be made from the stuff of race cars, business jets and high-end sports equipment.

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Orion Attitude Control Motor Test-fired

Orion Launch Abort System Attitude Control Motor Test-fired

On Dec. 15, NASA, Alliant Techsystems and Lockheed Martin celebrated a milestone with a ground test of a full-scale attitude control motor for the Orion crew exploration vehicle’s launch abort system.

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Steering the Ares Rockets on a Straight Path

Ares IX test rocket launch

What steered Ares I-X on its path as it climbed through Earth's atmosphere? The answer is a roll control system.

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Plug Into Exploration

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    Join us, friend us, follow us, tag us, retweet us — do what you have to do to stay connected with NASA Exploration!

    We're building rockets, testing rovers, meeting astronauts and having fun while capturing it all on the World Wide Web. Stay connected with America's space exploration program!

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