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Beyond Earth
NASA is building the capabilities that will enable humans to explore farther than ever before.
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NASA's Asteroid Initiative has two main parts: a mission to identify, robotically capture, and redirect a small asteroid into a stable lunar orbit; and a grand challenge to promote global collaboration in finding all asteroid threats to human populations and know what to do about them.
› Learn more about the initiative
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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Human Exploration and Operations at NASA
The Human Exploration and Operations (HEO) Mission Directorate provides the Agency with leadership and management of NASA space operations related to human exploration in and beyond low-Earth orbit. HEO also oversees low-level requirements development, policy, and programmatic oversight. The International Space Station, currently orbiting the Earth with a crew of six, represents the NASA exploration activities in low-Earth orbit.
Exploration activities beyond low Earth orbit include the management of Commercial Space Transportation, Exploration Systems Development, Human Space Flight Capabilities, Advanced Exploration Systems, and Space Life Sciences Research & Applications.
The directorate is similarly responsible for Agency leadership and management of NASA space operations related to Launch Services, Space Transportation, and Space Communications in support of both human and robotic exploration programs.
HEO Library
The HEO library contains links to directorate, program and project documents, as well as historical events and activities.
Reports: Read reports and documents on a variety of exploration-related topics.
› Read HEO reports here
Featured Reports:
› NASA's Recommendations to Space-Faring Entities: How to Protect and Preserve the Historic and Scientific Value of U.S. Government Lunar Artifacts
› The International Space Exploration Coordination Group and the Global Exploration Roadmap
Advisory Committees and Boards: Internal and external advisory groups that provide advice to HEO.
› NASA Advisory Council Human Exploration and Operations Committee
› NASA Advisory Council Research Subcommittee
› NASA Advisory Council Ad Hoc Planetary Defense Task Force
Conferences and Workshops: Speeches and materials from Exploration conferences, workshops, and forums.
› View Conferences and Workshops
Strategic Knowledge Gaps: Gaps in knowledge or information required to reduce risk, increase effectiveness, and improve the design of robotic and human space exploration missions.
› Learn more about Strategic Knowledge Gaps
Risk and Knowledge Management: Case studies and lessons learned to aid program and project managers in improving work processes and making risk-informed decisions.
› Risk and Knowledge Management Case Studies
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Activities: NASA has conducted a review of the Constellation PEIS and ROD in the context of the Orion MPCV and SLS programs. View the PEIS, 2008 ROD and 2011 Modified ROD.
› SLS and Orion MPCV National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Activities
Commercial Space Transportation Library: Newsletters, milestone reports, agreements and other documents relating to commercial crew and cargo development.
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