[meteorite-list] Space Agencies Meet To Discuss A Global Exploration Roadmap

[Ron Baalke]

Aug. 30, 2011

Michael Braukus/J.D. Harrington 
Headquarters, Washington      
202-358-1979/5241 
michael.j.braukus at nasa.gov/j.d.harrington at nasa.gov   


RELEASE: 11-280

SPACE AGENCIES MEET TO DISCUSS A GLOBAL EXPLORATION ROADMAP

WASHINGTON -- Senior managers representing 10 space agencies from 
around the world met in Kyoto, Japan today to advance the Global 
Exploration Roadmap for coordinated space exploration. 

During the past year, the International Space Exploration Coordination 
Group (ISECG) has developed a long-range human exploration strategy. 
It begins with the International Space Station and expands human 
presence throughout the solar system, leading ultimately to human 
missions to explore the surface of Mars. The roadmap flows from this 
strategy and identifies two potential pathways: "Asteroid Next" and 
"Moon Next." 

Each pathway represents a mission scenario over a 25-year period 
describing a logical sequence of robotic and human missions. Both 
pathways were deemed practical approaches addressing common 
high-level exploration goals developed by the participating agencies, 
recognizing that individual preferences among participating space 
agencies may vary regarding these pathways. 

The first iteration of the roadmap will inform and focus the planning 
currently underway in each of the partner agencies in the areas of 
planetary robotic exploration, advanced technology development and 
use of the space station in preparation for exploration. It was 
agreed that during the next few weeks, this initial version of the 
Global Exploration Roadmap would be finalized and released to the 
public. 

Yoshiyuki Hasagawa of Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency, in his 
capacity as chairman of the International Space Exploration 
Coordination Group said, "We are very happy with the progress of the 
Global Exploration Roadmap to technically coordinate both near and 
long term space exploration planning, with world space agencies." 

During the meeting, the senior agency managers also reaffirmed the 
role of the ISECG to facilitate the ability of space agencies to take 
concrete steps toward partnerships that reflect a globally 
coordinated exploration effort. 

"NASA is confident that the release of this product, and subsequent 
refinements as circumstances within each space agency evolve, will 
facilitate the ability of space agencies to form the partnerships 
that will ensure robust and sustainable human exploration," said 
NASA's Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations 
and outgoing ISECG chair William Gerstenmaier. 

The ISECG was established as a voluntary, non-binding international 
coordination forum, where the partner agencies that contributed to 
the Global Exploration Strategy (GES) can exchange information 
regarding interests, plans, and activities in space exploration. 

The GES set forth a shared vision for concerted human and robotic 
space exploration missions focused on solar system destinations where 
humans may one day live and work. Another stated goal is to encourage 
the partners to work together on strengthening both individual 
exploration programs and collective efforts. 

The development of the Global Exploration Roadmap is the second step 
toward achieving this goal, following the development of the ISECG 
Reference Architecture for Human Lunar Exploration. 

The countries participating in the meeting included in alphabetical 
order: Canada, Europe, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Republic of 
Korea, Russia, United Kingdom, and United States. 

For more information about NASA and human exploration visit: 

http://www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/home/index.html   

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