NASA, Artist concept by Denise WattThe National Research Council has appointed an ad hoc committee to study the future of human spaceflight. The committee is looking for input from the public. For more information and links to instructions on how to submit a paper (no more than 4 pages of text) by the July 9 deadline, click here.
I have already submitted my paper, which can also be found with the papers submitted by other interested persons at this public viewing site.
Here is the abstract for my submitted paper.
The ultimate goal of a human spaceflight program should be to enable the development of human migration into and settlement of space. A government program can’t make settlement happen. However, by spurring the development of spacefaring capabilities that serve near term needs, the human spaceflight program will help to develop the knowledge and capabilities that explorers, developers and settlers will use to expand humanity into space.
