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    Human exploration of the moon and Mars: implications for Aurora

    Crawford, Ian (2004) Human exploration of the moon and Mars: implications for Aurora. Astronomy & Geophysics 45 (2), pp. 28-29. ISSN 1366-8781.

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    Abstract

    In the near future, Europe will have to decide how to respond to the new US plans for human space exploration, and how far its existing Aurora programme is consistent with them. The UK will shortly have to make a decision on whether, and to what extent, to participate in these exciting developments. Here I argue that there is a strong scientific case for the human exploration of planetary surfaces, and that the robotic exploration of Mars, as currently envisaged by Aurora, should be pursued in parallel with the development of a human spaceflight infrastructure on the Moon. Such a strategy would pave the way for eventual human missions to Mars by the middle of the century. ESA (and within ESA, the UK) should aspire to be a major participant in such a programme.

    Metadata

    Item Type: Article
    Additional Information: This article has been accepted for publication in Astronomy & Geophysics ©: 2004 Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.
    School: Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Science > School of Natural Sciences
    Depositing User: Sarah Hall
    Date Deposited: 20 Aug 2019 11:15
    Last Modified: 02 Aug 2023 17:53
    URI: https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/28662

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