Ride Report
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The Ride Report is the informal name of the report titled NASA Leadership and America's Future in Space: A Report to the Administrator.[1] In 1986, a task force under the leadership of Sally Ride was asked to formulate a new strategy for NASA. The report was issued in 1987.
The Ride Report proposed four main initiatives for study and evaluation. These were:
- Mission to Planet Earth
- Exploration of the Solar System
- Outpost on the Moon
- Humans to Mars
"Mission to Planet Earth" would be centred on the observation of our home planet. New technologies for observation would be needed, and launch capabilities for geostationary and polar orbits. The space station that was under planning at the time this report was issued, is called simply "the Space Station" and is more ambitious than the current ISS, in that it would be well-developed enough to have ability for assembly of satellites and platforms in orbit. A transfer vehicle to launch these into geostationary orbit is proposed as well.
In the section "Exploration of the Solar System", the report points out that there are too few
A
In "Humans to Mars" the ambitious goal of crewed Mars landings is proposed to happen as soon as 2010. Preparations for these missions include robotic exploration of Mars, with orbiters, rovers and sample return missions. The Space Station was to be used for study of the human body during long space flights. The construction of an outpost on Mars could begin during the 2020s.
The Ride Report also recognizes the risks of making the Space Station dependent on one single launch vehicle - the Space Shuttle. It proposes the development of a shuttle-derived cargo launcher, as a way of diversifying the launch fleet.
See also
- Space Exploration Initiative
- Colonization of the Moon
- Colonization of Mars
- List of crewed Mars mission plans in the 20th century
References
- ^ NASA (2012-03-28). "NASA Leadership and America's Future in Space". NASA History Division. Retrieved 2023-08-18.
External links
- NASA History Office NASA Leadership and America's Future in Space: A Report to the Administrator
- Encyclopedia Astronautica Ride Report