Melroy, Deputy NASA Administrator, shared in September, 2022, NASA’s report: Moon to Mars Objectives.
She wished "to acknowledge the individuals, companies, academic institutions, international space agencies, and our very own workforce, who contributed thousands of inputs to enhance them. This kind of collaboration is critical to our exploration success as an unparalleled development effort is ahead of us. Never has humanity endeavored to simultaneously architect multinational infrastructures in lunar orbit, on the lunar surface, and at Mars -- all while maintaining high-demand government and private-sector operations in low-Earth orbit.
What an incredible time to be a part of human spaceflight, and NASA. Our first draft of the Moon to Mars Objectives were intentionally broad, and the overwhelming responses we received encouraged us to be even broader in some areas, yet more specific in others. We grew from 50 objectives to 63, spanning multidisciplinary science, transportation and habitation, lunar and Martian infrastructure, operations, and a new domain: recurring tenets.
These objectives provide the connective tissue between deep space human exploration destinations and the capabilities required to accomplish our goals at the Moon, Mars, and beyond. We will continue to revisit our objectives in the years ahead as our architecture matures, new knowledge and technological capabilities emerge, and more stakeholders come to the table.
I appreciate the positive energy from everyone who has engaged in this effort thus far, and NASA remains committed to transparency in our exploration plans. I look forward to future collaborations as we push human exploration farther into the solar system than ever before."
The purpose of NASA’s Moon to Mars Objectives effort is to develop and document an objectives-based approach to its human deep space exploration efforts. In contrast to a capabilities-based approach, an objectives-based approach focuses on the big picture, the “what” and “why” of what NASA should be doing in terms of deep space exploration before prescribing the “how” (e.g., a specific launch vehicle, technology, or acquisition approach).
Senior leaders and staff from each of NASA’s mission directorates worked over the past several months to develop this final set of objectives, which incorporate inputs gathered from U.S. industry and academia, international partner space agencies, NASA Center leadership, and the NASA workforce via written input and two in-person workshops conducted in the summer of 2022.
These workshops were held in Houston for U.S. industry and academia and in London for our international partners. This refined set of objectives also addresses gaps from NASA’s internal analysis on its 50 initial objectives carried out in the spring. The methodology for the Moon to Mars Objectives is guided by five inter-related principles:
OBJECTIVE-BASED APPROACH
• Know your goal up front (the “what”) and create an integrated plan to achieve it.
ARCHITECT FROM THE RIGHT / EXECUTE FROM THE LEFT
• Work backwards from the defined goal to establish the complete set of elements that will be required for success.
• Execute development of all elements in regular fashion, integrating as you move left according to the established architecture.
CONSTANCY OF PURPOSE
• Stick with the Plan: once documented, the goal, top-level objectives, and overall plan should be clear and remain consistent over time.
UNITY OF PURPOSE
• Everyone (inside and outside the Agency) should understand and be able to articulate the vision, goals, and objectives.
ENHANCED COMMUNICATION & ENGAGEMENT
• The lifeblood that drives the reinforcing cycle of the other principles, and promotes political resilience.
• Raise public awareness and support for Moon to Mars activities through robust outreach and engagement efforts.
• Collaborate with international partners, industry, and academia to achieve common goals and objectives.
• Engage NASA workforce continuously to promote understanding of the plan, sustain awareness of respective roles, and solicit feedback.
While retaining our focus on mission success for the Artemis Campaign today, our Moon to Mars Objectives ensure we have a comprehensive framework in place that supports all of our exploration goals in the future. These objectives will guide the success of NASA’s exploration strategy through the return of astronauts to the Moon, continued lunar science and exploration, and all the way to the first crewed landings on Mars, with the associated science and technology development required to achieve them along the way. Additionally, NASA will measure our progress toward achieving our Moon to Mars Objectives and periodically update them as the Artemis Campaign and future efforts evolve. In the end, this will ensure our basic approach remains the same regardless of where the frontier lies: creating an objectives-based blueprint for the sustained human exploration of deep space.
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