Astronaut Eugene Cernan on the moon in 1972.
(Credit: NASA/Harrison H. Schmitt)
It has been almost 40 years since the Apollo 17 mission last landed a man on the moon. It may not take anywhere near that long before we send astronauts back to the moon's neighborhood.
Space.com reports that NASA is seriously looking at sending out a new manned moon mission with the purpose of creating a manned outpost beyond the far side of moon and eventually visiting an asteroid in 2025. This may not physically land a human on the moon, but it would establish a deep space outpost as a base for research and missions.
President Obama's reelection could smooth the way for plans that have already been under consideration. Back in 2010, Obama affirmed a commitment to manned space exploration despite putting an end to NASA's moon program at the time. Space.com suggests the Obama administration has already approved new mission plans that could involve parking a spacecraft near the moon.
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