Connect

Stay connected with NASA's human exploration activities in and beyond low Earth orbit.

Why We Explore

Why Do We Explore?

From the time of our birth, humans have felt a primordial urge to explore -- to blaze new trails, map new lands, and answer profound questions about ourselves and our universe.

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Library

Speeches, Reports and Committees

Find reports, briefings and materials from Human Exploration and Operations committees, conferences and forums.

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Education and Outreach

NASA's Exploration Experience exhibit trailer

Informing and educating the public about NASA's plans for a new era in space exploration. Find educational materials, visit traveling exhibits, request a NASA speaker and more.

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About

Human Exploration and Operations (HEO) Mission Directorate

Leadership and management of NASA space operations related to human exploration in and beyond low Earth orbit.

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SLS Engine 'Brain' Gets an Upgrade

A newly enhanced RS-25 engine will help America's next heavy-lift rocket launch humans beyond low Earth orbit.

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NASA's Hubble Space Telescope took this close-up of Mars, the Red Planet, when it was just 34,648,840 miles (55,760,220 kilometers) away from Earth.(NASA)

How Space Station Can Help Humans Follow Curiosity

With all of the excitement of the Mars Curiosity landing, many are looking to move from robots to humans for exploration beyond Earth's orbit.

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A selection of crop plants grown in VEGGIE test pillows

Station Investigation to Test Fresh Food Experience

NASA's VEGGIE experiment could revolutionize the way astronauts eat aboard the International Space Station.

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Cover of the Education publication, Inspiring the Next Generation: International Space Station Education Opportunities and Accomplishments 2000-2012. (NASA)

International Space Station Education Inspiration

For more than a decade, the space station has provided hands-on educational opportunities that encourage students to go beyond passive learning.

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Blue Origin test fires its BE-3 engine thrust chamber

Blue Origin Tests Rocket Engine Thrust Chamber

Blue Origin successfully test fired its BE-3 high-performance liquid hydrogen engine thrust chamber at NASA's Stennis Space Center.

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News Releases

NASA Signs Agreement to Develop Nasal Spray for Motion Sickness

10.12.12 - NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston and Epiomed Therapeutics Inc. of Irvine, Calif., have signed an agreement to develop and commercialize a NASA-crafted, fast-acting nasal spray to fight motion sickness.
SpaceX's Dragon Carrying NASA Cargo Resupplies Space Station

10.10.12 - The Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) Dragon spacecraft was berthed to the International Space Station at 8:03 a.m. CDT Wednesday, a key milestone in a new era of commercial spaceflight.