Where 24 men have gone before

Abstract

Three years ago, President George W. Bush told NASA to return American astronauts to the Moon. Geoff Brumfiel reports on how far they have got. The cover photo, taken during the Apollo 11 mission by Neil Armstrong, shows Buzz Aldrin carrying the EASEP scientific instrument package. Three years ago, a NASA document, The Vision for Space Exploration, outlined a new framework for Solar System exploration calculated to bring back the thrill of those Apollo days of more than 30 years ago. How's it going? Topping the new agenda are plans to go back to the Moon, and to prepare for human flights to Mars, and in this issue, Geoff Brumfiel reports on the achievements of the first three years of the project. Progress has been, intentionally, slow compared with the hectic 'space-race' pace of the 1960s. But the technology is taking shape despite concerns over the budget. This week's Editorial welcomes the excitement and the new science that human spaceflight will bring, but puts in a word for continued expenditure on observing our own planet from orbit.