The Flexible Path Ahead

A ‘flexible path’ forward?, Orlando Sentinel
“One NASA official responsible for charting the agency’s exploration of the moon and Mars told a conference of global space experts today that NASA is examining a “flexible path” of exploration that includes manned trips to nearby asteroids. The declaration by John Olson is another sign that administration officials under President Barack Obama are looking to alter the course set in the previous White House, which focused on a return trip to the moon with the goal of eventually landing on Mars. “We’re looking at a range of future exploration potential capabilities,” said Olson, a top exploration NASA official. That includes “not only the moon and certainly Mars” but other “near-Earth objects,” said Olson, speaking at a space summit held a few blocks from the White House.”