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Hi my name is Kaci Heins and I'm

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from Northland Preparatory
Academy

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in Flagstaff Arizona
and this is NASA Now.

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Hi I'm Rick and this
is NASA Now.

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NASA has taken an extraordinary
journey over the past 54 years.

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So what does the future
hold for space travel?

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Who better to ask than one
of NASA's own astronauts?

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That's ahead, but first here's
what's happening at NASA Now.

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Turning trash into gas...that's
what scientists are working

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on at NASA.

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In an effort to support future
long distance space missions,

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NASA researchers built a
prototype reactor designed

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to convert trash into gas.

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The device incinerates the
trash that astronauts accumulate

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in space and creates
methane, oxygen, and water.

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These elements can then be used

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for rocket fuel,
and life support.

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The reactor could
fly for demonstration

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on the International Space
Station as soon as 2018.

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This research also has potential
applications right here

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on Earth.

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By converting trash into power,
these generators could be used

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to generate electricity
in remote areas.

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Did you know that
NASA technology

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from the 1970's could be
used to develop future tires

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for commercial and
passenger vehicles.

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The same type of
tire that was used

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on the Lunar Rover during the
Apollo moon missions could be

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incorporated into
future tires manufactured

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by the Goodyear Tire
& Rubber company.

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NASA and Goodyear have recently
completed a jointly funded

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project to improve on the wire
mesh Moon tire technology.

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The new tires would save energy,
be more resistant to punctures

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and could also be used
on more massive lunar

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exploration vehicles.

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Now you know.

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In a previous program we talked
with retired Air Force Colonel

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and astronaut Greg
Johnson about his path

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to becoming an astronaut.

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Today we are going to
continue that conversation

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and see what Colonel
Johnson envisions

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for the future of space travel.

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[ Music ]

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We are an exploring people.

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If you look back in the
history of our country

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from the great explorers
many centuries ago,

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they were exploring to find new
lands, new ideas, new places

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and time enables us to look
back at these great expeditions

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in our history where we learned
about the unknown unknowns

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and that's what space
offers for us.

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If you think of any of the
great frontiers in our world,

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it's going deeper
into the ocean, right?

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It's going up into
the atmosphere,

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away from the atmosphere,
out of the atmosphere,

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out among the planets
in the solar system,

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out of the solar system.

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There's places that
we just haven't gone.

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We've been to the moon.

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We've been to low
Earth orbit with humans

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and we've got probes going all

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over the solar system right
now learning about Jupiter,

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learning about Pluto and
we're learning new things

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with every single mission

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We've always sent many probes

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to the distant places before
we actually send people.

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It's partly because
the unknown unknowns...

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We don't know what's out
there and we don't want

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to risk people's lives until we
better understand the problem,

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we have some expectation
of success.

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We have ideas.

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We have passions.

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We do have limitations
with budget

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so that's what we're
doing right now.

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We're taking the first steps to
figure out what we need to do,

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what kind of vehicle we have to
have, what's the mission going

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to be, and then how are
we going to get there.

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The Mars Rovers have taught
us so much about that planet

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that we just can't learn
from just looking at it.

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And so we obviously haven't
sent any humans and as soon

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as we do send humans to Mars,

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we're going to learn
all kinds of new things.

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I personally believe that
we're going to have a couple

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of short missions to the moon
and then we're actually going

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to set something up on
a more permanent basis,

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kind of like the space station.

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An outpost on the moon.

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I'm not sure how
it would be funded.

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Maybe we could have some sort
of commercial application

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so we could get private
companies involved.

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We haven't been to the
moon in 40 years and many

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of the smart people

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that designed those
vehicles are retired.

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And so we've got a new brand
of engineers and scientists

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and astronauts and I think
if we want to go to Mars,

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I think it makes sense to first
go to the moon and relearn

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and improve on those missions
that we did about 40 years ago.

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Now eventually we're
hoping to go to Mars.

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I'm hoping that the kids in
the audience, when they get

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to be my age, we
will have looked back

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on several manned Mars missions.

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But for now I think it's
important for us to figure

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out how to get to a planet
that's only you know,

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250,000 miles away
instead of millions

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and millions of miles away.

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Seems like there is a world
of possibilities when it comes

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to future space travel.

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Now it's time to turn
your imagination loose.

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Teachers, here's a
great activity for you

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and your students to design
a future mission to the moon.

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Look for Newton's Laws
of Motion: Lunar Nautics.

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You'll find it on the NASA
Explorer School Virtual Campus.

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Well that's it for NASA NOW.

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Be sure to visit our facebook
page and leave a comment.

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We want to hear your ideas
for future space travel.

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We'll see you next
time on NASA NOW!

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