The Future of Space Exploration
Scientific American Presents

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Cover; The Future of Space Exploration; by Staff Editor; 1 Page(s)

Masthead; The Future of Space Exploration; by Staff Editor; 1 Page(s)

Table of Contents; The Future of Space Exploration; by Staff Editor; 2 Page(s)

The Flagships of the Space Fleet; The Future of Space Exploration; by Staff Editors; 14 Page(s)

By exploring planets, moons, asteroids and comets, these spacecraft are extending the frontiers of human knowledge

Key Space Explorations of the Next Decade; The Future of Space Exploration; by Staff Editor; 2 Page(s)

The International Space Station: A Work in Progress; The Future of Space Exploration; by Beardsley; 4 Page(s)

The U.S. and its international partners are finally building a space station, even as they continue to argue about the blueprints

Robots vs Humans - Who Should Explore Space?; The Future of Space Exploration; by Slakey, Spudis; 7 Page(s)

Unmanned spacecraft are exploring the solar system more cheaply and effectively than astronauts are - Astronaut explorers can perform science in space that robots cannot

The Mars Pathfinder Mission; The Future of Space Exploration; by Golombek; 8 Page(s)

The first rover to explore Mars found in situ evidence that the Red Planet may once have been hospitable to life

What's Next for Mars; The Future of Space Exploration; by Zorpette; 6 Page(s)

In the coming decade the planet named for the god of war will be the target of a scientific armada from Earth. Researchers hope to settle many questions about Mars, including whether life ever flourished there

Sending Humans to Mars; The Future of Space Exploration; by Zubrin; 6 Page(s)

A leading advocate of manned misions to Mars outlines a plan t land astronauts on the Red Planet in the next decade.

Bringing Life to Mars; The Future of Space Exploration; by McKay; 6 Page(s)

Climate models suggest that human beings could transform the Red Planet into a more Earth-like world using current technologies

The Way to Go in Space; The Future of Space Exploration; by Beardsley; 18 Page(s)

To go farther into space, humans will first have to figure out how to get there cheaply and more efficiently. Ideas are not in short supply

Air-Breathing Engines; The Future of Space Exploration; by McClinton; 2 Page(s)

For years, engineers have dreamed of building an aircraft that could reach hypersonic speeds, greater than Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound.

Space Tethers; The Future of Space Exploration; by Forward, Hoyt; 2 Page(s)

When humans begin to inhabit the moon and planets other than Earth, they may not use the modern technology of rockets.

Highways of Light; The Future of Space Exploration; by Myrabo; 2 Page(s)

Today's spacecraft carry their source of power.

Light Sails; The Future of Space Exploration; by Harris; 2 Page(s)

Science-fiction dreams of worlds beyond our own solar system have taken on a more realistic aspect since astromomers discovered that the universe contains planets in unexpectedly large numbers.

Compact Nuclear Rockets; The Future of Space Exploration; by Powell; 2 Page(s)

Someday, in exploring the outer planets of our solar system, humankind will want to do more than send diminutive probes that merely fly rapidly by them.

Reaching for the Stars; The Future of Space Exploration; by Leifer; 2 Page(s)

The notion of traveling to the stars is a concept compelling enough to recur in counteless cultural artifacts, from Roman poetry to 20th-century popular music.

The Best Targets for Future Exploration; The Future of Space Exploration; by Staff Editors; 12 Page(s)

So much to see, so little money.

Interstellar Spaceflight: Can We Travel to Other Stars?; The Future of Space Exploration; by Ferris; 4 Page(s)

Small self-replicating probes could be launched on interstellar journeys. Creating a galactic Internet may yield even greater benefits

Making Money in Space; The Future of Space Exploration; by Alpert; 4 Page(s)

Exploring the solar system turns out to be the easy part. The next great challenge will be creating profitable space enterprises.

New Satellites for Personal Communications; The Future of Space Exploration; by Evans; 4 Page(s)

Fleets of satellites will soon make it possible to reach someone anywhere on Earth, using nothing more than a small handset

Tapping the Waters of Space; The Future of Space Exploration; by Lewis; 4 Page(s)

Space travel could be considerably cheaper if astronauts could produce their own food and propellants from the resources already out there

Exploring Space on the Internet; The Future of Space Exploration; by Staff Editor; 1 Page(s)

Thanks to the World Wide Web, anyone with an Internet connection can explore space vicariously, browsing through dozens of Web sites for the latest news about space missions and projects.