NASA's next giant leap: Return to the moon and beyond

Half a century ago, the Apollo 11 moon landing ushered in a new era of space exploration by putting the first humans on the moon. The missions that followed in close succession would herald breakthroughs in science and engineering. After decades of low Earth missions, NASA now has a renewed commitment to deep-space exploration. It is betting on a new program called Artemis (the moon goddess and Apollo's twin sister in Greek mythology) take us back to the moon by 2024. NASA hopes to establish a sustainable presence on the lunar surface by 2028. In the meantime, Mars beckons. What NASA learns in the coming decade about living in deep space using four key — a new heavy lift rocket, a orbiting outpost, a modern exploration vehicle and a lunar lander space craft — could finally unlock a path to the Red Planet and beyond.