NASA reveals "Apollo on steroids"

Image courtesy of NASA

From How we'll get back to the moon (nasa.gov):

Before the end of the next decade, NASA astronauts will again explore the surface of the moon. And this time, we're going to stay, building outposts and paving the way for eventual journeys to Mars and beyond. There are echoes of the iconic images of the past, but it won't be your grandfather's moon shot.

This journey begins soon, with development of a new spaceship. Building on the best of Apollo and shuttle technology, NASA's creating a 21st century exploration system that will be affordable, reliable, versatile, and safe.

The centerpiece of this system is a new spacecraft designed to carry four astronauts to and from the moon, support up to six crewmembers on future missions to Mars, and deliver crew and supplies to the International Space Station.

The new crew vehicle will be shaped like an Apollo capsule, but it will be three times larger, allowing four astronauts to travel to the moon at a time.

Read the full story here: http://www.nasa.gov/missions/solarsystem/cev.html

I am way excited for NASA to be getting back to the moon and beyond. This is going to be so awesome! We need to explore our universe and seek to understand it better... way to go NASA!!!