Mining asteroids has never looked so cool:
NASA Reveals New Plan for the Moon, Mars & Outward
By Leonard David for Space.com
You gotta check out the Lagrangian point presentation and the Raver Space Miner Video embedded within the article (and linked to at the bottom of both pages, if you have trouble with any of the links above).
Here’s the full text of the article in case the link goes bad:
http://www.space.com/news/beyond_iss_020926-1.html
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NASA Reveals New Plan for the Moon, Mars & Outward
By Leonard David
Senior Space Writer
posted: 07:00 am ET
26 September 2002
A SPACE.com Exclusive
To boldly go, the timeless and optimistic Space Age theme, looks to have been reclaimed from a NASA lost-and-found drawer as long-range planners prepare to reveal next month a new roadmap for robotic and human missions to deep space, SPACE.com has learned.
The 21st Century, science-driven agenda is designed to propel exploration beyond the International Space Station and involves a new habitation complex that would be built between Earth and the Moon, serving as a portal to Mars and other solar system targets.
Images
A key to relearning how to live and work beyond low Earth orbit is establishing an L1 Gateway, a point of gravitational balance between Earth and the Moon. From L1, space science advancements are possible, as well as moving humankind back to the Moon and onward.
A blend of robots and humans transforms the Moon into a 21st Century hub for science and a jumping off point for deep space missions.
Artificial gravity generated by a Mars rotator transfer vehicle helps thwart the impact of microgravity on the human body during lengthy voyages.
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Moon Holds Earth’s Ancient Secrets
Multimedia
See the Vision: Gallery of renderings reveals NASA’s plans
Grasp Lagrangian Points: Graphic explains how they work
VIDEO: L1 Gateway
VIDEO: Drilling on the Moon
VIDEO: Transfer to Mars
Somewhat secretive, this behind-the-scenes stratagem has been years in the making.
A NASA Exploration Team (NExT) is prepared to showcase their springboard vision for returning to the Moon, visiting asteroids, and trekking on to Mars and beyond. At the upcoming World Space Congress to be held Oct. 10-19, an expected throng of some 13,000 officials from various nations will descend on Houston, Texas. This once-a-decade gathering provides a status report on global space prowess.
Part of NASA’s message at the meeting will be portraying “what next” for exploration beyond low Earth orbit. In exclusive interviews with SPACE.com, key members of NExT detailed the plan.
Step 1: New space hotel
“We’ve been putting together a multi-disciplinary, long-term strategy
Just wondering if anything new has been publicized
about the government’s GRASP project, the one
about gravity modification. Thought the whole
issue was being purposely driven out of the
public’s radar screen with the vilification
campaign of Mr Podkletnov in 96, but now it seems
that he was on to something and the Russians know
it; and that is why, evidently, no new information is forthcoming from them on the YCBO
or other equipments that Boeing needs for our
projects(?) at Huntsville(?).
Politics aside, it would be very nice if Mr
Podkletnov and our Dr Ning Li were right; my
gut says that they are and the whole thing may
now have the highest classifications. Be too
bad if the military took this as a secret toy
to be held for years or until found out by
foreigners in some way. Fat chance of it being
secret for long if we have to get the primary
equipment from the Russians.