Recently Jeff Greason appeared on The Space Show (http://www.thespaceshow.com) and elegantly described what the "flexible path" is all about, why it is such a powerful new direction for NASA. His words are presented here with Digital Space's design simulation for a human mission to a Near Earth Object.
Why would NASA want to land on an asteroid, anyway? Such a landing would be dangerous and wouldn't prepare a crew for a landing on Mars, the ultimate destination. Mars is a world, not a small rock in space. I advocate traveling to asteroids, but I don't recommend trying to land on them. You are taking an unnecessary risk there. That is dumb!!!!
wallasky 1 year ago
You will need to develop a habitation module immediately, too, if you want to visit asteroids or have a Mars flyby. Yes, you can put off the development of a lander, but if you want to visit deep space destinations on flights that last from 90 to 450 days, you will need to develop a habitation module that will be large enough to accommodate a small crew of astronauts. The cost of such a module gobbles up the savings you realize by deferring the cost of a lander.
wallasky 1 year ago