Moon or Mars? 'Next giant leap' sparks debate

Blasting off from Earth and hurtling through space at thousands of miles an hour, it takes astronauts three days to reach the moon -- a tiny distance in a universe measured in light years, but a fantastic voyage on a human scale.
Now plans are under way to go back, even as the future of U.S. human space exploration is under close scrutiny and pressure is growing on NASA to aim for another alien world.
It's a crossroads Neil Armstrong could have hardly imagined on July 20, 1969, when he became the first human to set foot on the moon and uttered his now famous phrase: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
Today, NASA is working to return astronauts to the moon by 2020 and establish a lunar base that would allow them to stay on the desolate surface for up to six months by 2025.
The goal this time is for the explorers to make themselves at home, study the terrain and learn how to work in a harsh environment to prepare for trips beyond the moon

CNN - http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/space/07/20/nasa.future.human.exploration/index.html


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