Beyond the Moon: The Solar System

We have gained more knowledge about the solar system these past few decades than in all the many millennia before the advent of the Hubble Space Telescope and its sister space observatories. Each of the planets – and then some – have now been “imaged” and analyzed, as well as the myriad moons and other solar systems' bodies (Asteroids and Comets). Important answers as to the future of Earth are “buried” out there, and are for us to explore and research in the decades ahead. (click image of Hubble to enlarge)

For human settlements and habitation, most of these planets are too distant to be reached with any prospect of economic return – at least to people here on Earth. Yet some of these destinations hold valuable resources, such as Europa, which potentially has the largest water resources outside of Earth. Other resources may be accessible on asteroids, particularly the Trojans (around Earth-Mars region), and the massive asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. (click image of asteroid mining to enlarge)