Ride Report

The Ride Report, officially titled *NASA Leadership and America's Future in Space: A Report to the Administrator*, was issued in 1987 under the leadership of Sally Ride. It proposed four main initiatives for NASA’s future strategy: Mission to Planet Earth, Exploration of the Solar System, Outpost on the Moon, and Humans to Mars. The report emphasized the need for advanced technologies and infrastructure to support these goals. Mission to Planet Earth focused on improving Earth observation capabilities through new technologies and launch systems for geostationary and polar orbits. It also highlighted the importance of a planned Space Station, which would enable satellite assembly in orbit and serve as a base for transferring payloads to geostationary orbit. The Exploration of the Solar System initiative aimed to expand planetary exploration missions. Proposed projects included a cometary mission, an extended Cassini mission with probes for Saturn’s atmosphere, Titan’s atmosphere, and a lander for Titan, as well as a Mars sample return mission. Outpost on the Moon outlined a three-phase plan to establish a permanent lunar base by 2010. The first phase involved robotic exploration in the 1990s to identify a suitable site. The second phase would involve astronauts deploying modules and equipment from the Space Station using a Lunar transfer vehicle. The final phase envisioned a self-sustaining outpost with closed-loop life support systems, supporting a crew of 30 for lunar exploration. Humans to Mars proposed crewed landings on Mars by 2010, supported by robotic precursor missions, including orbiters, rovers, and sample return efforts. ...