NASA is using data it has collected from orbit and the Martian surface to seek “exploration zones” that encompass all of the features that would make up a successful human mission—a safe landing zone near water supplies that could be mined for oxygen and rocket propellant.

Remember the point Darth Vader made to Adm. Motti during the war council scene in “Star Wars IV?” Don’t choke.

When five highly regarded and diverse business visionaries all bet on a similar supply chain approach, it certainly merits our attention.

Governments are looking for ways to work around disruptions in service, increasingly caused by proliferating equipment that can jam and spoof GPS signals.

NASA stands to gain plenty for itself by helping SpaceX get to Mars. An amended Space Act Agreement makes clear the agency can use whatever it learns to land its own vehicles on Mars, it just can’t share it with any of SpaceX’s competitors.

As the International Space Station approaches the end of its service life, NASA is supporting Boeing and SpaceX efforts to build commercial crew vehicles that can take crew to the ISS and later commercial space stations. Listen is as our editors discuss those efforts.

What technologies lie ahead for aerospace? Reusable spacecraft and additive manufacturing for sure, but what about flying cars, jetpacks or another attempt at nuclear-powered aircraft? Only the future will tell.​

NASA on Red Dragon Mars mission: “This is a technology demonstration of what we consider to be one of the most critical technologies for us to get humans to Mars.”