Space agencies jointly study three lunar mission type
Lunar Sortie Mission Scenario
This is one or more short duration flights to any location on the Moon. The crew lives out of the NASA Altair lander or another human lunar lander and conducts up to seven days of scientific activities. Pre-deployment of yet to be defined resources could aid the astronauts.
Extended-Stay Mission Scenario
This uses pre-deployed resources, possibly a habitat with food, power systems and fuel to extend the stay beyond the envisaged lunar lander seven-day limit. The extended stay enables more scientific exploration and the demonstration of technologies needed for a lunar outpost or human missions to Mars.
Polar Lunar Outpost Scenario
A permanent human lunar outpost at one of the poles, crews stay for up to 180 days at the base that would be constructed with a relatively small number of missions. It would begin delivering science objectives during its construction and eventually allow the development of capabilities for an international human mission to Mars.
