NASA's near-term plan is to advance the nation’s space program by increasing science activities near and on the Moon and ultimately returning humans to the surface. “The Moon will play an important role in expanding human presence deeper into the solar system,” said Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator of the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Coupled with the capabilities enabled by the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway, these missions will usher in a new era of exploration of the Moon and its resources, and provide a training ground for human missions to Mars.” Pictured here, a close-up view of astronaut Buzz Aldrin's bootprint in the lunar soil, photographed with the 70mm lunar surface camera (see pics we posted yesterday afternoon) during Apollo 11's sojourn on the moon. 🌚 Credit: NASA #NASA #moon #nextfrontier #space #exploration