To the moon

China
The rocket carrying Shenzhou VI, the PRC's last successful manned venture into space, stands in its assembly bay at a factory in Jiuquan, shortly before its October 12, 2005 launch. China has announced that it would like to complete a manned mission to the Moon by 2020.

Europe
Technicians man the control room at the European Space Agency's control center in Darmstadt, Germany. A 17-nation intergovernmental organization established in 1974, the ESA is presently focused on developing the technologies that would be needed for a manned mission to Mars.

The United States
A mock-up of the Orion space capsule is loaded into a hangar at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. In late 2008, the full-size structural model will be jettisoned off a simulated launch pad to test the spacecraft's astronaut escape system, which will ensure a safe, reliable method of escape for astronauts in case of an emergency. It is hoped that the Orion crew vehicle will carry humans to the International Space Station by 2015 and to the moon beginning in 2020.

viMory:  jettison    投弃