NASA chief reveals plan to send humans to the moon 'to STAY,' and use orbiting craft as a pit-stop for deep space exploration

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine has revealed his hopes for long-term human settlement on the moon.

In a meeting with reporters at the Johnson Space Center in Houston this week, Bridenstein elaborated on plans to build ‘Gateway’ modules that will orbit the moon and, ultimately, close the gaps in space exploration.

‘We want lots of humans in space,’ Bridenstine said

The Gateway craft will initially support brief science missions of about 30-60 days, and will be key to exploring the moon in greater detail than ever before.

And, in the years to follow, a second module could be used to carry astronauts to Mars.

‘The first Gateway is about the moon, but I think the second Gateway, being a deep-space transport, again using commercial and international partners, enables us to get to Mars,’ Bridenstine said.

‘What we don’t want to do is go to the surface of the moon, prove that we can do it again, and then be done.

‘We want to go to stay. And the Gateway, in my view – I’ve been convinced – enables us to take advantage of commercial and international partners in a more robust way so we are there to stay, it enables us to get to more parts of the moon than ever before, and it enables us to get to Mars.’