Lunar sortie

A lunar sortie (or lunar sortie mission) is a human spaceflight mission to the Moon. In contrast with lunar outpost missions, lunar sorties will be of relatively brief duration. [cite web |url=http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20070025021_2007024501.pdf |title=Lunar Orbit Insertion Targeting and Associated Outbound Mission Design for Lunar Sortie Missions |publisher=NASA |date=2007]

Planned NASA sorties

On 2006-12-04, NASA announced a "Global Exploration Strategy" and lunar architecture that would implement the Vision for Space Exploration. The planned lunar missions would begin with four-person crews making several seven-day sortie missions to the moon until the power supplies, rovers and living quarters of an outpost are operational. [cite web |url=http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2006/dec/HQ_06361_ESMD_Lunar_Architecture.html |title=NASA Unveils Global Exploration Strategy and Lunar Architecture |publisher=NASA |date=2006]

The first lunar sortie planned by NASA as part of Project Constellation may be Orion 13, although this mission will be a fly-by rather than a landing, and may not include a crew. The second Constellation lunar sortie mission will be Orion 15, during which a crew will land on the lunar surface in what NASA calls the "Human Lunar Return" mission. [cite web |url=http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=11504.0 |title=$700m gap threatens major delays to Ares test flights/development |publisher=nasaspaceflight.com |date=2008-01-18]

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