NASA picks 4 teams to study solar system, manned space exploration

NASA will set aside about $5 million per year to fund the teams' research for the next 5 years

NASA has added four new teams to study the Moon, near-Earth asteroids and other components of the solar system.

According to a report in Engadget on Sunday, the first group from the University of Colorado will study robotics, cosmology, astrophysics and heliophysics to advance manned space exploration.

While the second group has been assigned on a project called "Toolbox for Research and Exploration", responsible for developing tools and methods for the manned exploration of celestial bodies.

"The third group from Georgia Institute of Technology will explore how radiation affects human-made composite materials. They'll also look into how real-time detectors can help minimise astronauts' exposure to harmful radiation," the report added.

The fourth group, called Exploration Science Pathfinder Research for Enhancing Solar System Observations, or ESPRESSO, will assist NASA in understanding the events that are hazardous for robotic and human explorers in space.

With the better knowledge of hazardous events in space, disasters can be predicted and managed.

"NASA will set aside $3 to $5 million of its budget per year to fund the teams' research for the next five years," the report noted.