The National Research Council has come up with 16 recommendations for NASA in order to "restore [their] technological edge" in the space industry.

The NRC says researching new technology following the end of the space shuttle program will allow NASA to be the agency that "paves the way for a new era in space."

"It has been years since NASA has had a vigorous, broad-based program in advanced space technology development," said Raymond Colladay, chair of the committee that wrote the report.

[Related: read the NRC's breakdown of its recommendations]

In its 468 page report, the NRC breaks down NASA's new goals into three objectives:

1. "Extend and sustain human activities beyond low Earth orbit"
   
2. "Explore the evolution of the solar system and the potential for life elsewhere"
   
3. "Expand understanding of Earth and the universe"
   

Within those three objectives, the NRC names 16 emerging or new technologies for NASA to research.  They include, but are not limited to:

• Nuclear & electric propulsion
  
• Fission power generation
  
• Lightweight materials for spacecrafts
  
• Extreme terrain mobility
  
• Better guidance, navigation and control