A team of University of Illinois professors has received a $550,000 grant from NASA to produce research to help get humans safely to the Moon and eventually to Mars. 

Guests: Michael Lopez-Alegria, Phillippe Geubelle, and Jonathan Card.

Ten years ago, the Space Shuttle Columbia exploded on re-entry over Texas, killing seven astronauts; in the years that followed, state-funded space flight dwindled. Today on Focus, we'll talk the future of space exploration with a former astronaut, an aerospace engineer, and a businessman who want to make human settlements in space a reality. Join our conversation at 10 or on Facebook and Twitter. 

This hour on Focus, we'll listen back to a conversation with Homer Hickam, former NASA engineer and acclaimed author of Rocket Boys: A Memoir.