In response to the science concerns for the future, our mission has chosen to address two broad scientific questions:

  - For life, is partial gravity more like Earth's gravity or weightlessness? To what extent does a gravitational force of 0.38-g reduce the deleterious effects of microgravity on adult mammals -- musculoskeletal deterioration, cardiovascular deconditioning, and vestibular plasticity.

  - How effective are rotational artificial gravity systems for maintaining health and well-being? What are the biomedical and behavioral limits on gravitation gradients and rotation rate on a 0.38-g rotating spacecraft? Can artificial gravity provide a long-term solution to microgravity deconditioning—long enough to go to Mars and back?

Our mission will begin to seriously investigate these profound questions for the first time.