
NASA is evaluating letting the private sector operate a smaller space station in low earth orbit (LEO) so it may focus on the region around the Moon, according to a key agency official.NASA Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations William Gerstenmaier told a House panel Friday the civil space agency is currently allowing companies to perform investigations on the International Space Station (ISS), located in LEO, to see if they get a “market return.” Gerstenmaier said focusing on the…