USA (Commonwealth Union)_ NASA, the American space agency, has appointed an Indian-American software and robotics engineer as the first head of its newly-established Moon to Mars program. The project aims to create a long-term presence on the Moon, as a stepping stone towards future missions to Mars. In an official release, NASA announced that Mr Kshatriya would immediately assume the position as the head of the new office. In addition, this new entity falls under the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate and reports to its Associate Administrator Jim Free.