President Donald Trump is sending astronauts back to the Moon.
The president Monday signed at the White House Space Policy Directive 1, a change in national space policy that provides for a U.S.-led, integrated program with private sector partners for a human return to the Moon, followed by missions to Mars and beyond.
Under Obama, NASA had a directive to go to the Red Planet that side-stepped lunar missions. Trump follows both Bushes in wanting to return to the moon. Republican leadership really likes the idea of putting Americans back on the lunar surface, it would seem. Assuming we see another president after Trump,1 will they change direction yet again?
Big projects like this take time, especially on NASA’s anemic budget. That, coupled with administrations that want to leave their own mark on the agency means that it is very hard to see something big like this through. This line speaks volumes in NASA’s press release:
Work toward the new directive will be reflected in NASA’s Fiscal Year 2019 budget request next year.
The agency is already building its next-generation rocket, which will be capable of sending a crew to cislunar space, but landing on and getting around on the moon are different things. This rocket has been plagued with technical and budgetary problems. Some have suggested NASA scrap it and throw-in with a company like ULA or even SpaceX.
I’d love to see Americans on Mars, but the moon would be amazing, too. I just can’t get my hopes up about this announcement.
- Or Pence. ↩