AIP Releases Latest Bulletin
AIP FYI #101: Senate and House Subcommittees Examine NASA Spaceflight Opportunities and Challenges, American Institute of Physics
“The May 21 House hearing focused on whether the proposed Asteroid Retrieval Mission (ARM), lunar landing, or another type of mission would be appropriate preparation for a human mission to Mars. Members were also interested in what capabilities could be developed from a Moon landing that could not be learned from the proposed ARM. Another question discussed was how different destinations affect a strategic approach to designing technical equipment and working with international partners.”
“The President’s National Space Policy, announced in June of 2010, outlines objectives for the extension of human spaceflight to destinations beyond the moon. Members of Congress have since had many discussions about whether lunar missions still provide relevant information to NASA programs. This hearing demonstrated that there remains some concerns associated with cancelling lunar missions.”
This seems like the same old story to me, just with another narrator. Since things have changed so many times, I’m not clear on the ultimate US goal. This AIP report suggests that Mars is the goal towards which the US and NASA are working. It’s been quite a while since I’ve heard/read of anyone other than Charlie Bolden, and his shoe, state clearly that Mars is the US goal. Both Congress and the White House seem, to me at least, to have become more ambiguous in their statements once again.
Is humans on Mars the actual official US goal? And are any steps along the way to be measured against how they further the goal of putting humans on Mars? And finally, the big question — if humans on Mars is the US goal, then exactly what are the details? How many people? Are they landing? How long will they stay? Are there to be samples returned? Will a Mars mission deliver infrastructure to be built on/added to by subsequent missions? etc., etc., etc… What are the details?
“I’m not clear on the ultimate US goal.”
Ha-ha! Join the club and get the t-shirt.
Bolden said he would send someone to land on the Moon. As a passenger. He offered to barter some work. Maybe Russia could provide the launcher and NASA could help design the lander and habitat that Russia would build.