Is NASA Going #BackToTheMoon Or On A #JourneyToMars ?
With Trump, Gingrich and GOP calling the shots, NASA may go back to the moon, Washington Post
“Here’s the key factoid: Because Congress preserved elements of Constellation, it could be revived under a new administration. NASA has the SLS and the Orion, and to get to the surface of the moon it would just need a lunar lander, maybe paid for, at least partially, by international partners. And NASA has already been talking about missions in orbit around the moon in the 2020s. The veterans who run human spaceflight at NASA put themselves in a good position to re-pivot to the moon if that became politically mandated.”
Some light reading on the topic for anyone who cares. And yes, a little light self-promotion, but topic is clearly addressed. Just answer the question WHY….
http://www.sciencedirect.co…
The fact that Congress preserved the Constellation program is not necessarily an advantage. Because of the extraordinary cost of the launch vehicle and the program as a whole, it may loom as the most serious obstacle the nation faces in actually returning to the Moon.
Despite the agency’s hype and pretty picture (has there been more than 1?), no one has been on a trajectory to Mars. This was simply Obama’s way of saying NASA is not doing anything serious in the next decade (2008-2017) as far as human exploration.
The only thing that has been surprising has been media’s acceptance (Time, Nat Geo) and NASA’s management’s failure to discuss the (Non-)plan honestly-everybody has lost credibility.