Hooray! NASA Has Yet Another Strategic Plan
NASA Strategic Plan 2018
“NASA inspires the world with our exploration of new frontiers, our discovery of new knowledge, and our development of new technology. Our work benefits Americans and all humanity. Since NASA’s inception in 1958 to present day, the Agency’s history is written with each unique scientific and technological achievement. We have landed people on the Moon, visited every planet in the solar system, touched the Sun, and solved some of the core mysteries of our home planet. Today, our Nation’s economic prosperity, National security, and cultural identity depend on our leadership in aeronautics, space exploration, and science. NASA accepts the challenge to continue our legacy of achievement and greatly expand the benefits we provide to mankind. Our success will be determined largely by the planning and investments we undertake today. This commitment is what drives our Vision, Mission, and overarching approach that form the core of our 2018 Strategic Plan.”
Keith’s note: In case you missed it, NASA issued yet another “strategic plan” in February. As is the case with previous iterations this is neither “strategic” nor is it a “plan”. Rather, this is just the annual NASA justification – done in reverse – of what NASA has already decided to do for one reason or another. And again, this document is written as if all of these things sprang forth logically from the stated strategic goals – goals that are constantly in flux – and were developed after all of these programs were already undertaken.
One thing to note: the whole “Journey To Mars” thing is more or less gone. Mars, while mentioned, is no longer the agency’s prime destination for human spaceflight. The Moon is now that prime focus for human spaceflight. How long before NASA tosses everything up in the air again?
Well, I think it is only natural to get back to the Moon to develop the habitation and logistical technologies we’re going to need to go to Mars. There is also so much more of the Moon that we need to explore, especially the poles where there is copious amounts of frozen water! We need to establish a permanent presence on the Moon the same way we established the ISS as the first permanent orbiting station in low Earth orbit.
Mars has to be an essential priority but the return to the Moon needs to be our immediate priority. FWIW
I don’t think Mars should be a priority, I’d keep it in the science priorities along with Europa, comets, etc. Should never put Mars along with Moon priorities otherwise planners will start with a lunar exit strategy before even getting to the Moon.
Now that the Moon is a goal, some real money to build a real lander should be done in no more than a year. Otherwise we’re back to 1960.
Science, that magical thing NASA sells to the public in bow tied boxes, will never engender permanent habitation off Earth alone.
Mars should be NASA’s focus and priority while development of the Moon should be given to a PPP that could leverage the new commercial technology for it. That way it will be difficult for another Administration to press a reset button again.
There is nothing natural about space flight. And the goal should only be based on long term sustainability and permanent habitation off Earth, as you said, or we remain flying circles, over and over and over. And before you start spouting resources, resources, you need to show >95% proof of its accessible volume followed by proof we can efficiently and cost effectively extract it. And I challenge you that the moon will, given any abundance of expected resources, probably never be self-sustaining.
That is nonsense.. before you do that you have to actually have a mineral rights claim… there has been mineral rights claims for coal bought and sold in North Dakota for well over a century and not an ounce of coal dug. Why will it be different other places. You prospect you find out much the land containing the resource’s projected value is and it gets sold. The owner decides when and IF they are going to mine it. Because it is an assent.
Historically the owner has the bigger gun. Currently no one, theoretically, own anything in space. Second, there is no one in space to buy anything you mine so that is a none starter right there. Third, you have to make your own environment to mine unless you strictly use robots. And currently no mining, much processing, technology has been proven for anywhere in space. And that is just the short list. Too many people putting the cart before the horse in this arena.
“We have… touched the Sun”
Really? That must have hurt; the Sun is awfully hot.
Seriously, the closest any spacecraft has gotten to the Sun is 0.29 AU (Helios B, a joint NASA-German mission launched in 1976.) Just being in the solar wind isn’t “touching the Sun.” I know NASA likes putting impressive-sounding phrases in press releases and even in things like a strategic plan. But is sticking to reality too much to ask?
Gee whiz, Doc!
It’s poetic! And truthfully in common parlance it’s close enough.
In this context, Ray Bradbury’s “Golden Apples of the Sun” is worth a revisit.
I’m not usually a fan of short stories. I like novels better. So, I’d recommend David Brin’s “Sundiver”.
OK, but Bradbury’s short stories border on poetry.
Agreed. But, they are, by definition, short and leave me a bit unsatisfied over their brevity. Which is why I generally shy away from the short stories these days. Brin’s books are generally easy reads but I find them quite well thought out and enjoyable.
It’s a fine phrase to put in a poem, and I’m perfectly willing to accept poetic license in that context. In an ideal world, strategic plans are supposed to be clear and unambiguous enough that people can use them for, well, planning. As in people being able to figure out what they need to do to accomplish “Strategic Objective 1.1”. In the sense of form following function, this sort of document should be defining the function of the agency. Poetry is fine, but not in this context. (And, yes, I know expecting a NASA strategic plan to satisfy that ideal purpose is wildly optimistic.)
Appendix F is also a joy of meaningful content. Apparently this is where NASA is now expected to report on how many new regulations they have issues, now many they have removed and what it all cost. As an agency with no regulatory powers, they write:
“ NASA has issued 0 of regulatory actions, 0 of deregulatory actions, and imposed 0 total incremental costs associated with regulatory actions in FY 2017. For FY 2018, NASA has set a goal of imposing 0 total incremental costs associated with regulatory actions in FY 2018. The costs reported are annualized at a 7 percent discount rate and are expressed in 2016 year dollars.”
I’m so glad they converted $0 into FY 2016 dollars to avoid confusion.
Didn’t we “touch the Sun” when the Apollo astronauts collected particles from the Solar Wind on their missions? Although since we are orbiting in the Heliosphere aren’t we “technically” in constant contact with it 🙂
Yes, and the Solar System orbits around center of the galaxy. That doesn’t mean we’re all galactic travelers. Well, I guess technically it does, but it doesn’t mean we’ve done anything special.
True, we are passengers on Spaceship Earth. But we building some rafts to go exploring 🙂
And so the BS cycle comes to full fruition yet again.
Another 15 years wasted with very little to show or that will be remembered outside the faithful choir, 100s of millions of dollars wasted, another generation of scientists and engineers wistfully disappointed, another generation to be uninspired only to finally turn down another career and life-loved pathway. Hummm, and so the cycle renews afresh.
I was on more than a few of these teams writing these plans back in the day. KC has it absolutely correct, these are niether strategic or plans by any stretch or common usage of the terms.
More than a few times we tried to get definitions emphasized, the difference between why, what, and how. We tried tangible examples, often simple military ones, to get everyone’s head around the difference between a goal and an approach. No one else really wanted to hear it.
These were booklets to adorn tables in waiting areas. We were helping check off a requirement that was an annoyance to leadership. Needless to say eventually many people were declining wasting time getting sucked into supporting this useless task the next time around. I suppose volunteers, or the unfortunate unable to say no, are still there to put out this electronic garbage.
I always smile at “intentionally blank page” notices; in this instance I hoped for 61 repeats and then something meaningful on the last page.
A failure to execute (or act) is more significant than a failure to plan. A bad execution/action achieves more than a good plan.
2020.
(or, for the pessimists amongst us, 2024.)
And to be fair: what else is the Agency to do? They hardly control their own destiny.
One can hope that the new NASA Administrator will muster up the courage to tell Congress that SLS has to go. It’s obsolete expendable technology that’s been outpaced by recent developments in reusable technology. Sure, this is unlikely, but I can hope, can’t I?
SLS will sink under its own weight in due course. And there’s nothing to gloat about here, either.
Agreed. I’m deeply saddened by the lost opportunity costs. No gloating from me when it finally dies.
You might be a bit late with the 2020 date. If there is a Blue wave in the mid-term election. There could be wholesale changes in the Congressional committees dealing with Space issues.
Bureaucrats on autopilot.
Aw, who cares? By the time NASA gets going on anything, SpaceX, BlueOrigin, the Chinese, et al, will already be on the Moon, mining water and whatever else they can find, plus giving us insights as to whether 1/6g will reduce the physiological problems on the human body, or whether we need to build a centrifuge on the Moon to provide 3/8g for data for Mars explorers! Of course, private enterprise ISRU will proceed ONLY if they aren’t required to procure licenses from NASA, the FAA, NOAA, the EPA, HUD, and, maybe visas from the Chinese embassy!
(Note to NASA: Lead, follow, or get the heck out of the way!)
Ad LEO! AD LUNA! Ad Ares! AD ASTRA!
I like your attitude!
For there to be exploitation of the Moon’s resources, something have to be done with the Outer Space Treaty. Otherwise the US government is required to administrated such exploitation.
No, the US government is required to assure US citizens and companies follow the terms of the Outer Space Treaty. That doesn’t mean direct administration of everything we do in space. This is no different from various maritime treaties, and the US government does not directly administer the fishing or cargo shipping industries.
Sigh. We don’t need another strategic plan. We need action.
I wish the human space flight portion of NASA would just be spun off already. With Falcon Heavy already on line, Glenn coming on line fairly soon, and the BFR in development, congress should embrace these developments and create a special program to fund the development of space systems to the Moon and Mars using the model of the transcontinental railway.
I’m tired of seeing our tax dollars going down the drain just to prop up the archaic and increasingly irrelevant organization that NASA is becoming–at least as as it relates to HSF.
You know what? I no longer care.
The last time Mars plans were seriously postponed it was under Obama and I commented about it, blogged about it, stomped and whined about it. But then I noticed the progress being made by New Space and revived a surge of hope. Right now the part of my brain that reads the tea-leaves of industries can see a date in the future when the tech and opportunity combine. The initiative and momentum are already there and the tech is on a slippery slope.
Taking humans to Mars has to involve NASA support, but does not require NASA leadership and will not require SLS. In fact, SLS makes Mars too expensive to be sustainable and by the time SLS is ready there will be too many bigger, better rides flying.
NASA will send astronauts to Mars sooner than they think. They will barter a seat or two on a New Space rocket!