Lunar Community Speaks Up About Exploration Plans
Community Letter regarding NASA’s Lunar Discovery and Exploration Program
“As you are aware, the Lunar Discovery and Exploration Program (LDEP) is the continuation of a credible plan to re-engage in lunar surface exploration that has evolved and matured in the past few years, and shown significant progress in the last year. After years of planning next steps toward the Moon, we believe this program is designed for both expediency and cost-effectiveness. That is why we urge its full funding in FY2020, thereby ensuring the continued operation of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft, and restoring U.S. access to the surface of Earth’s nearest neighbor for the first time in almost five decades.
We believe that the LEDP is critical to a vibrant space economy that will bring new and exciting employment opportunities to the next generation of scientists and engineers, as well extend beyond to all sectors of society. The LDEP will give the United States the opportunity to, at long last, systematically prospect for lunar resources, gather comprehensive new samples from many new locations, explore lunar lava tubes, investigate magnetic anomalies, and address a long list of unanswered geophysical questions whose answers have deep implications for advancing our knowledge of the formation of the Solar System and key planetary processes.”
I don’t think anyone is going to pay to go to the moon to “Explore” and “Discover”, at least not as the primary goals. Bridenstine’s goal seem to be to use the program as an engineering testbed for Mars. I don’t think that makes a lot of sense either. The goal ought to be to develop resources and establish permanency using insitu resources to maximum possible extent. Be strategic about developing capabilities that could be applied to Mars. Explore as needed to find the native resources. All of this ought to be in the “plan”; the plan no one seems to have.
If you read things Bridenstine wrote prior to getting the job, he is a strong proponent of the cislunar economy, including Lunar resource development. Unfortunately it’s not his call, so he has to toe the line. I’m sure he will attempt to make ISRU part of the workflow, not matter what the stated program goals.
He also has to basically wait out the election before doing any serious boat rocking.
Then he will wait forever if the current occupant of the WH get his likely exit marching order. Which will result in a new NASA Administrator with no ties to the current US government executive branch.
Too bad if that happen. Bridenstine is doing as well as possible within the current political constrictions.
A few NASA Administrator have stayed after a change in administrations. Hopefully, the current one stays even if we get a new president. IMO hes been the best thing for NASA. A politician, =) not another former astronaut.
Most of what you are urging is inherent in the choices already made, specifically the NRHO, the Gateway, and the south lunar pole. 2024 is shape-shifting some early aspects but the larger framework remains that of the original (not Constellation) VSE: explore & develop the Moon in a way that helps along exploring and developing everywhere else down the road.
(SLS is an expensive SD-HLLV asset 30 years late in realization, but it remains in intent–if possibly not in execution–a partial means to the VSE’s objectives…if it doesn’t price the whole game out of existence.)
Not sure this article is talking about the same Artemis program that we’ve been reading about with it’s tin-can, single source habitation module and seperate Lunar Ascent Vehicle. Those are both hallmarks of quick and dirty space travel and flags and footprints objectives.
Whenever I see updates to the planning on that project I cringe in expectation of yet another unsustainable design approach.