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Artemis

NASA's New Moon Program Is Running On Empty

By Keith Cowing
NASA Watch
December 21, 2020
Filed under
NASA's New Moon Program Is Running On Empty

Final FY 2021 NASA Funding Provides Only 25% of HLS Request, Space Policy Online
“Congress finalized FY2021 appropriations today. Overall, NASA will receive $23.271 billion, almost $2 billion less than requested. Importantly for the Trump Administration’s Artemis program to return astronauts to the Moon by 2024, it provides only $850 million instead of $3.4 billion for Human Landing Systems.”
Artemis I Orion Progress Update, NASA
“During their troubleshooting, engineers evaluated the option to “use as is” with the high-degree of available redundancy or remove and replace the box. They determined that due to the limited accessibility to this particular box, the degree of intrusiveness to the overall spacecraft systems, and other factors, the risk of collateral damage outweighed the risk associated with the loss of one leg of redundancy in a highly redundant system.”
SLS Team Completes Propellant Loading of Core Stage During Green Run Test, NASA
“Part of the test was to simulate the countdown with the tanks loaded, leading up to 33 seconds prior to the engines firing. However, the test ended a few minutes short of the planned countdown duration.The core stage and the B-2 test stand are in excellent condition, and it does not appear to be an issue with the hardware. The team is evaluating data to pinpoint the exact cause of the early shutdown. Then they will decide if they are ready to move forward with the final test, a hot fire when all four engines will be fired simultaneously.”
Space Launch System Exploration Upper Stage Passes Critical Design Review
“To accomplish NASA’s Artemis I lunar mission, the Block 1 variant of SLS will use a Boeing/United Launch Alliance Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage with one RL-10 engine to take an uncrewed Orion spacecraft on a test flight to the moon. SLS Block 1 rockets will be used for two subsequent crewed flights, including the first human mission to lunar orbit since the Apollo program.”
Keith’s note: Where to begin? There is nowhere near enough money to keep the Artemis program focused on a 2024 landing – or any landing. NASA is flying Orion on Artemis I with broken hardware because the spacecraft was designed poorly so as to make routine replacements hard to do. The SLS Green Run should be running a bit more smoothly given how many years NASA has had to prepare for it and the last test before firing shut down early? As for the Boeing CDR release: What about human lunar landings on SLS Block I – isn’t that what Artemis III is supposed to do? It is nice that the CDR is complete but there is no approved funding to actually build and fly the EUS. Yet Boeing writes these releases to downplay the Block 1 capabilities as if the EUS/Block 1B is a done deal. It is not.
Not enough funding, flying broken hardware on Orion, a flawed booster test, and faith-based planning for an upper stage that is not even funded. Such is the current status of NASA’s new Moon program.

NASA Watch founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.

13 responses to “NASA's New Moon Program Is Running On Empty”

  1. Winner says:
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    Reminds me of a science fiction story I read decades ago where a long-duration interstellar trip to another star system finally arrives at the alien planet and finds humans already there. The human technology had progressed and the newer ships were much faster than the mult-generational ship, so humans beat the older ship to the planet and were there to greet them.
    In this case, the analogy is that once Artemis finally gets to the moon, they can greet the SpaceX Starship base that is already there.

  2. Bad Horse says:
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    NASA – Boldly moving forward (because we can’t find reverse).

  3. ed2291 says:
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    The real tragedy extends beyond SLS and Boeing and even beyond NASA and politics always kicking the can down the road The real tragedy is we have been doing this in one form or another for almost 50 years. Except for Space X there is no sign I see that anything has changed.

    Wise words by Keith worth repeating: “There is nowhere near enough money to keep the Artemis program focused on a 2024 landing – or any landing. NASA is flying Orion on Artemis I with broken hardware because the spacecraft was designed poorly so as to make routine replacements hard to do.

    The SLS Green Run should be running a bit more smoothly given how many years NASA has had to prepare for it and the last test before firing shut down early?

    As for the Boeing CDR release: What about human lunar landings on SLS Block I – isn’t that what Artemis III is supposed to do? It is nice that the CDR is complete but there is no approved funding to actually build and fly the EUS. Yet Boeing writes these releases to downplay the Block 1 capabilities as if the EUS/Block 1B is a done deal. It is not.

    Not enough funding, flying broken hardware on Orion, a flawed booster test, and faith-based planning for an upper stage that is not even funded. Such is the current status of NASA’s new Moon program.”

    • Winner says:
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      Actually there IS enough money to achieve lunar landings, just not the way it is being micro-designed by Congress. Give the same amount of money to private industry and you’d see it happen.

      • Todd Austin says:
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        This is precisely my thought. With SpaceX Starship development well underway, how far could they get on another $850 million? Would it fund completion of the entire launch system? Falcon 9 cost around $300 million. Significant work has already been done on Starship/Super Heavy. I think it’s entirely possible that $850m would fund the remaining work, though it would take more than one fiscal year.

  4. Johnhouboltsmyspiritanimal says:
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    Here comes another death by a thousand papercuts. How many apollo 8 redux can SLS and Orion fly by themselves before HLS and gateway get the funding they need or the whole Artemis program goes away? Why do we need EUS? Is there any comanifested payloads given gateway is flying their components up on commercial? No lander is needing SLS let alone EUS so why funnel money there instead of HLS? Both paths wash the money through MSFC but maybe EUS shows Boeing is still titan of pork space exploration progress be damned.

    • Zed_WEASEL says:
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      SLS & Orion are toasted. They are just pork programs for certain Congressional districts now.

      With the SpaceX Moonship on the horizon. NASA doesn’t need the Orion which is the only payload manifested for the SLS Block 1 other than the Europa Clipper mandated by the Senate.

      With the Moonship you have a better Lunar orbiter, a more capable cislunar transit transport and most important a high payload capacity Lunar lander.

      If NASA (actually the congressional critters) pass up on the Moonship. Some other customer with a few hundred million dollars available will not. SpaceX will be working on their Mars Starship regardless of NASA, which the Moonship is a variant.

  5. gearbox123 says:
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    By the time SLS reaches the pad Elon will probably have a base on the moon.