NASA Submits A Budget – And Adjusts Its Artemis Aspirations
When I came to the US at 18 with two suitcases full of books, I had no idea I'd work at @NASA one day.
The Biden admin's pledge to land the first person of color on the Moon isn't just historic–it's personal to me. If you can see it, you can believe it.https://t.co/BaijwUAE3h
— Bhavya Lal (@blal) April 9, 2021
Acting NASA Administrator Statement on Agency FY 2022 Discretionary Request
“Keeps NASA on the path to landing the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon under the Artemis program. This goal aligns with President Biden’s commitment to pursue a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all. With NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, as well as U.S. commercial partnerships with the human landing system and Gateway lunar outpost, we will send astronauts to the Moon and provide learning opportunities for future missions.”
NASA’s Fiscal Year 2022 Discretionary Request
“The President’s 2022 discretionary request includes $24.7 billion for NASA, a $1.5 billion or 6.3-percent increase from the 2021 enacted level.”
Keith’s note: Note that the Trump era stock phrase “first woman and the next man” has been replaced with “first woman and the first person of color”.
Keith’s update: I just got this statement from former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine:
“I am extremely pleased to see that the Biden administration has increased funding for NASA in the FY2022 budget request. This budget continues the bipartisan Moon to Mars effort under the Artemis program. I urge the Senate to quickly confirm Senator Nelson so that he can assess and advocate for NASA requirements.”
Lets do the math.
The FY 2021 budget request (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/… ) started the “HLS” line (landers and related, space suits, and much more) and set this up against a 2024 landing. This is the answer to the test -in a sense. Give us this new total amount and you get a 2024 landing. That amount was ~ $18 billion.
The current budget increase is about $1.4 billion. But you know that part of that MUST go to other programs, not just HLS. If all of the increase LIKE THIS went every year ahead to HLS you get to “HLS” completion (a lander+landing) about 13 years from now. Of course it can’t all be HLS, so many years more than that.
Which is to say, NASA and landing any crew on the Moon need a new plan at these rates of budget increases. Then again, this is no surprise. If anything the surprises in the future will be getting even these amount of increases year after year.
Whatever, I wish they stop using Mars in the same sentence with the moon.
This is excellent news Keith !
The question is whether NASA/Artemis can/will land anyone on the Moon by 2024. If so, it will likely be using hardware other than SLS/Orion. Even with such an increase, it is doubtful that SLS/Orion will be able to get the job done in that timeframe, if at all. More than likely, the trip, whenever it is finally made, will be made in Texas…out of stainless steel!
To the Moon! To Mars! To the Stars!
The budget increase is nice but does nor resolve much. So far one unproven SLS and 3 unproven Orions all waiting. Gateway still some where in the future. A lander is nowhere? About the only way a landing might happen even in an 8 year Biden Administration is if Space X can perfect Star Ship and its BFR heavy lifter on the same kind of schedule required for Falcon and Dragon. Falcon and Dragon required every bit of a decade and I doubt something as big can be done that quickly. No one else, NASA included, is even close. The goal is nice. But achieving anything before 2030 is slim.
probably even slimmer if NASA decides to pick Dynetics or the National Team. it will be interesting to see how much SpaceX continues down a Lunar path if they get boxed out of HLS selection or do they just double down on Mars and maybe Dear Moon space tourist type flights.
Maybe as in the case with Commercial Crew, NASA will throw Space X a few pennies while giving most of the money to the team we expect so much from…like a Boeing. Boeing’s CST Starliner will not fly manned until the end of this year at the earliest, despite having received considerably more funds than anyone else.
The beauty of the Space X approach is that they are not designing to the gnat’s eyelash margins. Their jumbo Star Ship is big enough that it can do the job whether on the Moon, Mars or Earth. IF they can prove it for Earth then the others are easier. In one swoop they have an all purpose lander. Its a big IF but they certainly look like they might get there. Its the same kind of approach they used with their many smaller engines rather than huge engines operating so close to performance margins they may not make it. In a lot of ways they learned quite a bit from the Russian approach and by not doing it NASA’s way. .
Politicians are great at saying one thing and doing another; they are great at being vague and avoid being pinned down. NASA can only do what the money allows for, not what any presidential administration says.
NASA would not have done what Kennedy promised/said, unless there was an explosion of the NASA budget. And there was.
There was more besides just beating the Reds to the moon. In that decade there were many new countries that used to be European colonies and aligning to the USSR seemed to be good thing to do. The US was aligned with their former foreign occupiers, the Apollo program was a demonstration to show our form of government is better. Also back then there was real money being spent as lots of job openings around the US. Artemis lacks a compelling reason.
These days… as something else pointed out he has yet to meet a civilian that has heard of Artemis or SLS. Everyone knows of Musk.