CHIEF PRINCE
- NASA aims to land humans on the moon, including first female hiker
- President Biden is more focused on NASA’s involvement in climate change
- A change in priorities could delay the flow of funds to the lunar mission
What does the changing regime in Washington mean for NASA’s ambitious plan to return astronauts to the moon? While President Joe Biden has not clearly outlined his space agenda, policy experts believe a Democratic government may set the date for a female astronaut to the moon by 2024.
NASA’s Artemis mission is a key part of Donald Trump’s space policy that seeks to reduce trust in Russians by partnering with private carriers such as SpaceX. Vice President Mike Pence announced in 2019 that two astronauts would be lying near the south pole of the moon.
“I expect the 2024 goal to go away,” space policy expert John Logsdon told Space.com.
Biden has already said he sees NASA ‘s position as a greater focus on solving the global threat posed by climate change, an area deliberately abandoned under Trump. This will undoubtedly include increased spending on new satellites and scientific research to track growing weather and rising sea levels and to address climate events caused by climate change.
A more aggressive, complementary strategy is to engage in the creation of sustainable living space in space, in and around the moon, to develop connected clean energy resources. to promote space, such as place-based solar energy.
In the past few years, NASA has pushed for Artemis’ mission and continued funding for the long-delayed James Webb Space Telescope. In addition, the space agency was able to support the commercial crew program, a new rover en route to Mars and several other interplanetary missions such as the Europa Clipper and Dragonfly missions.
A change of guard in the White House would also lead to administrative changes in the space agency. Biden should acknowledge that all applicants would be subject to further scrutiny, particularly in terms of support for Artemis. Current administrator Jim Bridenstine can’t afford to walk in the park.