NASA needs $ 1.6 billion more to send a human to the moon

NASA revealed Monday it needs an additional $ 1.6 billion in funding for the 2020 fiscal year in order to stay on track for a human comeback on the moon by 2024. L & # 39; Spatial amendment from the space agency adds to the $ 21 billion requested by the Trump government in March.

During a teleconference with reporters on Monday night, NASA's administrator, Jim Bridenstine, said the budget amendment was a "down payment" on what will be needed in the coming years to fund the program. "In the coming years, we will need additional funds," he said. "It's a good sum that gets us out of the door." He and the other NASA officials present at the call would not say how bad it would be.

Two people familiar with NASA's internal deliberations said the agency had estimated that it would take between $ 6 and $ 8 billion a year for a lunar return by the year 2024. (Bridenstine stated that the amounts would not be as high.) These funds would be needed. to design and build a lunar lander, accelerate the Space Launch System rocket so that it can make three launches by then, design new space suits, build Lunar Bridge elements and perform related programs.

NASA's revised plan plans to launch small space station-like spacecraft components on commercial rockets by 2024. These components include both a power and propulsion module. and a small housing module. Then, private rockets would stage elements of the lander at the bridge. Finally, in 2024, a Space Launch System rocket would fly a crewed Orion to the lunar outpost, and (probably) two astronauts would descend and return to the surface.

"Everything that America has to offer to reach the end state," said Bridenstine about this plan that uses both the SLS large rocket and the government's commercial boosters.

However, some aerospace officials have questioned this approach, which so far has not garnered broad support in Congress. "I fear that without the proper congressional involvement, this budget amendment will be, at best, a huge waste of time and, in the worst case, a risky political timetable that could delay NASA for years to come. "said Phil Larson, who worked on space policy for the Obama White House. "Instead, we need more innovative ways of working with the $ 20 billion annual taxpayers paid to NASA, which we knew in 2009. That has now been proven in this administration and this Congress."

The Artemis program

Bridenstine noted that 50 years ago, the human program landing on the moon bore the name of Apollo, son of Zeus and Leto. Because the return to the moon will include women, Bridenstine said the new program would call Artemis, according to Apollo's twin sister.

"Our goal here is to build a program that brings us to the moon as quickly as possible and that all of America can be proud of," he said. (NASA currently has a robotic mission called Artemis, and in mythology Artemis killed Orion. again like the name.)

The main purpose of the budget amendment is to speed up the work on the landing gear, which will be necessary to bring humans to the surface of the Moon from the small bridge to be built in lunar orbit. It provides $ 1 billion for the initial development of a two- or three-story lander that would include a "downhill" module (to bring the crew back to the surface) and an "ascent" module "from above (to bring the crew to the back). to the lunar orbit).

The head of the agency's manned flights, Bill Gerstenmaier, said the additional funding would allow the agency to start awarding design and development contracts for landing elements of the agency. here in September or October of this year. Critically, Gerstenmaier also said that the lunar lander would be "integrated" by the commercial industry, rather than by one or more NASA centers. This should save time and money.

The White House has not agreed to request a "new" money for the accelerated lunar landing program. Instead, the additional $ 1.6 billion will come from "offsets" in other areas of the federal budget. Bridenstine said during the call that he had not been informed of the nature of these budget offsets. However, three sources said Ars that starting Monday, the White House plans to provide an additional $ 1.6 billion to the lunar program by removing the Pell Grant Reserve Fund, which helps low-income students finance their education.

A difficult sale

This seems like a tough sell in Congress, especially among Democrats. As Ars Previously, the credit sub-committee of the House that sets NASA's budget is chaired by Jose Serrano, of New York, was born in Puerto Rico and condemned the Trump administration for what he has described as the president's efforts to "undermine" the recovery of the island after Hurricane Maria. in 2017. Asked to know if he had already spoken to Serrano about the budget amendment, Bridenstine said that he had received a "call" at the congressman's office.

Several sources indicated that Congress would be concerned that this amendment could affect other domestic spending programs and that the date of 2024 would be a political date – it would be the last year of the second term of office. Trump was to be re-elected in 2020. Serrano During a public hearing held this spring, said the following: "Many think that what we do, which is accelerated, it's to be able to enter and excite the country a few months before something happens in November 2020. "

Another concern is that there is no guarantee that Congress will adopt a new budget for fiscal year 2020 incorporating this amendment. Axios announced Monday that the Trump administration would likely support a "continuing resolution" for the 2020 fiscal year that would maintain funding levels and priorities at their 2019 levels.

This story originally appeared on Ars Technica.

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