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CHANTILLY, Virginia – Despite strong public support for NASA's efforts to send humans back to the moon as a step toward Mars, a series of recommendations approved by the National Space Council on August 20 highlight concerns concerning the projects of this agency.
The council, at its sixth public meeting since its re-enactment two years ago, has not discussed recommendations when it was introduced by Vice President Mike Pence, chairman of the board, at the end of the two-hour meeting. Pence, citing scheduling constraints, only briefly described the recommendations and asked board members to approve them. The members did it unanimously and without debate.
The board issued its recommendations at the end of August 20, mainly in the areas of exploration and international cooperation, commercial space and industrial base issues, as well as the acquisition of NASA and the reform of the workforce.
Exploration recommendations include one that highlights uncertainty about the state of the space launch system and the Orion spacecraft. "At the next Board meeting, the NASA administrator will present a plan to stabilize Space Launch System and Orion programs and to prevent cost overruns and future timing," the recommendation says. "The plan will include the current projected launch windows for the first two launches of these vehicles."
NASA has not provided updated timelines for the first SLS / Orion mission, Artemis 1, although subcontractors involved in the program said at a conference on August 19 that they are now expecting the launch to take place in early 2021, rather than in 2020. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said he wanted to wait for the appointment of a new director Partner in charge of human exploration and operations, replacing Bill Gerstenmaier, before setting a new official launch date.
At the meeting, Pence did not discuss concerns about SLS or Orion, claiming that NASA's efforts to send humans back to the moon were on track and citing important milestones in the development of SLS and Orion. SLS, he noted, "will be completely assembled by the end of this year," a reference to the completion of the delayed main phase of the rocket.
Another recommendation asks the NASA administrator to "designate an office and submit to the president of the National Space Council a plan for the exploration and sustainable development of the lunar surface, including the necessary technologies and capabilities. , to allow the first human missions on Mars ".
Pence has focused on the importance of long-term stays on the Moon and on learning the use of resources in his remarks. "Unlike half a century ago, our goal will be to establish a permanent presence on the lunar surface and, from there, we will develop the necessary capabilities to reach the red planet of Mars," he said. he declared. NASA has provided little details on the type of long-term lunar presence it will have once it returns to the moon for short stays in 2024.
Another recommendation was for NASA to work with the State Department to identify opportunities for international cooperation. "Lunar surface operations will be NASA's top priority for international cooperation," the report says.
Two other recommendations address how NASA will manage its exploration programs. One of them requests that, by now the next board meeting, NASA collaborates with the Office of Personnel Management and the Office of Management and Budget "on the l '39. State of the workforce modernization efforts aimed at removing the barriers provided by law, regulations, policies or practices that hinder the ability of NASA. to meet its mission critical requirements. "
The other asks NASA and the Department of Defense to report "on efforts to mitigate, if any, the obstacles and constraints of the industrial base, until the submission of a set of assessments. DX complies with the requirements of the law on defense production, in order to meet the requirements of 2024 lunar landing mission. The Department of Defense uses a "DX Rank" for the highest national priority programs, giving it priority in contracting against other programs.
Pence had hinted at the changes he was looking for in the way NASA was managing programs and staff in his speech. "We will continue to transform NASA into a leaner, more accountable and agile organization," he said. "We will make it easier than ever to recruit and retain the world's best scientists, engineers and managers, and we will achieve our goals and make a new American history in space."
Several recommendations addressed commercialization issues, including a request to NASA to "signal potential lunar resources to support sustainable lunar activities and scientific opportunities that may involve trading partners". Another recommendation was for the Commerce Department to review, within 90 days, the state of health of the site. commercial space sector and the factors that influence it, "including proposals to strengthen US leadership in the commercial space sector".
One recommendation addresses a long-standing concern among some commercial space companies regarding the lack of regulatory power for so-called "non-traditional" activities, ranging from commercial space stations to lunar earth stations. Article 6 of the Outer Space Treaty requires countries to provide "authorization and ongoing surveillance", but for many commercial space activities, no US government agency has this clear responsibility.
The recommendation requests the Department of Commerce to report within 90 days on non-regulated commercial space activities by the agencies, and then work with the Ministry of Transport to "provide a roadmap for all current commercial space activities and for evolution of the United States to receive authorization within the appropriate federal regulatory framework. "
Another recommendation, included in the section on commercial spaces but that also involves NASA's exploration activities, calls for the creation of a "Moon-Mars development strategy that includes commercialization in Earth orbit." bass, human and robotic exploration, national security capabilities and international cooperation in science, security, safety and economic growth. This plan will be developed by National Space Board staff and will be completed within 180 days.
Although many of the recommendations approved at the August 20 meeting call for action at the next council meeting, this meeting has not been scheduled. Previous board meetings were held every four to five months.
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