{"id":18056,"date":"2019-05-13T17:22:50","date_gmt":"2019-05-13T09:22:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/white-house-seeks-1-6b-more-as-down-payment-for-nasas-newly-named-artemis-moon-program\/"},"modified":"2019-05-13T17:22:50","modified_gmt":"2019-05-13T09:22:50","slug":"white-house-seeks-1-6b-more-as-down-payment-for-nasas-newly-named-artemis-moon-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/white-house-seeks-1-6b-more-as-down-payment-for-nasas-newly-named-artemis-moon-program\/","title":{"rendered":"White House seeks $1.6B more as \u2018down payment\u2019 for NASA\u2019s newly named Artemis moon program"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_498408\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-498408\" style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full-width wp-image-498408\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/190513-artemis-630x375.jpg\" alt=\"Human lunar landing\" width=\"630\" height=\"375\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/190513-artemis-630x375.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/190513-artemis-768x457.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/190513-artemis-1260x750.jpg 1260w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/190513-artemis.jpg 1386w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" id=\"caption-attachment-498408\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">An artist\u2019s conception shows astronauts exploring the moon after landing. (NASA Illustratiion)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The White House is asking Congress for $1.6 billion more than the $21 billion it previously requested for NASA\u2019s budget, to fund what\u2019s now known as the Artemis program to put American astronauts on the moon by 2024.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis initial investment, I want to be clear, is a down payment,\u201d NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine told reporters today.<\/p>\n<p>He and other NASA officials got on the line for a hastily called teleconference after President Donald Trump tweeted about the supplemental request:<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=b0yle&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1128050996545036288&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.geekwire.com%2F2019%2Fwhite-house-seeks-1-6b-payment-nasas-newly-named-artemis-moon-program%2F&amp;sessionId=eb4b8d4d7afa59722d44b4e2fd096995186b0e23&amp;siteScreenName=geekwire&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"1128050996545036288\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782801438247958347=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Under my Administration, we are restoring @NASA to greatness and we are going back to the Moon, then Mars. I am updating my budget to include an additional $1.6 billion so that we can return to Space in a BIG WAY!<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 13, 2019<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The money would go toward ramping up NASA\u2019s previous plans for crewed missions to the moon starting in 2028. Bridenstine said that 2028 would stand as the target for \u201csustained operations\u201d on the lunar surface, but that the $1.6 billion for fiscal year 2020 would help NASA to marshal its forces for a single touchdown near the moon\u2019s south pole in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Bridenstine, a former Oklahoma GOP congressman, acknowledged that 2024 was chosen as the deadline in part so that the first human mission to the moon in more than 50 years would come while Trump was still in office. Such a plan would reduce the \u201cpolitical risk\u201d of changes in NASA\u2019s exploration agenda, as has happened in the past, he said.<\/p>\n<p>Mark Sirangelo, a special assistant to Bridenstine focusing on lunar missions, emphasized that \u201cwe\u2019re going to try to make this nonpartisan \u2026 from the start.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bridenstine added that he\u2019s already talked about the plan with members of Congress. \u201cI think there\u2019s a lot of excitement on both sides of the aisle,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Go Forward to the Moon\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bivXt0hVufk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\" data-width=\"800\" data-height=\"450\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px; width: 800px; height: 450px;\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>To sweeten the deal, Bridenstine announced a catchy name for the program at the very end of the teleconference. He noted that in Greek mythology, Apollo had a twin sister named Artemis, who served as the goddess of the moon.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur astronaut office is very diverse and highly qualified,\u201d Bridenstine said. \u201cI think it is very beautiful that 50 years after Apollo, the Artemis program will carry the next man and the first woman to the moon. I have a daughter who is 11 years old, and I want her to be able to see herself in the same role that the next women to go to the moon see themselves in today.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>NASA\u2019s revised plan scales down its previous plan for a platform in lunar orbit, known as the Gateway, so that it focuses more tightly on the needs for a single mission putting two astronauts on the surface in 2024. The redesigned Gateway will consist of a power and propulsion element, or PPE, and a mini-habitat also known as a utilization module.<\/p>\n<p>To get down to the lunar surface and back, NASA will need a transfer module, a descent module for landing, and an ascent module to come back up from the surface. Bridenstine said the effort will also require NASA\u2019s heavy-lift rocket, known as the Space Launch System, and the Orion deep-space crew capsule with its European-built service module.<\/p>\n<p>Of all those components, only the Orion has flown in space, during an uncrewed test flight in 2014. The SLS is due for its first uncrewed test flight in 2020, with a crewed round-the-moon flight in 2023 and the climactic Artemis launch in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Tonight NASA provided a budgetary breakdown for its 2020 supplemental request:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Human lunar landing system:<\/strong> $1 billion to support the development of a commercial lunar landing system capable of carrying astronauts. That expense will be partially offset by slimming down the Gateway platform, saving $321 million, NASA said.<\/li>\n<li><strong>SLS and Orion:<\/strong> $651 million to accelerate development.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Exploration technology:<\/strong> $132 million to speed the development of technologies such as solar electric propulsion and conversion of lunar polar ice to water.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Lunar science:<\/strong> $90 million to enable increased robotic exploration of the moon\u2019s polar regions in advance of a human mission.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Bridenstine said NASA was still working on estimates for what it would need beyond the 2020 budget to hit the 2024 deadline, and to prepare the way for more sustained operations at the moon by 2028. He emphasized that one of the primary goals for lunar operations was to blaze a trail for voyages to Mars.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe need to learn how to live and work on another world,\u201d Bridenstine said. \u201cThe moon is a three-day journey home, so if something goes wrong, we know we can make it home. We proved that with Apollo 13. \u2026 When we go to Mars, we have to be willing and able to live and work on another world for a couple of years. That\u2019s why the moon is so valuable. It\u2019s so important to use it as a proving ground so we can eventually take our missions to Mars.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>NASA\u2019s associate administrator for human exploration and operations, Bill Gerstenmaier, said the architecture for the Artemis program would be open to commercial and international partners. \u201cYou\u2019ll see a series of flights in that period between 2024 and \u201928,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Just a few days after Jeff Bezos\u2019 space venture, Blue Origin, unveiled its design for a lunar lander potentially capable of carrying humans, Bridenstine emphasized that commercial moon ventures would be welcome.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey can build a lander that just integrates with the Gateway, robots, rovers, landers,\u201d he said. \u201cWe want this to be open architecture. \u2026 I\u2019m talking about the way we do docking, the way we do data, the way we do avionics, the way we do life support. All of these pieces would be interoperable, published on the internet, for anybody who wanted to participate in our sustainable return to the moon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Update for 10:45 p.m. PT May 13:<\/strong> The Associated Press confirms that the $1.6 billion for the Artemis program would be taken from a $9 billion surplus in the Pell Grant program for college education aid. There are other shifts in the supplemental budget request as well, including renewed support for the Special Olympics.<\/p>\n<p>AP quoted an administration official as saying that the reallocation of Pell Grant money wouldn\u2019t have an impact on the low-income students currently receiving the grants. However, critics of such reallocations say the surplus should be used instead to ensure the long-term stability of the program or increase the size of the grants.<\/p>\n<p>The issue is sure to spark debate when Congress takes up the request.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An artist\u2019s conception shows astronauts exploring the moon after landing. (NASA Illustratiion) The White House is asking Congress for $1.6 billion more than the $21 billion it previously requested for NASA\u2019s budget, to fund what\u2019s now known as the Artemis program to put American astronauts on the moon by 2024. \u201cThis initial investment, I want [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[304,625,190],"class_list":["post-18056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-artemis","tag-moon","tag-nasa"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18056"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18056"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18056\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}