{"id":18779,"date":"2017-10-06T01:17:07","date_gmt":"2017-10-05T17:17:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/national-space-council-hears-calls-for-moon-trips-and-stronger-space-defense\/"},"modified":"2017-10-06T01:17:07","modified_gmt":"2017-10-05T17:17:07","slug":"national-space-council-hears-calls-for-moon-trips-and-stronger-space-defense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/national-space-council-hears-calls-for-moon-trips-and-stronger-space-defense\/","title":{"rendered":"National Space Council hears calls for moon trips and stronger space defense"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_367210\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-367210\" style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full-width wp-image-367210\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/171005-pence-630x420.jpg\" alt=\"Vice President Mike Pence at National Space Council meeting\" width=\"630\" height=\"420\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/171005-pence-630x420.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/171005-pence-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/171005-pence-1260x840.jpg 1260w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/171005-pence.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" id=\"caption-attachment-367210\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Vice President Mike Pence delivers opening remarks at the National Space Council\u2019s inaugural meeting, conducted at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum\u2019s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia. The shuttle Discovery looms in the background. (NASA Photo \/ Joel Kowsky)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Trump administration plans to send astronauts and robots back to the moon in as little as five years\u2019 time, as a prelude to Mars missions.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s one of the calls to action emerging from today\u2019s first meeting of the reconstituted National Space Council under the leadership of Vice President Mike Pence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe will return American astronauts to the moon,\u201d Pence declared, \u201cnot only to leave behind footprints and flags, but to build the foundation we need to send Americans to Mars and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The details for doing that could come as a follow-up to today\u2019s meeting, which&nbsp;brought together top administration officials and space industry leaders at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum\u2019s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia.<\/p>\n<p>The attendees included Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke and a bevy of other Cabinet and White House officials. Air Force Gen. Paul Selva represented the Joint Chiefs of Staff.<\/p>\n<p>On the industry side, the witnesses included the CEOs of aerospace heavyweights such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Orbital ATK, as well as executives from more recent market entrants such as SpaceX, Blue Origin and Sierra Nevada Corp.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Vice President Pence Calls for Human Missions to Moon, Mars at National Space Council\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5FERa2oxWhQ?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>One of the big questions had to do with the capabilities and the time frames for beyond-Earth space exploration. The heavyweights touted their involvement in NASA\u2019s efforts to develop the Orion deep-space capsule and heavy-lift Space Launch System rocket.<\/p>\n<p>Orbital ATK\u2019s CEO, David Thompson, told the council that it was feasible to send American astronauts to the vicinity of the moon in \u201ca period of five years or less \u2026 and shortly thereafter, if we so choose, to return both astronauts and their robotic helpers to the surface of the moon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>NASA\u2019s current schedule calls for putting astronauts on their first flight beyond Earth orbit by 2022, which is five years away.<\/p>\n<p>During a different panel presentation, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell referred to her company\u2019s plan to develop its own giant rocket known as the BFR, or in her words, the Big Falcon Rocket.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is a renaissance under way right now in space,\u201d Shotwell said. The BFR could facilitate journeys to the moon as well as to Mars, and even point-to-point rocket trips on Earth.<\/p>\n<p>Shotwell said the \u201cEarth hops\u201d would be \u201csome of the first tests that you\u2019ll actually see with the Falcon spaceship.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Starship | Earth to Earth\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zqE-ultsWt0?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>Blue Origin CEO Bob Smith talked up the step-by-step approach that was being pursued by his company\u2019s owner, Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos. Smith said Blue Origin\u2019s suborbital space vehicle, known as New Shepard, was on track to start flying tourists and researchers within the next 18 months.<\/p>\n<p>The Kent, Wash.-based company is also talking to NASA and national security officials about having its next-generation, orbital-class New Glenn rocket certified for government space missions, Smith said. And he said Blue Origin\u2019s Blue Moon concept for delivering cargo to the lunar surface could be turned into a reality within the next five years.<\/p>\n<p>All those plans depend on funding levels, which were not discussed in depth during today\u2019s meeting.<\/p>\n<p>The industry executives emphasized the importance of having a stable, sustained vision for the space effort&nbsp;\u2013 rather than the moon vs. asteroid vs. Mars debate that has dominated the past decade\u2019s worth of space policy. They also called for streamlining regulation of the commercial space industry&nbsp;\u2013 a plea that pricked up the ears of White House budget director Mike Mulvaney.<\/p>\n<p>Pence tasked Mulvaney, Chao and Ross with conducting a \u201cfull review of our regulatory framework for commercial space enterprise\u201d and reporting back to the White House in 45 days.<\/p>\n<p>He also pushed through a policy recommendation voicing support for enhancing America\u2019s leadership in space, and eventually expanding humanity\u2019s presence across the solar system.<\/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=915958697154666497&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.geekwire.com%2F2017%2Fnational-space-council-moon-defense%2F&amp;sessionId=2728ba81fbb24dda193ea7fd0f4147d8d1ccdd57&amp;siteScreenName=geekwire&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782802006350619427=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\u201cI&#8217;m confident &amp; excited about the opportunity to bring a plan back to @POTUS\u2026\u201d\u2013Acting Admin Lightfoot https:\/\/t.co\/mzKW5uDsTi #NextFrontier pic.twitter.com\/c9MtsyEJ6l<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 NASA (@NASA) October 5, 2017<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The latter part of the council\u2019s meeting focused on the role of space activities in national security. Retired Navy Adm. James Ellis, former head of the U.S. Strategic Command, said concerns about the security of space assets have become sharper&nbsp;\u2013 not only because of potential threats from other nations, but also because of non-state actors.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA few dragons have been replaced by 100 snakes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Former NASA Administrator Mike Griffin and former astronaut Pam Melroy voiced concerns as well.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSpeed, the tempo of decision and information, is the problem, because our adversaries have figured out how to move inside our military decision loop,\u201d said Melroy, who put in a stint as deputy director of DARPA\u2019s Tactical Technology Office after leaving the astronaut corps.<\/p>\n<p>She called on the National Space Council to press for the development of low-cost satellite constellations, under the direct control of military commanders, to supplement existing space assets. \u201cWe have to have more sensors to get more frequent updates,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Griffin said the nation\u2019s GPS navigation and timing system could be especially vulnerable to space-based interference, because it plays a role not only in military communication but in commercial applications ranging from automobile guidance to automatic banking.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo what extent do we believe that we have defended ourselves, if an adversary can bring our economic system near collapse?\u201d he said. \u201cWe may not lose a single piece of hardware, but we\u2019re not functioning as a nation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>White House homeland security adviser Tom Bossert underscored that concern, saying that he understood that the GPS system had \u201cvulnerabilities that are being exploited on a regular basis.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Griffin said it was important to make clear to potential adversaries what sorts of space activities would cross a red line.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith regard to GPS, and frankly other elements of our critical infrastructure, we need to be extremely clear that an attack on these assets is an attack on the United States \u2026 and that we will not tolerate it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-1\" 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-1&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=916373996022763520&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.geekwire.com%2F2017%2Fnational-space-council-moon-defense%2F&amp;sessionId=2728ba81fbb24dda193ea7fd0f4147d8d1ccdd57&amp;siteScreenName=geekwire&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782802006350619427=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">How can the US maintain its edge in military space? Here are some of our thoughts on this issue: https:\/\/t.co\/fMliE3VwPK pic.twitter.com\/bgUbnPREEr<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Todd Harrison (@ToddHarrisonDC) October 6, 2017<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>White House national security adviser H.R. McMaster said he and other officials were working on a mostly classified Space Strategic Framework, emphasizing America\u2019s pre-eminence in space as well as cooperation with friends and allies.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAmerica First doesn\u2019t mean America alone,\u201d McMaster said.<\/p>\n<p>Pence called for the framework and an implementation plan to be completed within 45 days, to be passed along to President Donald Trump. The vice president also said an advisory group, comprising industry experts as well as other stakeholders, would be relaunched \u201cvery soon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pence said the council\u2019s meeting was a \u201cvery good start\u201d for a re-examination of America\u2019s space policy. But not everyone agreed. Keith Cowing, the editor of NASA Watch and a longtime commentator on space policy, said in a blog posting that the proceedings were \u201cscripted and predictable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Former space shuttle program manager Wayne Hale said in a tweet that the meeting offered \u201cbold talk \u2026 but we\u2019ve heard it before.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat counts will be resources ($) and long term commitment,\u201d Hale said.<\/p>\n<p>There was little mention of NASA\u2019s current space activities at the meeting.<\/p>\n<p>Acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot made the sole reference to today\u2019s hours-long spacewalk at the International Space Station, which was under way even as the council met. And NASA\u2019s current robotic program, which has spacecraft operating on the Martian surface, in orbit around Jupiter and on the very edge of the solar system, drew hardly any attention.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Vice President Mike Pence delivers opening remarks at the National Space Council\u2019s inaugural meeting, conducted at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum\u2019s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia. The shuttle Discovery looms in the background. (NASA Photo \/ Joel Kowsky) The Trump administration plans to send astronauts and robots back to the moon in [&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":[439,1488,4467,4849],"class_list":["post-18779","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-military","tag-national-space-council","tag-politics","tag-space-exploration"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18779"}],"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=18779"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18779\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18779"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18779"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18779"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}