Instead of serving as a staging point for the moon, as NASA intends, the lunar space station, known as Gateway, would exist to test technologies in deep space needed for Mars under the House bill. Instead of having the private sector build a lunar lander that NASA could then use to send astronauts to the moon, the bill would require NASA to “have full ownership” of the spacecraft. Under Trump, the White House gave NASA another case of whiplash when it directed the agency to focus again on the moon. To fund the Artemis moon program, NASA is expected to soon lay out a five-year spending plan to cover a program that is estimated to cost about $30 billion. ADADA program as ambitious as getting to the moon or Mars “requires a clear and unambiguous plan, and we’re still waiting for it,” she said.

Source: Washington Post January 28, 2020 21:44 UTC