The New NASA Mission Has Been Grossly Mischaracterized.

The media and this group should stop calling the new NASA directive a 'moon
plan'. It seems that the belief is that Bush is cancelling everything NASA
does and moving all the money into a manned moon base. This isn't the case
at all.

It would be more accurate to call this an 'exploration plan'. What's really
happening is that NASA's focus is changing from LEO cargo flights and ISS
maintenance, and towards more exploration and science. It's not even clear
at this point that the main focus will be a moon base - that was just the
hook for the public.

NASA has distributed its Vision under the new initiative to its employees.
Here's what it says:

(courtesy http://www.astrobiology.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=11605)

Guiding Principles for Exploration


a.. Pursue Compelling Questions


a.. Exploration of the solar system will be guided by compelling questions
of scientific and societal importance.
b.. Consistent with the NASA Vision and Mission, NASA exploration programs
will seek profound answers to questions of our origins, whether life exists
beyond Earth, and how we could live on other worlds.


a.. Across Multiple Worlds


a.. NASA will make progress across a broad front of destinations.
b.. Consistent with recent discoveries, NASA will focus on likely
habitable environments at the planet Mars, the moons of Jupiter, and in
other solar systems.
c.. Where advantageous, NASA will also make use of destinations likethe
Moon and near-Earth asteroids to test and demonstrate new exploration
capabilities.


a.. Employ Human and Robotic Capabilities


a.. NASA will send human and robotic explorers as partners, leveraging the
capabilities of each where most useful.
b.. Robotic explorers will visit new worlds first, to obtain scientific
data, demonstrate breakthrough technologies, identify space resources, and
send tantalizing imagery back to Earth.
c.. Human explorers will follow to conduct in-depth research, direct and
upgrade advanced robotic explorers, prepare space resources, and demonstrate
new exploration capabilities


a.. For Sustainable Exploration


a.. NASA will pursue breakthrough technologies, investigate planetary
resources, and align ongoing programs to develop sustainable, affordable,
and flexible solar system exploration strategies.
b.. The vision is not about one-time events and, thus, costs will be
reduced to maintain the affordability of the vision


a.. Starting Now


a.. NASA will pursue this vision as our highest priority.
b.. Consistent with the FY 2005 Budget, NASA will immediately begin to
realign programs and organization, demonstrate new technical capabilities,
and undertake new robotic precursor missions to the Moon and Mars before the
end of the decade.

Key Elements of New Space Policy


a.. Space Shuttle
a.. Return the Space Shuttle to flight and plan to retire it by the end of
this decade, following the completion of its role in the construction of the
International Space Station


a.. International Space Station Complete assembly


a.. Refocus research to exploration factors affecting astronaut health,
and
b.. Acquire crew and cargo systems, as necessary, during and after
availability of Shuttle.


a.. Crew Exploration Vehicle


a.. Develop a CEV to travel beyond low Earth orbit, the first new U.S.
human space flight vehicle since the 1980s.
b.. Undertake first test flight is planned by the end of this decadein
order to provide an operational capability to support human exploration
missions no later than 2014.


a.. Lunar Exploration


a.. Begin robotic missions to the Moon by 2008, followed by a period of
evaluating lunar resources and technologies for exploration.
b.. Begin human expeditions to the Moon in the 2015 2020 timeframe.


a.. Mars Exploration


a.. Conduct robotic exploration of Mars to search for evidence of life, to
understand the history of the solar system, and to prepare for future human
exploration.
b.. Timing of human missions to Mars will be based on available budgetary
resources, experience and knowledge gained from lunar exploration,
discoveries by robotic spacecraft at Mars and other solar system locations,
and development of required technologies and know-how.


a.. Other Solar System Exploration


a.. Conduct robotic exploration across the solar system for scientific
purposes and to support human exploration.
b.. In particular, explore Jupiter's moons, asteroids and other bodies to
search for evidence of life, to understand the history of the solar system,
and to search for resources;


a.. Exploration Beyond


a.. Conduct advanced telescope searches for Earth-like planets and
habitable environments around other stars;


a.. Enabling Capabilities


a.. Develop and demonstrate power generation, propulsion, life support,
and other key capabilities required to support more distant, more capable,
and/or longer duration human and robotic exploration of Mars and other
destinations.
It should be clear from this that this isn't really a "Moon Mission", or a
"Moon/Mars Mission". It's pure exploration - Taking the most logical steps
we can to expand our knowledge and occupation of space. No more flying
space trucks to LEO and back - it's time to look a little farther.

The reason the Moon is a *likely destination is simply that it's the most
logical waypoint. If your goal isn't a single target (landing a man on
Mars), but a systematic move into space in general, then the Moon is a
pretty logical place to go. It's the easiest, it's the only one that has
potential for serious economic exploitation. It makes a fine proving ground
for lots of things.

But the Moon isn't the final destination, and neither is Mars. The goal is
simply ongoing exploration and expansion. Note how much emphasis is placed
on space telescopes and robotic missions - about as much as going to the
Moon.

It's a forward looking, long range plan to get NASA out of its rut, and find
a meaning for the post-shuttle era. We're very lucky that this President
decided that the answer would be to step forward and set new goals and
challenges - the other result could very easily have been a 6 billion dollar
a year budget cut for NASA.

I think the full 'vision' outlined above can put to rest the idea that
Hubble was cancelled because NASA is going to sacrifice science for manned
flight. Telescopes like Hubble are a big part of the new vision. The
Hubble was cancelled simply because after you add up the risks and the cost,
in the end the value just wasn't there, even in the context of the shift
towards more exploration. Hubble is more a victim of bad timing and a
moribund shuttle program. All the more reason to get on with the next step
instead of trying to maintain the status quo.

The ball is now in NASA's court. Funding is going to depend on results.
They've been guaranteed seed capital and the ability to move shuttle
resources into exploration. If NASA can deliver results, I believe
additional funding would be there. I believe NASA's funding has been
stagnant simply because NASA hasn't made a compelling case for more. Now
they have a chance to make compelling cases.