In 2019, Vice President Mike Pence laid out plans for NASA to return astronauts to the moon by 2024.
Now, a new report says the space agency will be “hard-pressed” to do so.
A report from the NASA Office of Inspector General notes the 2024 timeline for the Artemis moon mission is overly ambitious, citing concerns about funding, scope and schedule.
“Given the multiple challenges outlined above, we believe the agency will be hard-pressed to land astronauts on the moon by the end of 2024,” the report reads. “At the very least, achieving any date close to this ambitious goal — and reaching Mars in the 2030s — will require strong, consistent, sustained leadership from the president, Congress and NASA, as well as stable and timely funding.
“Over the past decade, our oversight work has found NASA consistently struggling to address each of these significant issues and the Artemis mission’s accelerated timetable will likely further exacerbate these challenges,” the report added.
The findings cited specific issues with the Space Launch System rocket, as well as the Orion crew capsule, both of which have seen their development “delayed or suspended” due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In March, Fox News reported that the pandemic could slow down NASA’s planned return to the moon. To date, COVID-19 has infected more than 11 million Americans and resulted in over 250,000 deaths
The report also noted that NASA is slated to receive significantly less money to start developing a lunar lander.
In September, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said that the full $28 billion the agency requested is needed for the Artemis moon program.
Of the money NASA asked for, $7.6 billion is designated for the Space Launch System rockets. Some $16.2 billion is for the “initial human landing system,” which includes developing, testing and launching the new lunar landers.
In January, U.S. Rep. Kendra Horn, D-Okla., proposed a bill to urge NASA to consider a 2028 deadline for putting U.S. astronauts back on the moon in order to boost the space agency’s long-term plans for crewed Mars exploration.
The Artemis program, the successor to the Apollo program, is notable for a number of reasons, including its goals of sending the first woman to land on the lunar surface and establishing a sustainable human presence on Earth’s natural satellite.
To date, only 12 people, all Americans, have landed on the moon. The last NASA astronaut to set foot on the moon was Apollo 17 Mission Commander Gene Cernan, on Dec. 14, 1972.
Truth be told is that they cannot land on the moon because it is just a projection. On the brighter side the moon is not as far away as advertised. It is within the dome (firmament) along with the sun. Why do you think space shuttles curve over once they take off? If they go straight up they will crash into the dome. You think I am crazy? It is that you are so brainwashed to believe we live on a spinning ball. Let the insults begin!
Bro i saw the firmament the other day it was amazing! There was a slow moving what i thought was a jet as equally south as it was overhead. It was about 5am and i noticed it due to its hum. A moment later another similar but lower light and hum happened roughly 60 degrees from south to south east and its hum chopped into the first one creating some melody along with the beat frequency… Then at roughly east (my directions may be off i am not certain the exact orientation of my house) to mabye a little north east came another and at maybe 10 degrees east from north yet another. I was trying to focus on east when my vision split trying to focus and i saw a red translucent webbing or netting similar to images ive seen of gas in newborn galaxies n such though much more see through or pale. Suddenly it looked like spotlights moving around (i had confirmed… Confirmament? That the sight wasnt localized but all around. Then i realized it was like heat lightening or something similar. Havent seen it since though i will say the enemy is ramping up the final stages of a walsl of jericho style attack. I believe they have created vertical pillars of sound to punch through the firmament.
Well, if Biden is allowed to steal the presidency, he must fulfill minders’ mission to restore obama’s mandate to make NASA a Muslim outreach program, and to send US tech to Biden’s owners, the CCP, we can rest assured the Chinese will be there before the US — and on OUR dime.
See what happens when you let Democrats run the nation? They steal all extra money for themseles and not for what the money is needed for. They are ALL corrupt!
This article sounds like a one sided story of disappointment. The cookie jar is closing and you can’t get your hands in it, so you rave about the reasons, in blunt form, without actual breakdowns of the real reasons… why? That’s OK. It’s not your job to know everything. Have a nice day on the outside of Science….looking in.
Seems to me that they do not have the information needed to remodel a vehicle that went once to do it again after many years of spending billions and now they don’t have enough money? This will likely mean more people will not accept they went once already with much less knowledge and a smaller budget and a time line? What are they not telling us?
Fire the top guy, give the contract to Elon it will be done in 2022
This is such BS. Quit hiding from the public!
People are starving and dying and we are spending billions on space flight. I don’t see the priority.
One year of christmas spending in the usa we could end world homelessness :/