House’s budget refocuses NASA funding on crewed lunar missions
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.029850
Ars Technica : A draft of the US House of Representatives’ fiscal year 2017 budget released on 23 May alters NASA’s direct-to-Mars plan by replacing visits to asteroids with expeditions to the Moon. The revised plan includes the development of habitation modules, prospecting techniques, and landing and ascent vehicles. The budget, which will be formally presented on 24 May, has to pass through the Appropriations Committee and the full House. If passed, the budget would have to be reconciled with the Senate’s budget, which does not explicitly call for lunar landings. NASA’s Journey to Mars program, developed following a 2010 speech by President Obama in which he called for crewed missions to Mars, has faced criticisms ranging from lack of realistic plans to an unwillingness by NASA to formalize a budget.