Defense Daily: 'Moon to Mars' Commission Outlines Sweeping Change For NASA, Industry

'Moon to Mars' Commission Outlines Sweeping Change For NASA, Industry
Defense Daily 06/17/04
author: Amy Butler

The presidential commission established earlier this year to help map out a way to reinvigorate the government and industry for missions to the Moon and Mars today released 14 recommendations, including the establishment of a permanent Space Exploration Steering Council that would report directly to the president.

The council would develop policies to foster the work and coordination needed to realize president's vision of sending a human to the Moon by 2020 and begin conducting preliminary robotic missions to Mars, a goal considered "ambitious yet thoroughly achievable" by the commission.

President Bush established the commission Jan. 27, offering 120 days to conduct its studies and submit a comprehensive report.

The commission, which was chaired by former Pentagon acquisition chief Pete Aldridge, also recommended a host of organizational changes to NASA. Namely, Aldridge told reporters during the unveiling of the report that NASA should be refocused to handle the very high-tech, cutting edge work needed to fulfill the vision, while more rudimentary work like unmanned cargo missions, could be better handled by industry.

Additionally, the commissioners said the renewed emphasis on space exploration will undoubtedly invigorate the aerospace industry and have tangential effects on advances in medicine, for example.

Aldridge said advances in human space flight at NASA are a "two-way street," also benefiting the Defense Department's programs. He added that he sees a potential need to expand existing relationships between NASA and the Defense Department to ensure research from one is harnessed by the other and applied where needed.

Specifically, the commission's report emphasized a need to "pay close attention early to assessing options for a new heavy-lift space launch capability" that can handle payloads larger and heavier than those lifted by the Space Shuttle and existing expendable launch vehicles.

The commission also suggests the use of monetary prizes to inspire industry on various technical hurdles. Tax incentives and regulator relief on issues such as changes to liability laws for space endeavors are also areas that need attention, according to the commission's report.

We are in for a load of trouble here in the US. Our technological competitive edge is gone. It has been gone for a few years now. We will not admit this for years, and our politicians will probably never admit it. If we don't do a lot of work today to support science and math education of our next generations the US will soon become a third world nation itself, and India, China, and Bulgaria will take over from where we left off.