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Is it true that the United States will return to the moon in 2024? Four years ahead of schedule

What's going on with the U.S. return to the moon in 2024? Is it true that the U.S. return to the moon in 2024? Many friends don't know yet. Let's take a look with Xiaobian.

What happened to the return of the United States to the moon in 2024

According to the verge on March 26, the vice president of the United States announced at the fifth meeting of the national space commission that the United States will return to the moon by 2024, which is four years earlier than the 2028 set by NASA.

Speaking at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the vice president said the U.S. government will achieve this goal "in any way necessary.". He called on NASA to adopt new policies, change new ways of thinking, start with bold goals, and move forward as planned. The U.S. government may consider using commercially developed rockets instead of current contractors, giving priority to emergencies. If commercial rockets are the only way for U.S. astronauts to land on the moon in the next five years, commercial Rockets will be chosen.

But in addition to recommending the replacement of rockets and contractors, the vice president of the United States has little clear instructions for the return to the moon program. John Logsdon, a space policy expert at George Washington University, said in an interview: 'it's just empty talk, without any details.'.

What happened to the return of the United States to the moon in 2024

Since US President Trump came to power, the US government has made it clear that human beings want to return to the moon. In December 2017, the president of the United States signed the first space policy directive, instructing NASA to begin its return to the moon program. But there is no precise timetable for the implementation of this directive. Later, NASA proposed 2028 as the date for the first lunar landing, but the government thought it was too late.

The strategy of returning to the moon requires the construction of a space station on the lunar orbit, called "gateway", which will serve as a transit station for astronauts to and from the lunar surface. In addition, NASA has been working on the development of a new rocket, called the space launch system (SLS), which will be used to launch a space capsule called Orion into deep space. However, NASA plans to start building the transit station in 2022 and test the first manned landers on the moon around 2025. In addition, SLS faces a series of delays and cost overruns.

If SLS remains an important part of NASA's deep space exploration program, it means other aspects of the agency's current strategy need to be changed. However, the government did not give specific views. Burns said NASA needed a greater sense of urgency and cultural change, but he did not guarantee more funding. Laura forczyk, the boss of astralytical, a space consultancy and research and consulting firm, said: 'in my opinion, it's just a big pie. It's another big set of promises. '

What happened to the return of the United States to the moon in 2024

In fact, the timing of this speech is very awkward, because the president's recent budget proposes to significantly reduce NASA's funds, including the SLS and space capsule budget. NASA officials even admit that even more money may not be enough to speed up the program after the budget application is announced. "Technology maturity is the primary goal of this budget, so deep technical conditions are needed to achieve faster speed," NASA chief financial officer Jeff DeWitt said at a press conference on the budget application in March. So we're not asking for more money to do this work, we just need a little more time. '

Even if the government decides to give NASA more money or substantially change its plans, the administration cannot make these decisions alone. Like all government agencies, any major funding decision must be approved by Congress. So if NASA wants to speed up its moon landing 'portal' process or advance the lunar lander's deadline, Congress must approve it. The rocket was mainly made in Alabama and received a lot of support from members of Congress in the region because it provided jobs for the country. They try to keep the rocket business alive by providing additional funds and authorizing its development. In fact, the U.S. Congress has set a precedent for NASA in recent years, providing more funds than the president's budget, so legislators may provide the necessary cash flow for this project. But before approval, the vice president's words were just speeches.