The federal agency that may experience the most significant refocusing under the Trump Administration is also one the smallest: NASA.
With a budget comprising just one-half of one percent of Washington spending, the lowest level since 1960, NASA was repurposed by Mr. Obama to focus on Earth science in support of his climate change agenda.
While robotic interplanetary probes, largely planned before the outgoing President’s arrival, were allowed to survive, the manned space effort was virtually eliminated.
Mr. Obama prematurely cancelled the Space Shuttle program, then defunded what had been planned to be its immediate manned spacecraft replacement, the Constellation system. Another follow-up, The Orion, progressed at a slow pace, with no prospect of placing U.S. astronauts into orbit until well into the next decade. NASA currently has to pay exorbitant amounts to rival Russia to put American personnel in space.
Spaceflight Insider noted that candidate Obama claimed he was one of the “agency’s biggest fans and even co-opted the space agency’s crewed program-of-record at that time (Constellation) when he used the phrase, ‘Moon, Mars and beyond.’ Upon election, he worked to cancel that very program. In fact, had it not been for the actions of Congress, he would probably have set NASA’s efforts to send crews beyond the orbit of Earth back decades.
In a review, The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) reported that “Space policy experts agree that NASA faces short- and long-term challenges, including new budget pressures, aging infrastructure, the rise of competing spacefaring nations, and the lack of a strong national vision for human spaceflight. An independent assessment conducted by the National Research Council in 2012 questioned plans for not pursuing a return to the moon: ‘[The] lack of national and international consensus … undermines NASA’s ability to establish a comprehensive, consistent strategic direction.’ The report also noted that a crewed mission to Mars ‘has never received sufficient funding to advance beyond the rhetoric stage.”
The mothballing of American manned spaceflight was seen as a betrayal. During his first campaign for office, Mr. Obama, in a speech to NASA workers, promised that he would support placing U.S. personnel in space on American craft . Following the election, he moved to eliminate the manned space program.
Restoring the space agency to its glory days, along with the economic, scientific and prestige benefits that engenders, fit precisely with President-elect Trump’s “Make America Great Again” emphasis. In comments reported by the Planetary Society he stated:
“I will free NASA from the restriction of serving primarily as a logistics agency for low-Earth orbit activity—big deal. Instead, we will refocus its mission on space exploration. Under a Trump Administration, Florida and America will lead the way into the stars…A cornerstone of my policy is we will substantially expand public private partnerships to maximize the amount of investment and funding that is available for space exploration and development. This means launching and operating major space assets, right here, that employ thousands and spur innovation and fuel economic growth.”
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Space News provided a summary (excerpted below) of the Trump Administration’s space plans:
- A “commitment to global space leadership”
- A reinstitution of the National Space Council, headed by the vice president, to oversee all government space efforts to seek efficiencies and eliminate redundancies.
- Human exploration of the solar system by the end of the century
- Shifting NASA budgets to “deep space achievements” rather than Earth science and climate research.
- Development of small satellite technologies that in particular can provide resiliency for the military, and also develop satellite servicing technologies.
- Seek world leadership in hypersonics technology, including for military applications.
- Hand over access to and operations in low Earth orbit to the commercial sector.
- Start discussions about including more “private and public partners” in operations and financing of the International Space Station, including extending the station’s lifetime.
- Require that all federal agencies develop plans for how they would use “space assets and space developments” to carry out their missions.
The growing role of the private sector, which began both as necessity and opportunity during the Obama Administration, would continue.
The Washington Post and others have reported that Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-Oklahoma) a leading space exploration supporter and former Navy pilot is being considered to lead NASA.