Should NASA explore the moon or look farther to Mars? President Trump boosted his plan to return American astronauts to the moon when he announced his fiscal year 2021 budget proposal in February. The White House requested roughly $25 billion for NASA, a 12% increase from what the space agency received just a year before. “The reinforced support from the president comes at a critical time as we lay the foundations for landing the first woman and the next man on the South Pole of the Moon by 2024,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine wrote in support of the proposed funding….

Members of Congress expressed skepticism about the viability of the Obama Administration’s plan for a manned commercial space flight program at an October 26 hearing on the “Future Private Market for Human Spaceflight.” Spokespersons from NASA and aerospace companies testified before the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee on progress toward establishing a “purely commercial capability to fly humans to and from low-Earth orbit, with an emphasis on ferrying NASA astronauts to the International Space Station.” Current law authorizes $500 for development of the program, and many Members of Congress are reluctant to meet the Administration’s request for $850 million,…

NASA has just announced plans for the most powerful rocket since Saturn V flew the first astronauts to the Moon. The agency says that the new Space Launch System (SLS) will allow humans to travel farther into space than anyone has ever ventured before, including to an asteroid by 2025 and Mars a decade later ― goals set by President Obama. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said, “The launch system will create good-paying American jobs, ensure continued U.S. leadership in space, and inspire millions around the world. President Obama challenged us to be bold and dream big, and that’s exactly what…