What would it take to make people aware of NASA’s plans to go back to the moon in 2024? It was mentioned in the 2020State of the Union address.
In reaffirming our heritage as a free nation, we must remember that America has always been a frontier nation. Now we must embrace the next frontier, America’s manifest destiny in the stars. I am asking Congress to fully fund the Artemis program to ensure that the next man and the first woman on the Moon will be American astronauts — (applause) — using this as a launching pad to ensure that America is the first nation to plant its flag on Mars. (Applause.)
2020State of the Union address
The Vice President has been hosting the National Space Council meetings where it is front and center. Jim Bridenstine has been publicizing it. NASA has been active on social media. But the vast majority of people do not know.
A lot of it may be disbelief and the fact that so little of the progress has captured the public attention. And as we approach the launch of the first Space Launch System (SLS) in summer of 2021. As Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) providers successfully land on the moon in 2021. As the capabilities of the SpaceX Starship become more solid and visible, it may generate a renewed interest in space.
But this COVID19 situation will no doubt have an impact. It will be tempting to trim much of the budget to fix some of the issues with our health system and the economy of this. And it will be interesting to see if this effort becomes one of the near term victims.