Kenneth Chang

The general response to the Trump administration's goal of landing humans on the Moon by 2024 has been a jaded shrug. Can't do it. All talk. No budget. NASA isn't capable. Terrible idea. This administration can't shoot straight. And maybe that's all true. But maybe it's not.

But my sense is that pretty serious people in this administration are pretty serious about this. So feel free to be jaded, but I wouldn’t entirely dismiss this. However slim, it’s a chance for NASA’s human exploration program. There may not be many more of them.

The bottom line is this: The default program for NASA is parochial politics. Budget writers prioritize local funding. To overcome this, an administration must show a strong, sustained interest in NATIONAL space goals, and push hard for them. I don't know what happens now.

The “business as usual” model for NASA is not working. It is good that @VP and @JimBridenstine are changing that so @NASA can get back to doing what it was created to do.