12/4/2023 0 Comments Buran shuttle escape systemBut if there indeed is a way to make the flight happen in 2019, it could provide a high-visibility achievement for President Trump.Ī second theory centers on pressure to get SLS and Orion flying astronauts as quickly as possible.ĭespite various media reports predicting the Trump administration might ditch SLS and Orion in favor of vehicles from other firms like SpaceX, the Trump administration's 2018 budget blueprint gave no indication of an impending large-scale shift for NASA. NASA said it will only considering adding a crew to the first SLS flight if the mission would be ready to fly in 2019-otherwise, they'll stick with the current plan. There is a chance SpaceX could send two tourists around the Moon during Trump's first term right now, that's scheduled for 2018, but the date will likely slip. Why, exactly, the Trump administration or its transition team requested the study is unclear, but most sources I spoke with for this article cited two plausible reasons.įirstly, as it stands, no NASA astronauts will fly beyond low-Earth orbit during President Trump's first term, since the second SLS flight, which will carry crew, is not scheduled to occur until at least 2021. He's a civil servant, not a political appointee-though he still reports to the White House. Hill's boss, associate administrator William Gerstenmaier, said the request came from "Robert (Lightfoot) and the new administration." Lightfoot is NASA's acting administrator. ![]() ![]() "We've had early discussions with the transition team, both before the inauguration and after, about accelerating our crew capability," said Bill Hill, the deputy associate administrator for NASA's exploration systems division. 24, agency officials said the assessment was requested by the Trump administration. NASA has been quick to note that it is only assessing the feasibility of adding astronauts to the first SLS flight-until then, it is remaining neutral on the idea.ĭuring a press call with reporters on Feb.
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