A Rare Dissenting Opinion -- On One Of NASA's Mission Plans -- And Goals.

As the Blue Angels prepare to strafe the lakefront (at Mach 1.1) here in a few hours. . . at the Air and Water Show. . . I want to register a rare dissenting opinion, about a NASA mission sequence. I do not mean for this to ring in on an unpatriotic note, but the truth is. . . we have already put boots on the Moon. We have very little reason to do so anew now. The science there is pretty well-vetted.

And, most importantly, this will not be a meaningful stepping stone to humans on Mars in the near term. [I likewise question the wisdom of humans on Mars.] Nothing in the Artemis series will solve the space radiation / insulation dangers a crewed mission to Mars will face.

And, it is clear that we don't have the engineered / practical science solution (yet), to fully eliminate that long term radiation danger -- for as much as three months out and three months back -- without Earth's magnetosphere as a shielding protective blanket, such as the ISS enjoys.

Regular readers know I love the science of space discoveries -- but in truth, Artemis to the Moon grew out of a prior administration's foolish dream. . . of people on Mars by 2024. And we can use that money in so many more worthy ways. So many more promising science missions, that these. And we are learning almost all there is to learn on Mars, with our proven robotic mission sequences. [And robots won't die of cancer -- from radiation in the years-long journey.] In any event, here are the sites, as proposed by NASA, for a human crewed moon landing.

. . .[T]he agency has identified 13 candidate landing regions near the lunar South Pole. Each region contains multiple potential landing sites for Artemis III, which will be the first of the Artemis missions to bring crew to the lunar surface, including the first woman to set foot on the Moon.

“Selecting these regions means we are one giant leap closer to returning humans to the Moon for the first time since Apollo,” said Mark Kirasich, deputy associate administrator for the Artemis Campaign Development Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “When we do, it will be unlike any mission that’s come before as astronauts venture into dark areas previously unexplored by humans and lay the groundwork for future long-term stays. . . .”

We are better than this: we need not "conquer Mars, by boot-falls". That is my supposition. I would ask that my friends at the agency and in Congress, take a hard look at the relative science benefits versus other worthy programs -- like these, we mentioned yesterday. Fund them all.

Onward, grinning -- to perhaps (if the weather holds) bike down along the lake path -- to see the Blue Angels at 3 pm, at North Avenue Beach.

नमस्ते