Wishy-Washy Goals

I worked for the federal government for 35 years until I retired in December. For federal agencies, one of the issues that comes up every four years is the potential change of priorities a new administration can bring. For most of my career, this wasn't a big problem, as both parties supported my agency's mission. But since Trump 1.0, we suffered from severe policy whiplash every time new people came in, making it difficult to finish any long term projects over my last ten years. We found it frustrating and heartbreaking.

NASA, which especially relies on steady, long term support and firm commitments, is currently undergoing those same wild swings from successive administrations. NASA had finally committed to returning to the moon with the goal of building a permanent manned base and a lunar orbiting station to facilitate moon landings. Unfortunately, that goal has once again shifted.

NASA’s new chief is reshaping the space agency’s goals, unveiling at an event in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday an ambitious vision that includes revamped plans for a moon base.

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Some other projects announced Tuesday by Isaacman, who took office in December, would have much tighter deadlines, most notably a brand-new nuclear-powered Mars vehicle the agency hopes to launch by 2028 — a lightning-fast timeline in the world of space travel.

This is absolute nonsense. They want to develop, build and launch a Mars vehicle within two years and with their current budget? Ridiculous.

This short-sighted goal changing will just mean more wasted time and money, before someone else in charge decides that those goals are unrealistic and shifts the focus to something else. Without long term vision and commitment to specific achievements, we're going nowhere fast in space.