The Donald Trump administration has big plans for NASA.
According to Donald Trump’s campaign promises, NASA will be busier than ever during the next four years as the now President-elect wishes for the Unites States to “lead the way into the stars.” The Mars mission will probably suffer due to the change as Robert Walker’s involvement will reshape the Space Agency’s goals.
- Donald Trump stated during a pre-election speech that he would reshape the way in which the Space Agency functions.
- Robert Walker was always keen on visiting Europa and start mining the asteroid belt.
- The Mars mission could be canceled as the Red Planet does not offer as many resources as Europa.
- The Space Program will be rewritten, and the Trump administration will offer more funds for space exploration.
During an October speech held at the Orlando International Airport, Donald Trump declared that he wants to refocus NASA’s attention on space exploration. He also pointed out that the Space Agency is currently more a “logistics agency,” low earth orbit missions distracting its attention.
The Trump administration may reshape NASA’s immediate goals especially if Robert Walker, the former chairman of the Space, Technology, and Science Committee will have a say. According to some, Walker was asked to come up with a cohesive plan for NASA, one that will have space exploration as a focal point.
Walker is known to harbor an ardent desire to explore Europa, one of the most promising of Jupiter’s satellites. He also stated numerous times that the asteroid belt represents a generous source of rare minerals that could revolutionize the scientific world.
Unfortunately, Walker is not so keen on funding the Mars mission as the Red Planet’s riches are not great. Moreover, he seems to think that humanity may benefit more from colonizing Europa instead of Mars.
The Mars mission was heavily supported by President Barack Obama. His backing being one of the main reasons why NASA managed to find out so many things about the Red Planet in a relatively short amount of time.
Currently, there is no official statement saying that the Space Agency will redefine its priorities and place the Mars mission on second place. However, if the Trump administration will take Walker’s suggestions into consideration, then Europa might climb higher on the priority list.
Image source: Wikipedia
