“A revised Artemis campaign plan should be a high priority for the new NASA Administrator,” Pace wrote. “There may be some painful adjustments with industry and our international partners, but it is better to do so now than to continue on an unsustainable, unaffordable path. The Artemis policy is a good one, supported by Congress and multiple administrations. However, we need a more sustainable and credible approach.”
In terms of NASA’s budget, to justify its funding or seek more resources, Pace says the agency needs to innovate more and that traditional programs of record should be used “only as a last resort.” He also says the agency could consider options, such as ending the life of the International Space Station before 2030, due to its age and an increasing number of anomalies.
Pace also said he believes that the space agency should target both the Moon and Mars.
A rationale for settlement
Although he does not think a human landing on Mars is feasible within the next five years, Pace said that a human flyby of the red planet might be possible during that time frame, or potentially a return of Mars soil samples.
Pace also sets out the rationale for human expansion into the Solar System. The nation’s long-term goal should be the sustainable development of spaceflight activities, and human expansion into the Solar System.
“In the near-term, lunar settlements might be similar to Antarctic research stations,” Pace wrote. “In the longer term, those settlements and those on Mars have the potential to be entirely new communities much as the Great American Desert was transformed by the coming of the railroad. While there are massive technical, economic, and biological uncertainties, the vision of becoming a multi-planetary species is certainly an exciting one. The goal of ‘Mars’ is not just a race but can be thought of as a shorthand term for much bigger, indefinite objectives for America’s future.”