Administrator Budget Town Hall Immediate Reaction

On Monday, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine hosted an agency town hall to discuss the additional $1.6 billion to the FY2020 budget request that will allow NASA to establish a sustainable human presence on the surface of the Moon by 2024. 

Big Takeaways:

• The $1.6 billion is new money that is being added in addition to the previous FY2020 request. This means that this money will not hinder other NASA programs.
  
• NASA is accelerating the Moon landing to 2024 to retire political risks that accompany long term programs as we establish a human presence on the Moon.
• NASA has diverse team of astronauts who are excited for this daring mission and the opportunity to represent human kind on the surface of the Moon.

With this additional funding, NASA will:

• Work with commercial industry to determine the best sustainable architecture for ferrying astronauts form Gateway to the lunar surface.
• Research technology, including satellites and rovers, that will aid astronauts and scientists in lunar exploration. 
• Investigate the polar regions and determine how to use resources on the Moon to fuel continued human exploration.