Conclusions

Abstract

Human space exploration is now at a critical decision point. The future of robotic space exploration is not. Robotic missions will continue to explore and discover. For them, the only decision is where to go, and what to discover next. Not so for human activities on the Moon and eventually Mars. While NASA and the White House have opted to press on to the Moon with the Artemis Lunar Program, the decision makers with the purse have not yet fully committed to the program. The dreamers have decided to go forth and explore while the Congress is absorbed in itself and in other issues and challenges, not the least of which is the $23 trillion debt by the time this book is published. The international and commercial space organizations are part of the Artemis Program, as are the lunar scientists world-wide. The pragmatists continue to ponder the best way to go while the scientists and engineers have their noses to the grind stone, refining the nitty-gritty details with precision. Thousands of people and over a hundred companies are working on the program. Yet other people are strongly against the current approach to go back to the Moon. While their views have been documented, as time passes and progress is made, their causes and opinions will likely be “overtaken by events.” There is the possibility that the anti-Gateway voices will be heard by those who control the purse, and an effort will be made to oblige NASA to reevaluate their strategy for returning to the Moon. This could, at a minimum, delay the program by at least a year.