Space Budgets, Policy, Missions, Benefits, International Updates

•  Asteroid Redirect Mission:  Op-Ed | Saving NASA’s ARM and the Journey to Mars  House appropriators have misjudged the significance of NASA’s Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM), according to Louis Friedman, executive director emeritus and co-founder of the Planetary Society. ARM is an important precursor to the goal of reaching Mars with human explorers, he writes.  (See also:  Will NASA’s ARM mission to an asteroid be cancelled?)

• Lunar Exploration:  Seeing the end of Obama’s space doctrine, a bipartisan Congress moves in  The next administration may find enthusiastic bipartisan congressional support for a return to the moon as the next step in efforts to reach Mars with human explorers, according to the report. The U.S. commercial space industry and international partnerships would play key roles in the endeavor.  (See also:  White House works out a process to clear commercial missions to moon and Mars and Private company wants U.S. clearance to fly to the moon)

Citizens for Space Exploration – a pro-space, taxpayer, grassroots advocacy group (http://www.bayareahouston.com/content/c_s_e/c_s_e) – has traveled to Washington, D.C. the past 24 years to meet face-to-face with Members/staff of Congress to discuss the value of America’s investment in space exploration. In order to sustain that dialogue on a regular basis, Citizens distributes “Space Exploration Update” to Congressional offices on a weekly basis. The intent is to provide an easy, quick way to stay abreast of key human space exploration program and policy developments.