Slashdot Mirror
Trump Offered NASA Unlimited Funding To Put People on Mars by 2020, Report Says (nymag.com)
From a report, based on a book by Cliff Sims, who worked as a communications official for Trump on his presidential campaign and in the West Wing: As the clock ticked down, Trump "suddenly turned toward the NASA administrator." He asked: "What's our plan for Mars?" Lightfoot explained to the president -- who, again, had recently signed a bill containing a plan for Mars -- that NASA planned to send a rover to Mars in 2020 and, by the 2030s, would attempt a manned spaceflight. "Trump bristled," according to Sims. He asked, "But is there any way we could do it by the end of my first term?"
Sims described the uncomfortable exchange that followed the question, with Lightfoot shifting and placing his hand on his chin, hesitating politely and attempting to let Trump down easily, emphasizing the logistical challenges involving "distance, fuel capacity, etc. Also the fact that we hadn't landed an American anywhere remotely close to Mars ever." Sims himself was "getting antsy" by this point. With a number of points left to go over with the president, "all I could think about was that we had to be on camera in three minutes .. And yet we're in here casually chatting about shaving a full decade off NASA's timetable for sending a manned flight to Mars. And seemingly out of nowhere."
Sims described the uncomfortable exchange that followed the question, with Lightfoot shifting and placing his hand on his chin, hesitating politely and attempting to let Trump down easily, emphasizing the logistical challenges involving "distance, fuel capacity, etc. Also the fact that we hadn't landed an American anywhere remotely close to Mars ever." Sims himself was "getting antsy" by this point. With a number of points left to go over with the president, "all I could think about was that we had to be on camera in three minutes .. And yet we're in here casually chatting about shaving a full decade off NASA's timetable for sending a manned flight to Mars. And seemingly out of nowhere."
Of course he has the right to do this. All he has to is claim that it's needed for national security, and to declare a national emergency about it.
Remember all those emergency powers you granted past Presidents?
Trump does have exactly this ability with regards to the wall, and people have been expecting him to go that route. He's stated unequivocally that he has the power to do so (and he's 100% correct), but that he would prefer for an actual bill to get passed. It's effectively his nuclear option, and it would start a whole new level of shitstorm that no one is prepared for.
As for Mars, if a President really wanted to get it done and had an unlimited budget to do so, they'd tap the military to do it under the guise of NASA breakthroughs, ingenuity, and gumption. I have no doubt in my mind we can get someone there in a couple of years. The military has propulsion, guidance, and control systems at least 2 generations ahead of what's available publicly. But it would be a huge fucking waste.
No, you do not understand TrumpWorld. He isn't really interested about getting a man there and back again. If he gets marooned, Trump would be okay with that. If NASA claims they haven't solved the technological hurdles just yet, Trump will declare that no one knows more about interplanetary travel than he, and outline all the shortcuts (safety, coming back, etc.) that would be made to make it so.
Of course, most of NASA would leave for the private sector before poor suckers are launched at Mars, thereby dooming the endeavor. Trump would then declare it was diabolical plot by Hillary and Obama to make him look bad. FOX News would declare that it was a victory for the Deep State.
One of the aspects of having private sector space programs is that NASA employees have somewhere else to go. On the one hand, Republicans would cheer as they hand out the contracts to companies in their districts. On the other hand, they'd lament the fact that they cannot now claim intrepid victories for government under their watch. I think the former would win out since in their view government's job is to hand out contracts to companies in their districts, the people be damned.
I literally cited you a historic example. Did you miss it?