The House of Representatives of the US Congress, considering the federal budget for next year, recommended NASA to forget about the mission to capture the asteroid and return to manned flights to the Moon, according to The Space Reporter. According to members of the lower house, this will allow the development of technologies for the future travel of man to Mars.
For a long time, the administration of President Barack Obama believed that manned missions to asteroids, which could serve as a springboard for flights to Mars, should become one of the leading areas of the US space program until 2015. It was planned that the asteroids would be transported to the Moon using special spacecraft, where astronauts could visit them. However, now that the second term of Barack Obama's presidency has come to an end, Congress has recommended that the space agency reconsider its priorities.
For the needs of the asteroid mission, NASA requested $ 66.7 billion, but Congress rejected the application, explaining that it was necessary to return to manned flights to the moon. According to the House of Representatives, the Moon is the best springboard for testing the technologies necessary for the trip to Mars, which is planned to be made in the mid-2030s.
American astronaut-researcher Leroy Chiao agrees with the position of the legislators. According to him, the next generation of astronauts and space engineers must test their knowledge and skills on the Moon before conquering the Red Planet. In addition, Earth's natural satellite is a better testing ground for technology than asteroids.
For flights to the asteroid, NASA developed the Orion spacecraft, which was previously intended for new flights to the moon. It is likely that with a change in priorities, this ship will still return to its original mission.