The United States is, finally, again gearing up to boldly go where no man has gone before. On Friday, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced a major organizational restructuring. The goal? To speed-boost progress towards a permanent American moon base.
NASA announced Friday an agencywide realignment to increase mission focus and move out on the National Space Policy. These changes position the agency to better deliver on the nation’s highest‑priority objectives with speed and efficiency.
During the Ignition event in late March, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and agency leaders outlined the most pressing objectives to deliver on the next chapter of American leadership in space. President Trump’s Executive Order Ensuring American Space Superiority, otherwise known as the National Space Policy, directed NASA to focus talent and resources on objectives including accelerating the Artemis program, establishing a Moon Base, developing a nuclear space reactor, igniting the orbital economy, and expanding missions of science and discovery.
Yup. A moon base. Budget-wise, though, it looks like NASA may be trying to do more with less.
The restructuring comes as NASA faces a contested budget request in Washington. The White House has proposed cutting the agency's budget from $24.4 billion to $18.8 billion – a 23% reduction – while the House Appropriations Committee has advanced legislation keeping funding flat, rejecting the administration's request.
Under the changes, mission directorates will now report directly to Isaacman rather than through the associate administrator, a move the agency said would streamline decision-making and improve coordination across NASA's centers and international partnerships. The associate administrator will also serve as NASA's chief engineer under the new structure.
Having any agency of the United States government do more with less isn't a bad idea. It encourages creative thinking.
Read More: Lunar Base 2027: NASA Boss Drops Explosive New Artemis Timeline
SpaceX's IPO Numbers Are So Massive They Could Make Elon Musk the First Trillionaire
Here's the thing: Any moon base may be permanent, in that the structure will be intended to last a long time. The people, though, will by necessity be temporary. This will be the hardship posting of hardship postings, and will have to be limited to, I would guess, no more than a few months.
Why? Here's why, and I'm going to tell you: Gravity. The Moon's gravity is about 16.6 percent that of Earth. Anyone stationed on the Moon will be like anyone staying in orbit; they will have to exercise vigorously to maintain bone density and muscle mass. As for a permanent colony, that would entail some real biological problems; for one thing, we have no idea what a baby carried to term in the Moon's microgravity would be like. Even if it were possible to conceive and carry a baby to term, any child growing up in that low gravity would look very odd by our standards, and the child would likely never be able to visit Earth.
The Moon, though, would make a great launching pad for exploration farther into the solar system. Forget Mars; imagine the mineral wealth that is to be had in the asteroid belt.
For now, though, this project is very much in the "imagination" stage. That's OK. We all have to start somewhere. Oh, and as of this writing, it's unclear as to whether any American moon base will feature a giant "laser."
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.
Help us continue to report on the administration’s peace through strength foreign policy and its successes. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member