New class of NASA astronauts faces uncertain future

By Heather Hamilton, contributing writer

NASA’s 2017 class of astronauts, who range in age from 28 to 42, was recently celebrated in a Houston ceremony — only 12 from 18,300 applicants. According to Ars Technica, the seven men and five women include former fighter pilots, engineers, marine biologists, and physicians.

Where they’ll go remains to be seen; speeches given at the ceremony lacked specifics. “One of these folks behind us could be one that takes that next iconic giant leap and says the words similar to what Neil Armstrong said when he stepped onto the moon,” said Robert Lightfoot, acting NASA Administrator. “That’s what the future is for these folks. And it’s very, very exciting when you think about it.” 

The ambiguity is due, in part, to NASA’s lack of funding under the current administration — they can’t exactly fund a trip to the moon or Mars, leaving new astronauts earthbound. President Trump’s 2018 budget request for NASA doesn’t allot enough money for the development of any new Mars missions. The Verge reports that NASA faces flat budgets for at least five years and doesn’t adjust for inflation.

In an interview with The Verge, Casey Dreier, director of space policy at the Planetary Society, said, “Right now, we are unconsciously setting ourselves up for a very difficult Mars program in the 2020s because of all these immediate needs. We don’t want to have a problem where we’ve prepared these samples and then they just rot on the ground because we’re unable to commit to bringing them back.”

In an article republished on Forbes, award-winning sci-fi author C. Stuart Hardwick speculates that private innovation will not rid NASA, and future astronauts, of their jobs because there’s always a next step. However, he believes that eventually, they may turn over most manned spaceflight to the private industry, focusing instead on making aircraft safer.

He writes, “Currently, NASA consumes half a percent of the federal budget, and that is outrageously shortsighted. We are giving away the future, not only of space, but of all sorts of related technologies, to other, more civic-minded nations.”

Kayla Barron, 2017 NASA candidate, told the Tri-City Herald that it will probably be several years before she’ll be assigned to a mission but that she’s been told it could be on the Soyuz or on rockets and space capsules under development.

Vice President Mike Pence, who spoke at the ceremony, said, “Under the leadership of President Donald Trump, the United States will usher in a new era of space exploration that will benefit every facet of our national life. It will strengthen our national security and the safety of the American people. It will strengthen our economy, as we unlock new opportunities and new sources of prosperity. It will strengthen education in inspiring a rising generation of Americans to study science, technology, engineering, and math.”

So there’s some ambiguity for these astronauts, and for NASA, they’re hopeful. Jonny Kim, a physician and astronaut candidate told Ars Technica, “I think [that] for the future, maybe, it’s a little unclear. We’re just happy to be here.”

Sources: Ars Technica, The Verge, Forbes, Tri-City Herald

Image Source: Pixabay