NASA Secretary Visits Japan next month to talk about manned exploration to the moon and Mars August 17th 8:26
NASA = Director-General of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Bridenstein, is expected to visit Japan next month to discuss the aim of the Trump administration in the United States and cooperation for manned exploration on Mars.
The American Trump administration is working on the “Artemis Project” to send American astronauts to the moon by 2024, and is aiming for manned exploration to Mars after establishing a base in the moon.
At the Japan-US summit meeting in May, Japan agreed to cooperate with this plan.
As a result, NASA = Director of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Bridenstein, is expected to visit Japan for the first time since taking office in late next month.
Secretary Breidenstein will meet with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and the executives of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency to discuss the concept of construction of the new space station “Gateway” that goes around the moon, in addition to the “Artemis Project” promoted by the United States. .
As the United States is rapidly advancing space development, such as China landing an unmanned spacecraft on the back of the moon, the United States is calling for international cooperation because there is a limit to manned exploration by one country. I would like to bring out effective cooperation.
In addition, Vice President Pence, chairman of the National Space Council, following Secretary Breidenstein, is also considering visiting Japan in October, and if the visit to Japan is realized, discussions on Japan-US cooperation over space development will accelerate. Is the prospect.
Artemis plan for lunar exploration
The Trump administration names the plan to send American astronauts back to the moon by 2024 as the “Artemis Project”.
Like the “Apollo Project”, which landed on the moon 50 years ago, it was named after Greek mythology. “Artemis” is the twin sister of “Apollo” and the goddess of the moon.
In the Artemis plan, the next year, 2020, the spacecraft “Orion” will be launched unattended, and a test flight around the moon will be conducted.
And in 2022, this time the astronaut actually boarded and made a test flight, and plans to land on the moon by 2024, the Trump administration sends the first female astronaut to the moon, to the South Pole of the moon Appealing to reach humanity for the first time.
NASA initially set the lunar landing period in 2028 over this plan, but the Trump administration is not able to keep up with China, which is rapidly advancing space development. And instructed NASA to do so by 2024.
Furthermore, the Trump administration will proceed with the construction of a new space station "Gateway" that orbits the moon, and after establishing a base in the South Pole, where the possibility of water being present in ice is pointed out, Plan to aim for Mars.
However, in order to realize a manned exploration plan aiming at the moon and Mars, the government budget of the United States alone is limited, and it is an issue whether international cooperation can be drawn out as well as cooperation of private companies.