By Chuck Black

American experts and industry suppliers are slowly chiming in on US Vice President Mike Pence's aggressive demand that the US commit to placing " boots on the Moon" by 2024. The emerging consensus is that the goal is achievable, but difficult and will " require concerted effort by NASA, the White House, and the Office of Management and Budget."

As outlined in the March 28th, 2019 Space.com post, " Can NASA Really Put Astronauts on the Moon in 2024?," Pence has instructed NASA to put US astronauts on the lunar surface by 2024, four years earlier than previously planned...

          By Chuck Black

It's worth noting that very few large government or private sector organizations ever announce new initiatives unless they're having trouble raising enough money to build the consensus needed for the previous plan.

Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's just the way the world works.

It's also worth noting that, in Canada at least, our space program has recently tied its future to approximately $2Bln CDN of new funding over the next twenty-four years to construct an AI turbocharged next generation Canadarm for the NASA led Lunar Gateway.

The Gateway is one of two major US programs which could very well end up delayed or on the chopping block to fund this latest, boots on the Moon, US initiative.  Or worse, each individual programs could continue but no single program would ever receive enough of a budget to ever accomplish something. 

That would be kinda like how things are now...