Hopefully John Hodgman was correct in calling Obama the first nerd president. If not, humans might not reach the Moon anytime soon because we all know a jock wouldn’t fund a science project. The current target is 2020 and the development is already underway of the vehicles needed to get people there. But there is one small issue: Money. NASA needs lots of money.
NASA had $3 billion cut from its budget back in February, but according to a committee setup by Obama, that’s just a drop in the bucket. In order to keep NASA on the current timetable, the agency is going to need $50 billion more added to its budget. But this is Washington we’re talking about and they want solutions, not begging – unless you’re Wall Street. The committee is going to present alternatives including new vehicles and different space targets.
So as it stands today, manned missions to the Moon seems like a pipe dream. Everyone knows our country is broke.