With the close of the 103rd Congress, the effort to pass the Lunar Resources Data Purchase Act has come to an end. Although abridged versions of the original bill were passed by both Houses of Congress, there was insufficient time at the end of the session to resolve the minor differences between the two Houses. Therefore, like most bills, the Lunar Resources Data Purchase Act passed into oblivion. However, we will explain why this was not necessarily a bad outcome.
Because of momentum from 1994, and change in the halls of Congress, we have a real chance in 1995 to open the solar system to affordable exploration. All we ask now is that you let us know that you want to help. If we miss this chance, we may not get another one for a long, long time.
The Lunar Resources Data Purchase Act was designed to authorize the government to purchase space science data (concerning the Moon, Mars, or other space bodies) from private companies selected on the basis of competitive bidding. The purpose was threefold: 1) to return America towards lunar exploration; 2) to promote commercial space development; and 3) to save taxpayers the $150 million that NASA required to explore the Moon.
Since the introduction of the Lunar Resources Data Purchase Act in July, 1993, several important events have unfolded: private companies have announced plans to explore the Moon on a commercial basis; the Clementine spacecraft, built and launched by the U.S. military, surveyed the Moon in several wavelengths (including optical), and may have discovered water ice at the lunar poles; and the Mars Observer spacecraft, built and flown at a cost of almost $1 billion to the U.S. taxpayer, disappeared in mid-flight. These developments have validated the initial assumptions, and the goals, of the Lunar Resources Data Purchase Act.
As a further note, Clementine II, a follow-on military lunar mission, has been effectively canceled. Its backers are now planning to re-target the mission from the Moon to a near Earth asteroid, and thus, the U.S. government once again has no plans to Return to the Moon.
With the end of the 103rd Congress, we are now faced with the prospect of a new effort to pass the Lunar Resources Data Purchase Act. Since LRDPA, in condensed form, did pass the relevant committees in Congress this year, the initial strategy for the next Congress was to have followed two tracks:
1) Re-introduce the Lunar bill largely as was written last year. As such considerable progress was made in the 103rd Congress, passage of some version of the Lunar bill would be virtually assured in the next Congress.
2) Approach NASA directly and convince them to make a small purchase of lunar science data immediately. Since the NASA Authorization committees did pass a data purchase measure this year, the NASA Administrator could likely re-program a small sum for a space science data purchase without fear of congressional wrath.
However, the environment has changed radically in the last few weeks, as control of the 104th Congress has been taken by the Republicans. This means that our strategy for 1995 will change.
The next version of the Lunar Resources Data Purchase Act will contain not just an authorization for NASA to purchase space science data, but an appropriation for such a purchase. Because private companies with plans to explore the Moon are seeking private customers, it is no longer necessary for the government to act as an anchor tenant - or to fund the entire mission. Therefore, the appropriation to be incorporated in the next version of the Lunar Resources Data Purchase Act will be significantly lower than the full cost of a private lunar mission, but high enough for NASA to be a potential valuable customer. Because this appropriation can be so low, there may be two purchases of lunar science data: one from orbit, and one from the lunar surface.
Finally, because the scope of the bill has expanded from the Moon to the entire inner solar system, the name will change next year. Suggestions are welcome.
To help pass the Lunar Resources Data Purchase Act, please contact David Anderman at 916/421-2621, or via E-mail. Again, your help could provide the difference in 1995.
During the effort to pass the Lunar Resources Data Purchase Act, it became obvious that there were possibilities beyond lunar science data purchases for this new type of quasi-government space exploration. In the area of human Mars exploration, a key question is whether it is possible to extract rocket fuels from Martian atmosphere. As the relatively affordable Mars mission architecture designed by Robert Zubrin - "Mars Direct" - depends on such a chemical process, the only means of convincing those holding the purse-strings of the viability of the "Mars Direct" approach is to send a precursor mission to Mars that would land on the surface and convert Martian air into a methane and oxygen fuel supply.
Once the Lunar Resources Data Purchase Act were to be enacted into law in 1995, an appropriation could be requested to allow NASA purchase the data from such a conversion of Mars atmosphere to rocket fuel.
One possible extension of this mission would be to use the produced rocket fuel to return a small sample to Earth. This mission (launched not by a Titan IV, but by a Delta - or smaller - rocket) could be conducted at a cost an order of magnitude cheaper than any previous NASA estimate. Once again, such a sample would be purchased from the lowest qualified bidder by NASA under the Lunar Resources Data Purchase Act.
In response to this possibility, Martin Marietta has recently developed a tiny device that can convert Mars atmosphere into usable rocket fuel, using just 150 watts. Clearly, the technology for this exciting mission is at hand, and private companies are ready to build and fly spacecraft to Mars - we simply need to follow up on the progress of last year. Again, your help is needed to make this a reality.
For more information send email to David Anderman