The launch of Artemis I has been postponed and the story behind NASA’s mission – The Gauntlet

By Rodrigo Verney, September 30, 2022—

Artemis I was a mission as important as it was controversial. The long-awaited launch has been postponed again. Although Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques agrees it was the right move, public unrest is steadily mounting and years of budget cuts and distrust of NASA as an organization are beginning to take the hegemony the agency maintained for 51 years seriously too threatening years now. The deadlines are approaching and the threat of budget shifting to private American space companies is more present than ever. In the face of so many expectations and disappointments, getting man back to the moon almost becomes a necessity.

NASA has been a household name since they rose from the ground to help Neil Armstrong take a small step into the Earth’s satellite. It captured the hearts of everyone watching TV that day. Raising the bar for itself higher than ever and essentially ushering in the end of one of the greatest ideological disputes of the last century. So the question on everyone’s lips remains the same. How can an organization fall out of favor so quickly? That answer must come with a little journey through NASA history.

What most people don’t understand about NASA’s first ascent is that it wasn’t as beautiful as history makes it out to be. Its launch in the late 1960s was more out of necessity than a natural movement toward the study of astronomy, as some might believe. The need to keep up with the USSR’s rapid scientific advances led to a special budget for space exploration. For the newly assembled team of astronomers, scientists, and space explorers, things quickly crystallized. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to defeat the ever-increasing conquests of the Soviet Union. They were the first to launch a satellite and did the famous “spacewalk” just four years before America’s trip to the moon.

NASA would need more than evolve naturally to match Soviet intensity. As the conflict gained popularity and the American people began to show interest in defeating the Soviets, NASA’s budget skyrocketed from less than 0.5 percent of the federal budget to 4.5 percent in nearly 10 years. In the few years leading up to the actual lunar mission, the stakes got even higher. Such was the need for a successful mission that the United States granted them a Get out of Jail Free Card. Just like that, NASA had a $5.9 billion budget ($54 billion in 2022 dollars) and full political immunity. Thanks to so many perks, NASA made one of mankind’s greatest conquests.

Little did they know that their golden era would be short-lived. That budget was too unsustainable to keep, so they had to lower the bar accordingly. Everyone expected a budget cut, but no one would believe how far they would go. By 1970 they suffered a loss of more than half of their budget. That alone is difficult enough to handle. You don’t just go from $5 billion to $3 billion without major layoffs and a de-escalation of production. They also lost their political immunity, which was ultimately for the better. When everything seemed bad, however, it somehow got worse. The 2008 market crash coupled with a steady increase in the military budget made NASA’s budget unable to maintain a constant value and has remained in a steady decline ever since.

That’s why Artemis I, II, and III mean so much now. This could be NASA’s mission of salvation. The moment it will turn a whole generation into believers again. Even after so many setbacks, both in the path that brought us here and in the Laughter Mission itself, it will be a worthwhile endeavor, even with further delays should they happen. It will be a lesson for anyone who dreams of the stars. They will pave the way for the first woman and the first people of color to set foot on lunar soil. Empowering them with one simple step, but taking a giant leap in the right direction.