Space Community Coming to 'Plymouth Rock' Human Outerspace Mission for Thanksgiving

Over three years ago the buzz of a new human mission destination began to bubble within planetary science circles across the nation; and more recently, the buzz is growing into a clammier by some in space policy circles to take humans to a new destination: near earth asteroids (NEO's). The mission is now dubbed "Plymouth Rock," as space science journalist Leonard David reports. NASA's leadership may have been briefed just this week prior to the Thanksgiving holiday on key aspects of such a proposed Orion Mayflower-like mission.

Yesterday Space Frontier Foundation co-founder Rick Tumlinson noted in an e-Mail that: "when it comes to the Moon vs. NEOs we want it all. But right now the cultural 'permission to spend' tax dollars is not favourable to the Moon. An NEO mission plays into several factors that do work in the current climate."

Tumlinson seeks to make five points:

1. G.W. Bush put his stamp on the Moon (and blew it). Just as Nixon hated the idea that Apollo was a legacy of Kennedy, so too Obama will want something that is uniquely his historically.

2. Obama needs something inspiring to help rally the imagination of a new generation that sees Apollo and the Moon as some sort of black and white newsreel from the dawn of time.

3. NEO's play well into the planetary survival ethic sweeping the new generations and allow a cultural marketing narrative regarding saving the Earth.

4. Given the gravity well issues, it is far easier and cheaper to do than going down into the Moon's and coming back up again - which NASA can't afford. It literally is more about long trip times, the ability to maneuver in micro G and handling materials/samples/contaminants.

5. NASA doesn't have to justify it in terms of how it really fits a Mars scenario other than one that is visit only oriented. In other words, a Lunar outpost scenario requires ongoing financial support, all kinds of mental (for NASA) gymnastics about how to create long term viability and crosses into that nasty (for NASA) area of how to deal with a private sector hand off/legacy.

SO, there you have it. Such a mission will certainly give meaning to the so-called "flexiable path" and give rise to the Ares-V heavy-lift that this Blogger endorsed some time ago. Just-in-time [JIT] for Thanksgiving Holiday, the Old and New space communities are arriving at Plymouth Rock! :-) [see vid]