Proving Ground / Prospector (Taiwan-US Lunar lander)

[Grey Havoc]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMXWsiaEK6Q

https://science.slashdot.org/story/16/07/19/0157238/taiwan-building-lunar-lander-for-nasa-moon-mining-mission​

The 'Proving Ground' project is intended to develop and launch the Prospector, which in turn is primarily intended as a technology testbed for the 'Journey To Mars' program.

 

[blackstar]

The 'Proving Ground' project is intended to develop and launch the Prospector, which in turn is primarily intended as a technology testbed for the 'Journey To Mars' program.

That's what NASA may say, but it's not accurate. They put "Journey to Mars" in every single press release they write. New Horizons flew past Pluto and they said that it was a step on the "Journey to Mars." Juno entered orbit around Jupiter and they said it was a step on the "Journey to Mars."

Prospector is unfortunately a non-program. When the Bush administration created Constellation, they created an offshoot called Lunar Scout that was going to be lunar precursor missions before humans went there. Obama killed Constellation. Lunar Scout limped along without any money but because it was managed out of Alabama, which had a powerful senator. JSC got involved in Prospector. At various times NASA people get assigned to it and have come up with instruments for it. But there is no program to build a rover, and NASA has said that they will not build the lander. NASA officially committed to providing a rocket to launch it, but then backed off on that commitment. So NASA's commitment now is to maybe build some instruments if other countries build all the other stuff (rocket, lander, rover)--but they're not doing that.

There is some clever stuff for it, but no commitment to build any of it. It's a shame.

Maybe the next administration will do something different.