NASA, JEFF BEZOS, ELON MUSK, MOON

NASA Awards Contracts for Moon Spacecraft

Source:  Blue Origin & Jeff Bezos

Humans Back on the Moon by 2024

NASA just awarded contracts to three

companies to build spacecraft capable of

landing astronauts on the Moon.  Blue

Origin, the space company founded by

Amazon's Jeff Bezos, SpaceX founded by

Tesla's Elon Musk and Dynetics, a 

subsidiary of the IT company Leidos,

are the winners.

Is There Life in Space?

The contract is a big win for Bezos

and Blue Origin.  He has been urging

NASA to explore the Moon's south pole

where scientists have discovered water

in the form of ice.  Water is the key

ingredient that NASA targets in its

search for life in space.  Bezos has 

been pushing his Blue Moon lunar lander.

He's pulled in Lockheed Martin,

Northrup Grumman and Draper Labs

as part of his Blue Moon development

team.  According to Bezos, "We're not

going back to the Moon to visit.  We're

going back to stay."  Blue Origin

received the biggest contract: $579

million.

NASA's Search Goals

NASA wants to set up a permanent

base on the south pole of the Moon.

NASA wants to explore how the ice might

sustain life and if there are any forms or

remnants of life in the ice.  Also, NASA

wants to determine  if the ice

could be converted into rocket

fuel for spacecraft in space.

Lunar Competition

SpaceX, Blue Origin and Dynetics

will be competing against each other

for the spacecraft development.

The plan is to fly the astronauts in 

the Orion spacecraft, built by

Lockheed Martin.  Orion would go into

lunar orbit where it would meet up and

dock with the new lander spacecraft, 

which would fly the astronauts to the

Moon.

2024 Moon Landing

NASA is pressing ahead with its

goal to put humans on the Moon in

2024.  It would be the first time

since 1972.  The lunar mission is

called Artemis.  Before takeoff, the

US Congress must approve a budget 

for it, estimated at $35 billion to $50

billion.

Elon Musk's Vision of Space

With his company SpaceX,

Elon Musk wants to move

humanity deep into space. He

plans to start with a base on the

Moon and eventually have a

self-sustaining city on Mars.

Musk has enjoyed a series of

NASA wins.  On May 27, SpaceX 

will fly US astronauts to the 

International Space Station.  He

also won a $7 billion contract to

ferry supplies to the ISS.

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