Loren Grush has the story on the cancellation of the lunar Resource Prospector:
Metzger can only speculate as to why the mission was moved. “I don’t really know what the motive was, but I’m guessing it was probably budget related,” he says. NASA’s human exploration program is currently working on a giant new rocket, the Space Launch System, which takes up a sizable portion of the annual human exploration budget. It’s also behind schedule, so it’s possible Resource Prospector was moved to the science directorate to free up funds to prevent further delays.
If this was done to provide more money to pour down the SLS rathole, is there a better example of how SLS is a roadblock to actually going back to the moon, rather than an enabler?
— Rand Simberg (@Rand_Simberg) April 27, 2018
[Update late morning]
Does Bridenstine know this is happening?
[Noon update]
FWIW, here’s what Mary Lynne Dittmar has to say:
Hi – your assumption is incorrect; this has nothing to do with SLS. The issue is different mission concepts internal to NASA that need to be resolved before instrumentation and budget are reallocated. What that looks like going forward is not clear, unfortunately.
— Mary Lynne Dittmar, Ph.D. (@DittmarML) April 27, 2018
[Afternoon update]
We’re committed to lunar exploration @NASA. Resource Prospector instruments will go forward in an expanded lunar surface campaign. More landers. More science. More exploration. More prospectors. More commercial partners. Ad astra! https://t.co/FaxO6WUDow
— Jim Bridenstine (@JimBridenstine) April 27, 2018
This is good news.
.