Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday directed NASA to return humans to the surface of the moon within the next five years, using either the troubled Space Launch System (SLS) rocket or a rocket from a private space company.
"It is the stated policy of this Administration and the United States of America to return astronauts to the Moon within the next five years."
Why it matters: Returning humans to the moon, establishing a permanent human presence there and then launching Mars missions is the Trump administration's vision for the next iteration of American space exploration. It's also ambitious, and a timetable that's likely to slip.
Pine Ridge Reservation residents were stranded without water and the South Dakota Army National Guard activated to help Monday, after flooding washed out a county rural water line and a humanitarian crisis continued to unfold.
Why it matters: An enormous amount of flooding caused by a blizzard and then melting snow has devastated the usually dry region over the past 2 weeks. It is one of many places in the Midwest to be impacted by deadly flooding, which prompted President Trump to approve a disaster declaration for parts of Nebraska and Iowa. But as some regions slowly begin to recover, the remote reservation remains in crisis.
NASA has cancelled its first-ever all-female spacewalk, slated to take place on Friday, citing "spacesuit availability" on the International Space Station.
Details: NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Anne McClain were expected to conduct a spacewalk to perform maintenance on the ISS. But during a more than 6-hour spacewalk to repair batteries on the ISS last week, McClain discovered that a medium-sized spacesuit fit her better than a large.
"McClain learned during her first spacewalk that a medium-size hard upper torso — essentially the shirt of the spacesuit — fits her best. Because only one medium-size torso can be made ready by Friday, March 29, Koch will wear it," NASA said in a statement Monday. Astronaut Nick Hague will take McClain’s place.
