NASA Administrator talks Ohio's future for space exploration, budget concerns and return to the Moon

CLEVELAND — The next mission to the Moon will liftoff from Florida, but much of the preparation being done happens right in Northeast Ohio at NASA's two area facilities.

Watch reporter Clay LePard's full story on News 5 at 6 p.m.

Between NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland and the Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, the two help contribute about $2 billion in economic impact across Ohio every year.

However both facilities, along with almost every other NASA facility, could face budget reductions as lawmakers in Washington D.C. continue to debate the White House's proposed $27.2 billion 2024 budget for NASA.

News 5 spoke with NASA Administrator Bill Nelson in a wide-ranging conversation as part of a visit to Northeast Ohio. The conversation took place at Progressive Field, where Nelson threw out the ceremonial first pitch Monday night.

"We're in the golden age of space exploration," Nelson explained. "NASA is constantly evolving because our technology is changing. We are doing things that we could never believe."

Ohio Governor issues concerns over NASA budget

On Friday afternoon, Governor Mike DeWine sent Administrator Nelson a letter voicing his apprehension about the ongoing negotiations over the federal budget.

DeWine's letter comes after Connecticut Democratic Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro asked NASA for an analysis of what capping NASA's budget would look like.

Nelson responded with two scenarios involving varying budget reductions of $5.6 billion and $1.3 billion, meant to mirror a 22% cut and a similar budget to what was passed for 2022. (Read Nelson's response letter here.)

"None of NASA is safe," Nelson said to News 5. "If the budget that was just passed in the House [of Representative], that goes back to a 2022 budget level and if the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs are exempted, every other agency in the federal government would have to take a 22% hit. Now, that's almost a quarter of your budget. That would devastate NASA, not only here in Ohio, but all across the country."

Administrator Nelson told News 5 that if those proposed cuts were enacted, they would slow down a return to the Moon and jeopardize other NASA missions.

"I'm going to send Mike [DeWine] a text and say, 'Look, there's something you can help with: talk to your Ohio delegation and get them to come to their senses about what this would do to NASA,'" Nelson said.

A return to the Moon

Last month, NASA announced the four astronauts who will travel around the Moon on Artemis II, which is scheduled to launch in November 2024.

The flight will set the stage for the first woman and first person of color on the Moon through the Artemis program.

"We're going back to the Moon for a different purpose this time," Nelson explained. "A half a century ago, we went just to do it and it was extraordinary. But now we're going to live, to learn, to invent, to create an order so that we can go to Mars with humans."

Just like the first trip to the Moon, Nelson said present-day space exploration also involves a foreign competitor — but this time, it's China.

"China has clearly made no bones about it; they're going to land Chinese taikonauts, their astronauts, on the Moon," he said. "I believe we will be there first."

During testimony for a U.S. House Appropriations Committee budget hearing last month, Administrator Nelson pointed out what could happen if China arrived on the Moon first.

"What's to stop them from saying 'We're here, this is our area, you stay out'?" he said. "It's important for us to get there on an international mission and establish the rules of the road. It's for peaceful purposes and it's for all of us to cooperate together."

How NASA technology extends beyond space

As discussions continue over NASA's $27 billion proposed federal budget, Nelson pointed out just how the agency's work is used beyond aviation and space research.

"In your pocket, that cell phone takes beautiful pictures," Nelson remarked. "That's a camera on a chip that was developed by NASA. That was developed so that we could observe from space the Earth. People don't realize that, but that's an example of the spin-offs of our technology into our everyday lives."

What's next?

Whether it's images uncovering the unknown of the universe with the James Webb Telescope, or a march toward Mars, Nelson told News 5 what’s being done by NASA, here in Ohio and beyond, can unlock a new chapter in what’s possible.

"I think we are going to find very shortly a medium-sized planet revolving around a medium-sized sun and see with our telescope the chemical composition to create an atmosphere that would be habitable," Nelson explained. "I think we will have that discovery within the next decade or so."

Clay LePard is a special projects reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on Twitter @ClayLePard or on Facebook Clay LePard News 5. 

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