Month: May 2020

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NASA Returns to the Moon, Part 3

The New York Analysis of Policy and Government concludes its presentation of NASA’s plans to return to the Moon.

A VIBRANT EARTH-MOON FUTURE 

Whenever the first human mission to Mars occurs, it will not mean that we are done with the Moon. The windows for launching the two-year mission to Mars open up every few years, and we will continue to conduct human missions to the lunar surface to test systems, conduct scientific investigations, and continue to develop our sustainable lunar presence as we prepare for the optimal launch window. 

We will continue to explore the Moon indefinitely — leveraging robotic deliveries provided by CLPS providers, longer duration human missions, and commercial and international 

partnerships that will add to the Artemis Base Camp elements NASA puts in place. The LTV, habitable mobility platform and foundation surface habitat will stay on the Moon enabling crews to live on the lunar surface for months at a time. The rovers and crew-tended capabilities on the Moon will be designed to operate autonomously and to work with independent robotic assistants. 

In addition to testing our systems for the first mission to Mars, a core purpose of Artemis Base Camp will be to demonstrate new technologies that, over time, will expand our capabilities and reduce the costs of lunar operations. Astronauts at Artemis Base Camp will be testing a wide set of new technologies in six priority areas encompassed by the recently announced Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative (i.e. ISRU; surface power; extreme access; excavation and construction; lunar dust mitigation; and extreme environments). Some of these technologies will help from the beginning, such as lunar dust mitigation and enabling operations in extreme environments like the cold of the lunar night. Other technologies are in early development for significant long-term benefits. For example, ISRU will enable the production of fuel, water, and/or oxygen from local materials, enabling sustainable surface operations with decreasing supply needs from Earth. For surface power, our goal is to develop advanced solar collection and a small, lightweight fission power system to support even longer-duration missions and operations on the Moon, and eventually for Mars and beyond. Autonomous manufacturing, excavation, and construction technologies will make infrastructure emplacement more affordable. 

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Astronauts will also conduct tests of advanced robotics, including future biomimetic systems that enable more autonomous operations at the Moon and can serve as robotic assistants to the crew. In time, Artemis Base Camp might also include a hopper that could deliver science and technology payloads all over the Moon and which could be operated by crew at Artemis Base Camp and refueled using locally sourced propellant. A lunar far-side radio telescope could also be remotely emplaced and operated from Artemis Base Camp – a sort of backyard radio- telescope at our first encampment on the Moon. 

Developing a sustained and vibrant lunar presence will not only require the best of NASA and its international partner space agencies, but also the best of the entire U.S. government and commercial sector. Establishing the infrastructure that will enable additional international and commercial partnerships will result in opportunities for the first international and commercial astronauts on the lunar surface, opening up Earth’s ’s off-shore continent for ongoing human discovery and development. NASA’s unique leadership and capabilities will be combined with innovation and contributions from the same sectors that fuel our nation and economy here on Earth.

THE INITIAL HUMAN MARS MISSION 

The success of the first human mission to Mars requires a voyage of stunning technological and operational complexity. The distance from Earth to the Moon is a relatively manageable 250,000 miles. In contrast, Mars is, on average, 140 million miles from Earth. The challenges of a mission to Mars are compounded not only by these distances but by the more dangerous levels and types of radiation that is found in deep space. Mars’ atmosphere – while intriguing from a scientific perspective – also presents distinct challenges for getting humans to and from its surface. 

The initial lunar missions will greatly inform our concept of operations for Mars. Every day in deep space increases the probability of catastrophic events occurring. The concept of operations NASA is working toward for the first human mission to Mars is therefore one that reduces trip time significantly and minimizes time spent on the surface to around 30-45 days. Factors NASA will continue to consider include: risks to crew health during transit, both from galactic cosmic ray (GCR) radiation and from potential catastrophic mission events; the complexity of mission operations on the Martian surface; and the complexity and cost of mission systems, such as in-space propulsion, the ability to land heavy payloads, and required surface systems. NASA has targeted conducting a human mission to Mars that can be realized as soon as possible, while still ensuring that our Mars surface capabilities will allow for extensive exploration on our first mission, including a search for Martian life. The Moon will allow us to test and demonstrate significant parts of this mission before sending humans on this epic journey. NASA will have more to share on the strategy for how the Moon prepares us for the first human mission to Mars in the coming months. 

Illustration: NASA

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Quick Analysis

NASA Returns to the Moon, Part 2

The New York Analysis continues its presentation of NASA’s plans to return to the Moon, and utilize its resources to expand the economy and enhance scientific knowledge.

ROBOTIC MISSIONS

Our return to the Moon begins with robots. For more than a decade, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has been imaging and mapping the Moon for scientific research and in preparation for a human return. NASA’s new Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative has already selected the first two robotic missions that, beginning in 2021, will deliver science and commercial payloads to the surface of the Moon. NASA has also committed to using this approach to deliver its next robotic lunar rover, the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER), which will conduct science investigations of the lunar volatiles at the Moon’s South Pole. The data produced by VIPER will inform future in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) technologies. On the lunar surface we will demonstrate precision landing, starting with CLPS deliveries to build experience and improve capabilities that will enhance all future landings, human and robotic. Later, the CLPS approach will be used to deliver other large cargo elements in direct support of human lunar missions. 

Overall, while orbital missions have provided extensive information about the lunar surface and its potential resources, robotic lunar surface scouts are essential to validate these observations and prepare for human habitation and utilization of the Moon’s rich array of resources from volatiles to minerals. Landers and rovers provide excellent platforms to demonstrate technologies that will enable greater lunar surface mission capabilities and have applications that extend beyond the Moon to Mars initiative, such as terrestrial robotic mining systems and next-generation power storage. Multiple landers will provide a global view of the Moon and its resources. Rovers will be used to explore the surface more extensively, carrying a variety of instruments including ISRU experiments that will generate detailed information on the availability and extraction of usable resources (e.g., oxygen and water). 

These robotic efforts will unleash a broad array of inquiry and scientific investigations. The Moon is a natural laboratory to study planetary processes and evolution, and a platform from which to observe the universe. Bombarded by solar and cosmic radiation for billions of years  and left largely undisturbed, the Moon is a historic archive of our Sun and solar system. Scientific discoveries are locked in its regolith that could lead to improved understanding of our own planet and its evolution. The far side of the Moon offers an unparalled window to look back into the beginning of the universe. It also harbors resources, such as water, that are among the rarest and most precious commodities in space, offering potential sustenance and fuel for future explorers. 

THE EARLY ARTEMIS MISSIONS 

The foundation for our return to the Moon is NASA’s Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System (SLS). The Orion spacecraft has been designed for deep space operations around the Moon for up to four crew members, and the SLS is the powerful heavy-lift rocket designed to launch it, and potentially other high-mass cargo to the lunar environment. Added to these are the two newest elements of the lunar return architecture under contract, the power and propulsion element (PPE) and the habitation and logistics outpost (HALO). Together they form the Gateway’s foundation as the Artemis lunar orbiting platform. Early Gateway operations will be autonomous, with help from NASA’s Mission Control Center at Johnson Space Center in Houston to conduct systems checkouts and capture critical scientific data about the deep space environment. Orion will deliver the first crew to Gateway when the human landing system (HLS) capability can enable lunar expeditions to be staged from the stable Gateway orbit. Building confidence in this system of an orbiting command module and deployable landers will serve as a critical analog for human missions to the surface of Mars. It will also serve as a strategic capability – allowing access and presence in the orbital lanes around the Moon and to the rest of the solar system. 

The Artemis program begins with an uncrewed flight test of the SLS and Orion (Artemis I), then a crewed flight test (Artemis II). Artemis I will see SLS send an uncrewed Orion 280,000 miles from Earth, thousands of miles beyond the Moon over the course of an approximately three- week mission. Mission controllers on Earth will collect data to assess the performance of both spacecraft. This mission will also deploy 13 CubeSats that will conduct new scientific investigations and new technology demonstrations that will engage a broader set of universities and companies in lunar exploration than ever before on a single mission. 

With the first crewed flight test of the SLS and Orion, Artemis II, astronauts will return to the vicinity of the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years. This will be an Apollo 8 moment for a new generation. At the end of this mission, NASA intends to have tested every hardware, software, and operational component of Artemis III except for the actual landing on the surface. 

Artemis III will be the culmination of the rigorous testing and nearly one million miles of flight demonstrations on the deep space transportation systems that NASA will accumulate during Artemis I and II. When Artemis III lands the first woman and next man on the Moon in 2024, 

America will have demonstrated a new level of global space leadership. With this robust lunar exploration capability re-established, NASA and the world will focus on building a sustained presence on the lunar surface in preparation for long-term development on the Moon and the human exploration of Mars. 

The Gateway will establish U.S. leadership and a sustained presence in the region between the Moon and Earth. The platform will offer astronauts easier crew returns, a safe haven in the event of an emergency, the ability to navigate to different orbits around the Moon and later, an advancement in human life support systems. 

Gateway will expand to include critical contributions from international partners, specifically, a robotic arm, substantial additional habitation volume, and refueling capabilities. Canada announced in February 2019 that it intends to participate in the Gateway and contribute advanced external robotics. In October 2019, Japan announced plans to join the United States on the Gateway with contributions to habitation components and logistics resupply. In November 2019, the European Space Agency received authorization and funding to support its planned contributions to the Gateway, the International Habitat (I-Hab), and the European System Providing Refueling Infrastructure and Telecommunications (ESPRIT), both of which will dramatically enhance the capabilities of Gateway, contributing to sustainable operations while paving the way for a future human mission to Mars. Russia has also expressed interest in cooperating on the Gateway via the contribution of an airlock. The Gateway will provide a next- generation deep space platform from which to conduct science investigations outside the protection of the Earth’s Van Allen radiation belts. The international science community has identified heliophysics, radiation, and space weather as high-priority investigations to conduct on the Gateway. The first two Gateway payloads are a radiation instrument package provided by the European Space Agency and a space weather instrument from NASA. The agency also recently awarded the first Gateway Logistics Services (GLS) contract to SpaceX to deliver cargo, experiment and other supplies to the outpost. Echoing the success of the Commercial Resupply Services program, GLS will leverage commercial partners to deliver logistics to the Gateway, supporting lunar operations while building experience and technologies for future logistics missions that can support the first human mission to Mars. 

With these core elements, logistics support, and flights of SLS/Orion underway, and the acquisition of HLS in progress, NASA is opening up other core elements of a sustained lunar presence – including the lunar terrain vehicle (LTV), the lunar mobile habitat or habitable mobility platform, the lunar foundation surface habitat (FSH), power systems, lunar ISRU systems, and expanded Gateway habitation capabilities – with new international and industry partnerships. With this approach, NASA will leverage years of hard work and national investment in the systems needed to return to the Moon, while enabling and using new partners and new capabilities to ensure that our return to the Moon is sustainable and leads directly to the first human mission to Mars. 

ARTEMIS AFTER 2024 

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After Artemis III, the overall plan is to conduct operations on and around the Moon that help prepare us for the mission durations and activities that we will experience during the first human mission to Mars, while also emplacing and building the infrastructure, systems, and robotic 

missions that can enable a sustained lunar surface presence. To do this, we will develop Artemis Base Camp at the South Pole of the Moon. 

Artemis Base Camp will be our first sustainable foothold on the lunar frontier. We will initially move to one to two-month stays to learn more about the Moon and the universe. We will develop new technologies that advance our national industries and discover new resources that will help grow our economy. Overall, the base camp will demonstrate America’s continued leadership in space and prepare us to undertake humanity’s first mission to Mars. 

The three primary mission elements of Artemis Base Camp are: The LTV that can transport crew around the site; the habitable mobility platform for long- duration trips away from Artemis Base Camp and the foundation surface habitat will enable short-stays for four crew on the lunar South Pole. Combined with supporting infrastructure added over time such as communications, power, radiation shielding, a landing pad, waste disposal, and storage planning – these elements comprise a sustained capability on the Moon that can be revisited and built upon over the coming decades. 

Mobility is a major part of the Artemis Base Camp. The LTV and the habitable mobility platform will enable long-term exploration and development of the Moon. In addition to its size, the Moon’s geography is complex, and its resources dispersed. Looking at potential sites for Artemis Base Camp, such as near Shackleton Crater, shows the immense scale of the lunar geography. Robust mobility systems will be needed to explore and develop the Moon. The same is true for Mars, making the habitable mobility platform a particularly important element as we will need a similar type of vehicle to explore the Red Planet. 

In addition to establishing Artemis Base Camp, another core element of the sustained lunar presence that feeds forward to Mars will be the expansion of habitation and related support systems at the Gateway. This evolution of the Gateway’s systems to include large-volume deep space habitation would allow our astronauts to test, initially in lunar orbit, how they will live on their voyage to and from Mars. Gateway can also support our first Mars mission analogs on the lunar surface. For such a mission, we currently envision a four-person crew traveling to the Gateway and living aboard the outpost for a multi-month stay to simulate the outbound trip to Mars, followed by two crew travelling down to and exploring the lunar surface with the habitable mobility platform, while the remaining two crew stay aboard. The four crew are then reunited at the Gateway for another multi-month stay, simulating the return trip to Earth, before landing 

back home. These missions will be by far the longest duration human deep space missions in history. They will be the first operational tests of the readiness of our long-duration deep space systems, and of the split crew operations that are vital to our approach for the first human Mars mission. 

There are many factors associated with the sequence of element development, testing, and launch such as capability maturity and availability, budget, launch vehicle availability, and system complexity. For planning purposes, NASA is developing a sequence that accounts for these variables and results in an annual cadence of demonstrable progress and a gradual increase in mission duration and complexity. This plan results in the development and emplacement of the infrastructure required for a long-term sustained lunar surface presence while testing systems and gaining the operational experience required for the human Mars mission. 

The sequence as currently envisioned begins by sending lunar precursor robotic missions including VIPER by CLPS landers to provide ground truth of terrain, as well as water and metal resource availability for the human lunar landing site. To provide mobility and extended range of exploration for the first several human lunar surface missions, the LTV will be delivered to the lunar surface. The first elements of the lunar Gateway are in development and will support later sustainable human lunar landing missions. NASA anticipates its international partners will provide at a minimum the robotic arm, I-Hab, and ESPRIT to supplement the Gateway’s capabilities in lunar orbit. 

The habitable mobility platform will be delivered to the lunar surface to expand our exploration range by tens of kilometers and mission duration on the surface from 7 days to 30-45 days, enabling potential Mars surface analog missions on the lunar surface. Other key pieces of the Artemis Base Camp infrastructure are also delivered, including the foundation surface habitat, which will support a crew up to four on the lunar surface, the lunar surface power systems, ISRU demonstrations and pilot plants. 

An evolved Gateway habitation capability in lunar orbit will allow us to begin the methodical lengthening of mission durations. This approach will also allow NASA to test risk mitigation approaches for long-duration mission crew and element systems risks that are required for two- year Mars class missions. 

Once these pieces of the Moon to Mars campaign are delivered and operational, annual human missions with increasingly long durations will enhance the exploration and sustainable development of the lunar surface. 

The Report Concludes Tomorrow

Illustration: SLS rocket, the primary launch vehicle for the next phase of lunar exploration and exploitation (NASA)

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NASA’s Return to the Moon

Even as the world seeks to recover from the economic ravages of the Covid-19 pandemic, an entirely new era of economic and scientific growth is looming from America’s plans to explore and exploit the Moon.  Over the next three days, the New York Analysis of Policy and Government will present NASA’s bold plans for a new era of exploration unlike anything since the opening up of the New World by Columbus over a half millennia ago.

NASA HAS released its plans for the future exploration and development of the Moon.  

The Moon is the gateway to the solar system. A world equivalent to an entire continent that human feet have touched only a few times. As Earth’s nearest planetary neighbor, the Moon has profound potential to be a source of new scientific advances and economic growth. It is also the best place for us to test our deep space systems and operations in preparation for the first human mission to another planet: Mars. Over the next decade, the Artemis program will lay the foundation for a sustained long-term presence on the lunar surface and use the Moon to validate deep space systems and operations before embarking on the much farther voyage to Mars. 

Over the coming decades and generations, our presence will grow to use and develop the extensive resources of the Moon, including its water and metal deposits. As the Moon unveils her secrets, scientific interest continues to grow. In addition to enabling scientific understanding of the formation of the Earth and the solar system through lunar geology and chemistry, exploration of the Moon will enable ground-breaking scientific discoveries about the universe, including through radio astronomy from the incredible vantage point of the far side of the Moon. As in the skies and now low-Earth orbit, NASA’s scientific and exploration efforts lead the way and economic development follows. The Artemis program will similarly enable commercial opportunities on the lunar surface, beginning with the first U.S commercial lunar deliveries next year. 

The Moon is more than a physical destination. A core focus of Artemis is to extend the nation’s geo-strategic and economic sphere to encompass the Moon with international partners and private industry. The United States will build confidence among its commercial, U.S. government, and international partners by leading the development of clear policy principles to support civil space exploration with an initial emphasis on the Artemis program. Specifically, the U.S. will establish a predictable and safe process for the extraction and use of space resources under the auspices of the Outer Space Treaty. 

This document covers and responds to the Chairman of the National Space Council’s direction to provide a plan for a sustained lunar presence, including the technologies and capabilities to enable the first human mission to Mars. For millennia humanity has looked at the Moon in wonder and awe. As the United States leads the development of a sustained presence on the Moon together with commercial partners and international partners, our presence on the Moon will serve as a constant reminder of the limitless potential of humanity. It will continue to inspire humanity as we seek ever more distant worlds to explore – starting with Mars. 

The first human mission to Mars will mark a transformative moment for human civilization. Establishing a sustained lunar presence and taking the initial steps toward the first human mission to Mars will be the greatest feat of engineering, and the greatest voyage of exploration and discovery, in human history. These missions will drive technology and innovation using the country’s unparalleled scientific capabilities, dynamic economy, and robust industrial base. These missions will inspire generations of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professionals and countless other disciplines, while offering opportunities to domestic partners in government, industry, and academia. 

Most importantly, the accomplishments of the Moon to Mars approach will assure that America remains at the forefront of exploration and discovery. The United States is still the only nation to have successfully landed humans on the Moon and spacecraft on the surface of Mars. As other nations steadily increase their presence and spending, American leadership is now called for to lead the next phase of humanity’s quest to create a future comprised of endless discovery and growth in the final frontier. 

THE ARTEMIS GENERATION

Everyone born after the year 2000 has always known a world where people have been living in space. In this decade, we will all see humans walking on the Moon again – this is the Artemis Generation. Artemis, the twin sister of Apollo, will put in place the key infrastructure on and around the Moon that will be built upon and leveraged for generations to come. 

Americans will return to the Moon in 2024. Following this 2024 landing, we will develop a sustained, strategic presence at the lunar South Pole called the Artemis Base Camp. Our activities at our Artemis Base Camp over the next decade will pave the way for long-term economic and scientific activity at the Moon, as well as for the first human mission to Mars in the 2030s. 

Starting next year, a steady stream of robotic precursors and technology demonstrations will begin lunar operations. The Moon is a fundamental part of our planet’s past and future. Although Americans first walked on its surface more than 50 years ago, our explorers left only fleeting footprints at a few sites, spending a total of 16 days on the lunar surface. These missions were all in the equatorial region, with a total traverse of less than 100kms (~62 miles) – on a body whose surface area is the size of Africa. 

This next wave of lunar exploration will be fundamentally different. It starts with American expeditions to the vicinity of the Moon in 2023, and landing astronauts on the surface in 2024. This will be the first chance for most people alive today to witness a human lunar encounter and landing – a moment when, in awe and wonder, the world holds its breath. America will not stop there – this will be the opening chapter of a new era of discovery and exploration. 

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NASA’S THREE DOMAIN EXPLORATION STRATEGY 

Artemis is the core of NASA’s exploration and human spaceflight plans for the next decade. Artemis builds upon ongoing human spaceflight efforts conducted aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and prepares the way for future human spaceflight programs, including the first human mission to Mars. NASA’s overall Level Zero Goals for exploration encompass these three primary domains – low-Earth orbit, the Moon, and Mars. 

NASA Exploration Level Zero Goals 

• Transition U.S. human spaceflight in low-Earth orbit to commercial operations, which support NASA and its partners. Use the ISS and new commercial facilities as testbeds for exploration technologies and to nurture emerging commercial applications. 

• Advance long-term robotic exploration of the Moon with robust commercial and international partnerships. 

• Land American astronauts on the Moon and return them safely. 

• Expand U.S. human spaceflight operations at the Moon to support sustained lunar surface activities and to demonstrate elements of a Mars-forward architecture. 

• Continue U.S. leadership at Mars by advancing robotic access in preparation for human exploration. 

• Engage and inspire America and the world along each step of the way. 

Pursuing these goals will ensure our current and future activities in low-Earth orbit can enable Artemis, and that Artemis enables the future exploration of Mars. 

NASA has developed a strategy for achieving the Level Zero Goals that includes: a combination of robotic and human missions; architectures that build off of key, enabling hardware elements already in development; new technologies that will expand future options and operations; and new developments which will engage the NASA workforce, industry, and international partners to encourage innovative capabilities and harness competitive and cooperative energies. These efforts are being integrated into a sequence of missions that start with a near-term return of humans to the Moon, and then continue with a set of missions on and around the Moon that will lay the foundation for a sustainable presence. Ultimately, the experiences gained, and technologies demonstrated by these lunar operations will support a historic first human mission to Mars. Conducting scientific exploration synergistically with crew and robotic explorers teaches us effective techniques that can be applied as we push the boundaries of space exploration. 

The Report Continues Tomorrow

Illustration: NASA

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Funding Waste and Corruption?

The Senate returns today. Expect sparks to fly in the debate over whether Washington should provide direct aid to state governments.

In a stunning dereliction of duty, and in what can be seen as an act of sheer cowardice, Speaker Nancy Pelosi has refused to allow the House of Representatives to return.

Democrats are advocating direct aid to state and local governments in the potential fifth coronavirus bill, which will be on the table when Congress returns on May 4 after taking a break in the midst of a dire crisis, an act of utter irresponsibility.  

The move has been opposed by the White House.  In a tweet, President Trump wrote:

“Why should the people and taxpayers of America be bailing out poorly run states (like Illinois, as example) and cities, in all cases Democrat run and managed, when most of the other states are not looking for bailout help? …”

Extensive caution should be taken that funds meant to address problems resulting from COVID are not waylaid for political gain or to further a leftist agenda. These funds, rather confusingly also known as “Phase Four” monies, are being requested by Democrats to address issues that in part have nothing to do with the current crisis. The most vocal advocate has been New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Profligate spending by some states unrelated to COVID should not burden the national budget and should not be bailed out under the thin guise of addressing the coronavirus. Taxpayers dollars abused by politicians seeking to buy votes with overly generous spending, as well as funds questionably appropriated to pay for the support of programs such as supporting illegal aliens are inappropriate topics for coronavirus relief monies.

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Jurisdictions like Andrew Cuomo’s New York provide generous support for illegal aliens.  A 2017 study by The Federation for American Immigration Reform notes that illegal immigrants have cost state and local governments a staggering $88, 992,981,032, which is in addition to the $45,870,474,332 spent by the federal government on them.  It should be understood that this cost is what remains AFTER deducting taxes paid by illegals.

New York is, of course, not alone in questionable spending, but as Governor Cuomo has risen to national fame during the COVID crisis, and is a leading advocate for direct federal aid, it is useful to use his state as an example. Last November, before the financial impact of the coronavirus hit, a local newspaper, the Democrat and Chronicle reported: “New York faces budget deficits between $6 billion and $8 billion over the next three years.”

A 2018 Citizens Budget Commission review noted that “All Funds spending in fiscal year 2011 was $135 billion and is projected to reach $170 billion in fiscal year 2019, an increase of 26.3 percent, or 3 percent annually. Growth in the second [Cuomo] term accelerated rapidly, growing 18.3 percent compared to 6.7 percent in the first term. If the budget had grown at the rate of inflation, it would have been $155 billion in fiscal year 2019, or 14.9 percent larger than fiscal year 2011.”

In addition to over-the top official spending, vast sums misappropriated by crooked politicians have resulted in severe state and local shortfalls which should not be masked by federal dollars.

The administration of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, one of the nation’s most left wing “progressive” politicians is engaged in scandals of shocking dimensions.  The Mayor’s wife, Chirlane McCray whom de Blasio refers to as his “ Co-Mayor,” cannot account for $1.8 billion she was entrusted with for a mental health program. Rather than having her fade into the background in disgrace, the Mayor has put her in charge of a key post-COVID effort to re-open the city for business.

Expect blatant emotional and political blackmail to be used as wedges to gain support for direct aid to even the most corrupt states and localities. Governors and mayors will allege that without the federal dollars, pensions for retirees and programs for the poor will be jeopardized. This will be a tacit admission that those COVID dollars will be spent inappropriately.  They will also claim that minorities will suffer worst, and levy the usual charges of racism against anyone seeking to determine exactly where taxpayer dollars are going.

Map: U.S.    https://www.time.gov/# National Institute of Standards and Technology

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Foreign Policy Update

IRAN

After the Iranian navy threatened US ships in the region, President Trump informed Tehran that the US will not stand by idly while US sailors and ships are harassed by Iran. In a Thursday radio interview Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said that what Iran did was “unacceptable.” He added that “in contrast, when they took 10 of our sailors and made them kneel down, when the Iranians did that back in the previous administration, that secretary of state apologized. President Trump took a very different approach. They brought some of their boats up too close to ours. He made clear we were going to allow our sailors to defend themselves… to date, at least, the Islamic Republic of Iran hasn’t chosen to challenge President Trump.”

In a separate interview on Thursday, Pompeo said that Washington is having to fight against the UN’s attempts to lift a ban on Iran’s purchase of advanced military technology. He added that the good news is that the “UN Security Council resolution gives us the ability to make sure that that doesn’t happen, and we are working with our Chinese, our Russian, our British, our French, our partners on the Security Council to make sure – and even more broadly throughout the UN to make sure that they’re all on board in preventing this from happening coming October 18th of this year.”

CHINA

In a recent interview, Pompeo said it is especially dangerous during the current pandemic for China to manipulate the information space with fake news. He pointed out that while the United States knows  the virus came from Wuhan, China, it is uncertain precisely how that happened. Pompeo said this is why there needs to be a thorough investigation. 

He added that when China and the Chinese Communist Party use “disinformation to suggest somehow that this was a European thing or the Americans started it, that’s dangerous. Not only dangerous because it fails to inform, but dangerous because we need to know the answers to these questions so that we can save lives and get the economy started back up and, frankly, to make sure that something like this can never happen again.”

By Friday afternoon the Chinese still had not provided the United States with an actual sample of the virus. Pompeo said this is not the way partners work. Pompeo said he will be providing the President with a concrete sets of options so that the US can hold China accountable.

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HONG KONG

As the Covid-19 virus spread to pandemic proportions few noticed the absence of the long-term protests in Hong Kong. The streets cleared due to the virus, helped Beijing further tighten its grip on the region. Pompeo said Washington’s ask of Beijing is the same as it has been – “show us what you’re doing.” In recent days Beijing has intensified its crackdown on Hong Kong while the world is distracted with the impact of the Covid-19 virus. 

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

This is not the first time that that the World Health Organization (WHO) has failed to protect the world. The institution also failed during the SARS epidemic, according to Pompeo.  He said: “The same kind of thing happened, where the WHO was unable to do its primary function – stopping a pandemic from spreading across the world.  And this time they were unable to; you can see it.  They said don’t close your borders.  President Trump made the decision to do that and keep American people safe.”

WHO was too slow in declaring that the Covid-19 virus was spreading quickly and extremely virulent, and it was something that could transmit from human to human. Those are the kind of things that the WHO “has failed” in, Pompeo said. He pointed out that it’s “…nothing against any individual that may work at the WHO.  It’s about an institution that has fundamentally failed to do its primary task, keeping people all across the world – and in our case, the thing that matters most: keeping Americans safe.”

DARIA NOVAK served in the United States State Department during the Reagan Administration, and currently is on the Board of the American Analysis of News and Media Inc., which publishes usagovpolicy.com and the New York Analysis of Policy and Government.  Each Saturday, she presents key updates on U.S. foreign policy from the State Department.

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Biosecurity, Biosafety, Bioweapons, and China’s Dual-Use Bioresearch

The current Wuhan Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has focused much-needed attention on China’s dual-use bio-research programs. “Dual-purpose bioresearch refers to bioscience research that can be used for beneficial purposes or abused for harmful ends,” wrote four Chinese scientists from Wuhan last summer, according to a Journal of Biosafety and Biosecurity. One of the researchers, Yuan Zhiming, is director of the Chinese National Biosafety Laboratory and a researcher at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV). 

The three other researchers include another WIV researcher, Ma Haixia, a Chinese Academy of Sciences researcher Liang Huigang, and Xiang Xiaowei of the Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan. Together they explained that China lacks a law solely dedicated to biosafety regulation, or a complete supervisory system for handling new biotechnologies. 

These scientists are not the only ones aware of the deficits in China’s biosafety regimes for its research labs. They are, however, among the few scientific elite in China writing about the specifics of biosafety prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Months later, February 14, 2020, President-for-Life Xi Jinping addressed the need for comprehensive new and revised laws to deal with biohazards in a talk to senior members of the State Council. What is most revealing, however, is his choice of words. With the change of only one character, his speech morphed from a talk on biosafety to one on biosecurity. 

Reading the English version, one might not notice the change of “shengwu anquan” to “shengwu anbao.” In some languages, biosafety and biosecurity are one concept comprised of a single word. In China, this is no longer the case. Less than a decade ago, Beijing split the term into two separate and critical concepts.

“Biosafety” now references organism-related, human or non-human factors, that may pose a risk to life, including public health, the economy, social stability, and the natural environment. Biosafety therefore focuses primarily on the principle technologies and physical practices in a laboratory that prevent the unintended exposure of pathogens and toxins to the outside environment. 

In contrast, “biosecurity” addresses the use of biological agents, or biotechnology, as bioweapons or bioterrorism, including the organism’s ability to harm the national security of the state. This is what apparently concerned President Xi in his February address and should concern the world today.

The Asia-Pacific Biosafety Association held its 13th annual bio-risk conference in Beijing last August. It is a gathering of top scientific minds in the region. The 2019 topic was “Strategizing Biosafety and Biosecurity in Today’s Advancing Technological Era and Changing Security Landscape.” Both terms are clearly included in the name of the conference. 

The conference agenda, although written in poor English, highlights that “special features [of the conference] include current hottest debate on harnessing sciences vs bio-threat of multidiscipline, updates on new innovative biotechnology, duel-use, etc….” This conference specifically highlights dual-use bioresearch as a focus of bio-threats and biosecurity.

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Whether a Chinese dual-use biolab in Wuhan “weaponized” a naturally occurring pathogen accidentally by human error, as part of a bio-defense strategy, or even as part of a long-term offensive goal, we do not yet know. What is certain is that China is studying viruses, discussing biological warfare, and planning a national defense strategy that includes a less than transparent biosecurity program.

Significantly, even prior to Covid-19, there were concerns of a similar virus escaping from the Chinese BLS Level-4 lab, which handles the world’s deadliest pathogens. In 2014, Wang Qian, an official in the Department of Arms Control and Disarmament in the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, wrote an article entitled, “Efforts to Strengthen Biosafety and Biosecurity in China.” She points out that concern has grown in China about the “possibility of infectious diseases spreading across national boundaries….” 

Qian goes on to state: “Compared to nuclear and chemical weapons, not only are biological weapons cheaper, they are easier to acquire because of the availability of dual-use equipment and materials on the open market.” Her citation on this point comes from the US Congress’ Office of Technology Assessment. 

Qian also cites an Arms Control Today article, noting that genetic engineering “has made it possible to increase the virulence of disease agents or make them more contagious or environmentally persistent.” 

Even more alarming is Qian’s later discussion of the former Soviet Union employing genetic engineering to make biowarfare agents “resistant to known medical treatments.” These concerns are from a member of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs who appears well-placed to understand Chinese Communist Party (CCP) intentions. 

In February Xi elevated biosecurity to a national security issue. Considering the unfolding of the COVID-19 crisis at that time, it is doubtful that Xi’s important announcement was a quick decision unrelated to other events. China is also hosting a UN conference this October in Kunming on biosecurity. The agenda notes the event will showcase China’s efforts in the field. 

The timing of Xi’s speech, his specific use of term biosecurity, and elite Chinese scientists writing for years of their concern over the use of biological agents, are clearly signs of concern. 

DARIA NOVAK served in the United States State Department during the Reagan Administration, and currently is on the Board of the American Analysis of News and Media Inc., which publishes usagovpolicy.com and the New York Analysis of Policy and Government.  Each Saturday, she presents key updates on China.

Photo: Wuhan Park