Casey Dreier

Dec 9, 2024 | planetary.org | Casey Dreier

Canceling VIPER undermines the scientific credibility of NASA’s Artemis campaign and the goal of establishing a permanent human presence on the lunar surface. The rover — managed by NASA’s Ames Research Center and built by Johnson Space Center — would help determine the origin, distribution, and abundance of water on the Moon at scales relevant to future human explorers. It is the most significant U.S. science mission planned at the Moon this decade.

Sep 9, 2024 | planetary.org | Casey Dreier

By Casey Dreier, Planetary Society Chief of Space PolicyJupiter's moon Europa is one of the most promising targets in the search for life beyond Earth. Beneath its icy crust lies a layer of liquid water that may be hospitable to life as we know it. The Europa Clipper mission, which at the time of writing is due to launch in early October 2024, will make at least 45 flybys of Europa, maybe even soaring through plumes of water that shoot through the moon’s crust.

Mar 1, 2024 | scientificamerican.com | Casey Dreier

NASA’s proposed Mars Sample Return mission faced another setback in February, when its lead facility, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, laid off nearly a tenth of its workforce.

Feb 13, 2023 | thespacereview.com | Casey Dreier |Alex Eastman

President Trump signs the NASA Transition Authorization Act of 2017, the last standalone NASA bill enacted. A NASA authorization was included as part of the larger CHIPS and Science Act in 2022. (credit: NASA)by Alex Eastman and Casey DreierNASA authorization legislation has become less frequent and grown significantly longer since the early 1980s. This represents a marked departure from the first two decades of NASA’s history, in which Congress passed annual authorizations of consistent length.