The Artemis I mission’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket blasted off on November 16, on a monthlong test flight. The successful launch sets NASA's grand yet loosely conceived moon base and Mars plans on more technically solid ground after years of delays and exorbitant costs.

Although from the outside, the saga of the SLS and NASA’s plans for the moon and Mars look like a story of endless delays and cost overruns, that is basically how large technological projects work out in a democracy, says W. Henry Lambright, professor of political science and public administration and international affairs.

"Democracies are not about efficiency," he says. Instead, agencies aiming jobs and contracts at congressional districts to build support are sort of the point of all the taxpayer-funded activity that culminates in astronauts returning to the moon. "I think NASA has actually done a pretty good job of navigating a challenging political environment to get this rocket built," he adds.

Read more in the Grid article, "NASA’s Artemis I launch moved us closer to the reality of a moon base. But only a little."