This isn't good for NASA... and dare I say, it isn't good for the country:
NASA's plans to return astronauts to the moon are dead. So are the rockets being designed to take them there, if President Obama gets his way.
When the White House releases its budget proposal Monday, there will be no money for the Constellation program that was to return humans to the moon by 2020. The Ares I rocket that was to replace the space shuttle to ferry humans to space will be gone, along with money for the Ares V cargo rocket that was to launch the fuel and supplies needed to return to the moon. There will be no lunar landers, no moon bases.
"We certainly don't need to go back to the moon," one administration official said.
Instead, according to White House insiders, agency officials, industry executives and congressional sources familiar with Obama's plans, NASA will look at developing a "heavy-lift" rocket that one day will take humans and robots to explore beyond low-Earth orbit. That day will be years away.
The White House will direct NASA to concentrate on Earth-science projects -- principally, researching and monitoring climate change -- and on a new technology research and development program designed to someday enable human exploration of asteroids and the inner solar system.
In other words, NASA will become a bigger cog in the wheel purposed in fooling the American public and Western nations into believing the global warming hoax.
Tis a sad day folks... a very sad day.
Crossposted(*).
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Barack Obama, Space
Comments (15)
Yep, Barry's all about "sci... (Below threshold)1. Posted by GarandFan | January 27, 2010 12:46 PM | Score: 5 (5 votes cast)
Yep, Barry's all about "science" type science.
1. Posted by GarandFan | January 27, 2010 12:46 PM |
Score: 5 (5 votes cast)
Posted on January 27, 2010 12:46
2. Posted by Rick13 | January 27, 2010 12:53 PM | Score: 7 (7 votes cast)
This sucks! We still have a space station up there. So, we will need to have a replacement for the Space Shuttle in order to get people and supplies up to it. We can't rely on the Russians for all the lifting capabilities.
2. Posted by Rick13 | January 27, 2010 12:53 PM |
Score: 7 (7 votes cast)
Posted on January 27, 2010 12:53
3. Posted by tomg51 | January 27, 2010 12:53 PM | Score: 5 (5 votes cast)
China can 'splode things in space anyways. Lets just cede it all to them. After all, we're nothing special (anymore).
Crap.
3. Posted by tomg51 | January 27, 2010 12:53 PM |
Score: 5 (5 votes cast)
Posted on January 27, 2010 12:53
4. Posted by KeithK | January 27, 2010 1:25 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
NASA is, and has always been, a political football. Space exploration and development has never, ever been a priority for American government. Its only importance is its usefulnees for other agendas (Cold War, jobs, pork, climate change). Thus the fickle support.
Which in the long run is fine. Givernment command and control is not going to make us a true space faring nation. Constellation was a crappy program driven by politics.
4. Posted by KeithK | January 27, 2010 1:25 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on January 27, 2010 13:25
5. Posted by Jeff Medcalf | January 27, 2010 1:28 PM | Score: -3 (7 votes cast)
Frankly, NASA has become utterly useless. An exploratory agency cannot afford bureaucratic CYA and policized budgets. I don't think this hurts us as a nation, though it's clearly bad for NASA's current bureaucrats.
My suggestion would be to split NASA into five parts: research and development (aeronautics, control systems, etc), spaceport operations, observational science (Hubble, solar and earth observing satellites, etc), robotic exploration and everything else. Merge the first with DARPA. Privatize the second. Transfer the third to places like NOAA and colleges or corporations (splitting it up in the process). Keep the fourth as what remains of NASA. Eliminate the fifth.
Regardless, NASA is no longer capable of getting beyond Earth orbit. If the last 5 years and more is any indication, they may have lost the ability to get us that far.
5. Posted by Jeff Medcalf | January 27, 2010 1:28 PM |
Score: -3 (7 votes cast)
Posted on January 27, 2010 13:28
6. Posted by Steve Green | January 27, 2010 1:48 PM | Score: -10 (16 votes cast)
You know, we conservatives should just convince everyone we know to crawl back into a cave and wear skins. This whole "civilization" thing is waaaay over-rated.
6. Posted by Steve Green | January 27, 2010 1:48 PM |
Score: -10 (16 votes cast)
Posted on January 27, 2010 13:48
7. Posted by 914 | January 27, 2010 1:54 PM | Score: 9 (11 votes cast)
"You know, we conservatives should just convince everyone we know to crawl back into a cave and wear skins. This whole "civilization" thing is waaaay over-rated."
Fine. Back into Your cave Steve.
7. Posted by 914 | January 27, 2010 1:54 PM |
Score: 9 (11 votes cast)
Posted on January 27, 2010 13:54
8. Posted by Jlawson | January 27, 2010 2:01 PM | Score: 7 (7 votes cast)
If Barry wanted to stimulate the economy, he could shove $20 billion a year towards NASA. The outflow of job creation from that pump priming would get unemployment down significantly.
Which is why it's not going to happen. Heaven forbid we actually CREATE jobs that require technical expertise - they might start thinking that their money is actually earned for what they know, instead of being given to and be appropriately grateful to the government!
8. Posted by Jlawson | January 27, 2010 2:01 PM |
Score: 7 (7 votes cast)
Posted on January 27, 2010 14:01
9. Posted by bobdog | January 27, 2010 2:12 PM | Score: 7 (7 votes cast)
We have to have national priorities. There are matters that are important to getting Obama reelected, and ... everything else.
9. Posted by bobdog | January 27, 2010 2:12 PM |
Score: 7 (7 votes cast)
Posted on January 27, 2010 14:12
10. Posted by 914 | January 27, 2010 2:59 PM | Score: 6 (6 votes cast)
Hmmm, no more Moon trips because of ultra Moonbats.
10. Posted by 914 | January 27, 2010 2:59 PM |
Score: 6 (6 votes cast)
Posted on January 27, 2010 14:59
11. Posted by GarandFan | January 27, 2010 3:03 PM | Score: 8 (8 votes cast)
So my guess is that Barry's given up on that whole "I'm just like JFK routine"?
Stevie's back. With his totally irrelevant comments.
11. Posted by GarandFan | January 27, 2010 3:03 PM |
Score: 8 (8 votes cast)
Posted on January 27, 2010 15:03
12. Posted by mojo | January 27, 2010 5:27 PM | Score: -1 (3 votes cast)
Good. Drive those engineers and techies out of their cushy gov jobs and into private industry.
12. Posted by mojo | January 27, 2010 5:27 PM |
Score: -1 (3 votes cast)
Posted on January 27, 2010 17:27
13. Posted by John S | January 27, 2010 5:28 PM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Of course if Bambi wanted to restore the NASA budget, he could simply fire those government-paid jerks who make you put your underwear on the x-ray belt at the airport. Talk about a waste of billions!
13. Posted by John S | January 27, 2010 5:28 PM |
Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on January 27, 2010 17:28
14. Posted by MF | January 27, 2010 8:19 PM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
If NASA in fact doesnt get the usual budget then This means the unemployment rate will go even higher.
This is very sad indeed. Space industry is one
of the few remaining US positives that provides some much back to our daily lives and well being
14. Posted by MF | January 27, 2010 8:19 PM |
Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on January 27, 2010 20:19
15. Posted by MF | January 27, 2010 8:22 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
#12 its obvious you have never worked for the space industry
15. Posted by MF | January 27, 2010 8:22 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on January 27, 2010 20:22