As Fire-Earth always maintained, ‘return’ to the moon was a dumb idea!
US astronauts will not be ‘returning’ to the moon: White House adviser
White House has confirmed that US astronauts will not be “returning” to the moon, but NASA will instead focus on developing commercial space transport.
Buzz Lightyear imitating his namesake US Astronaut Buzz Aldrin in an Apollo spacesuit. Neither of the two Buzzes have ever revealed why it was so easy to go to the moon the first time, yet so difficult to return. Image credit: NASA. [Image edited by FEWW for added humor.]
“President Barack Obama will ask Congress to extend International Space Station operations through at least 2020 but abandon NASA’s current plans to return U.S. astronauts to the moon, administration and NASA officials said Wednesday.” Florida Today reported earlier.
NASA will instead be instructed to develop U.S. commercial space taxi services to transport American astronauts to and from the space station (ISS).
“‘Budgets are very tight,’ said former astronaut Sally Ride, who served on a presidential panel that determined NASA’s current Project Constellation—the post-shuttle program—is on ‘an unsustainable trajectory.,”
“For NASA to be getting new money over the projections is to me an indication of how seriously this administration takes NASA and our goal of future innovations for this country.”
White House is planning to create 1,700 jobs in Florida and another 5,000 jobs nationwide, to compensate for an estimated loss of 7,000 jobs at Kennedy Space Center when the shuttle program expires in 2011.
The shuttle is expected to make five additional flights, including the next mission by the Endeavour scheduled for a February 7.
“NASA since 2004 has invested $9 billion in developing the Constellation program’s Ares I and Ares V rockets and the Apollo-style Orion crew capsule for missions to the moon, Mars and, in the event no commercial means becomes available, the International Space Station.” The report said.
The plan was to ‘return’ NASA astronauts to the moon before 2020; however, the presidential panel which reviewed NASA’s plans decided that it was unlikely for anyone to ‘return’ to the moon before 2028. [Ouch!]
Meanwhile US astronauts are expected to taxi to the ISS aboard the Russian Soyuz spacecraft.
“We really do believe it is time for American companies to come into this program in a way that they have on the cargo side for decades now,” a senior NASA official was quoted as saying on condition of anonymity.
The totally mindless Constellation program was launched by the totally mindless George W. Bush in 2004.
President Obama, meanwhile, release a statement on NASA’s Day of Remembrance:
For more than a half-century, NASA has explored our final frontier and transformed humankind’s understanding of our planet and its place in the universe. These extraordinary achievements have required great sacrifice.
On this Day of Remembrance, we pause to reflect on the Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia crews, as well as others who lost their lives supporting NASA’s mission of exploration and study of the earth, the planets and the stars. All of humanity has benefited from their courage and devotion.
We mourn their loss while celebrating their spirit of discovery. May their sacrifice be an inspiration as we continue our nation’s work to explore our universe.
The worst thing that could have happened to NASA is actually happening. Unintelligent programming, and misuse of taxpayer money gave the administration the excuse theyre looking for to throw them at the big, bad commercial wolves!
Related Links:
Fire Earth 
