Future of NASA: Your Opinions (open discussion for geeks on this pretty big debate recently)
Everybody's known for weeks/months that Constellation got canceled. Today the President finally said something about it. I kind dont... agree with him in a way? I think the moon is still greatly unexplored and that we should focus on going back to the moon before shooting for Mars. But i'm curious about what YOU GUYS think. So, i've gathered some excerps from articles on the issue for you guys to check out.
A rundown for the un-nerdy:
-The Shuttle program has been slated for retirement in 2010 for years
-Sept. 16, 2010 is the last scheduled shuttle launch.
-The shuttle program was supposed to be succeeded by the Constellation program, which included the Orion space vehicles and the Ares 1 and Ares 5 rockets.
-Constellation's goal was going back to the moon and possibly landing on the back of an astroid or even Mars in the future.
-No man has set foot on the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.
-Constellation has been BASICALLY scrapped and President Obama wants to cut our losses by turning the Orion technology we have now into an escape pod for the space station.
-As of now, there are no scheduled manned-space exploration efforts by NASA after the end of 2010.
-Link to NASA Constellation Main Menu
There are still tons of things unclear, since news is still sketchy in some ways, but here are a few article excerps that may interest you, though i suggest reading the whole articles:
-source for following excerp(s)-
"Obama sought to explain why he aborted President George W. Bush's return-to-the moon plan in favor of a complicated system of public-and-private flights that would go elsewhere in space, with details still to be worked out.
"We've been there before," Obama said of the nation's moon landings decades ago. "There's a lot more of space to explore."
He said his administration would support continued manned exploration of space "not just with dollars, but with clear aims and a larger purpose."
The Obama space plan relies on private companies to fly to the space station, giving them almost $6 billion to build their own rockets and ships. It also extends the space station's life by five years and puts billions into research to eventually develop new government rocket ships for future missions to a nearby asteroid, to the moon, to Martian moons or other points in space. Those stops would be stepping stones on an eventual mission to Mars itself.
"
"Among his most vocal critics has been Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon. Obama did not mention Armstrong, who did not attend the speech, but he did praise Buzz Aldrin, one of Armstrong's Apollo 11 crewmates.
Aldrin did attend the speech - flying in with Obama on Air Force One.
Obama also said his administration would rescue a small part of the moon program: its Orion crew capsule.
But instead of taking four astronauts to the moon, the not-yet-built Orion will be slimmed down and used as an emergency escape pod for the space station.
"
-source for following excerp(s)-
"Neil Armstrong and 26 NASA Legends Blast Obama's Space Plan
When President Obama recently released his budget for Nasa, he proposed a slight increase in total funding, substantial research and technology development, an extension of the International Space Station operation until 2020, long range planning for a new but undefined heavy lift rocket and significant funding for the development of commercial access to low earth orbit
Although some of these proposals have merit, the accompanying decision to cancel the Constellation program, its Ares 1 and Ares V rockets, and the Orion spacecraft, is devastating.
America's only path to low Earth orbit and the International Space Station will now be subject to an agreement with Russia to purchase space on their Soyuz - at a price of over 50 million dollars per seat with significant increases expected in the near future - until we have the capacity to provide transportation for ourselves.
The availability of a commercial transport to orbit as envisioned in the President's proposal cannot be predicted with any certainty, but is likely to take substantially longer and be more expensive than we would hope.
It appears that we will have wasted our current $10-plus billion investment in Constellation and, equally importantly, we will have lost the many years required to recreate the equivalent of what we will have discarded.
"
I'd like to comment that, on this one, the names on this letter are some very big names in NASA history and i'd also like to point out the price we're going to pay Russia PER SEAT to get our people to and from the International Space Station.
Here's the list of names for those who are too lazy to read the whole article:
(My fellow geeks will recognize many of these names, and everybody ALIVE will recognize the first one)
Neil Armstrong
Commander, Apollo 11
James Lovell
Commander, Apollo 13
Eugene Cernan
Commander, Apollo 17
Chris Kraft
Johnson Space Center Past Director
Jack Lousma
Skylab 3, STS 3
Vance Brand
Apollo-Soyuz, STS-5, STS-41B, STS-35
Bob Crippen
STS-1, STS-7, STS-41C, STS-41G, Kennedy Space Center Past Director
Michael D. Griffin
Past NASA Administrator
Ed Gibson
Skylab 4
Jim Kennedy
Kennedy Space Center Past Director
Alan Bean
Apollo 12, Skylab 3
Alfred M. Worden
Apollo 15
Scott Carpenter
Mercury Astronaut
Glynn Lunney
Gemini-Apollo Flight Director
Jim McDivitt Gemini 4
Apollo 9 Apollo Spacecraft Program Manager
Gene Kranz
Gemini-Apollo Flight Director, NASA Mission Ops. Past Director
Joe Kerwin
Skylab 2
Fred Haise
Apollo 13, Shuttle Landing Tests
Gerald Carr
Skylab 4
Jake Garn
STS-51D, U.S. Senator
Charlie Duke
Apollo 16
Bruce McCandless
STS-41B, STS-31
Frank Borman
Gemini 7, Apollo 8
Paul Weitz
Skylab 2, STS-6
George Mueller
Past Associate Administrator For Manned Space Flight
Harrison Schmitt
Apollo 17, U.S. Senator
Dick Gordon
Gemini 11, Apollo 12
Now, this article (source) says some things I agree with and support the decision to scrap the program for, such as delays and budget inflations:
Since 2005 the U.S. has spent roughly $9 billion developing the Constellation program's Ares rockets and Orion crew capsule, which were originally supposed to return astronauts to the moon by 2020. Constellation took shape in the wake of the 2003 Columbia disaster as a safer, longer-range successor to the space shuttle, which is slated for retirement this year. But Constellation's costs have ballooned and its timeline has slipped; an independent panel convened by the Obama administration and chaired by former aerospace executive Norman Augustine estimated last year that the Ares rocket system would not be ready for manned missions before 2017, with a lunar return sometime in the mid-2020s, even under the most favorable circumstances.
HOWEVER, i dont agree with this assessment to 'scrap the moon-landing missions' and privitization of Space Exploration:
By scrapping the troubled program-along with its focus on a moon landing-and leaning on the private sector, the agency thinks it will actually accelerate efforts to loft astronauts beyond low Earth orbit, the farthest reach of the shuttle. NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver declined to specify a preliminary target for exploration in a teleconference Monday afternoon but mentioned near-Earth asteroids as a potential stepping-stone on the path to ultimately exploring Mars and its moons. She also pointed out that, although the agency will relax its focus on the moon, lunar exploration remains on the table. "We're certainly not canceling our ambitions to explore space," Garver said. "We're canceling Constellation."
Garver tried to put the new approach in context, calling Constellation's stated goal of a moon landing in 2020 "wishful thinking." By stepping back from that unrealistic timeline, she said, the U.S. would be free to undertake more ambitious exploration. "We had lost the moon," Garver said, "and what this program does is give us back the solar system."
Also, I dont see how, if moon landing is out of the 'feasible' future, why would it be feasible to land on an astroid or expect to get to deeper space?!
In Monday's teleconference, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden expressed support for the budget request, saying that he was "excited" to present the president's proposal, which would add $6 billion to NASA's total outlay over the next five years. Bolden said that he and Obama agreed that Constellation was in an untenable position. "The truth is, we were not on a sustainable path to get back to the moon's surface," Bolden said. He applauded the decision to delegate the development of launch capabilities to commercial providers while, he said, "NASA firmly focuses its gaze on the cosmic horizons beyond Earth."
... now there are plenty more articles out there, but i'm sure you guys dont want to read even more of them.
So, my fellow geeks, nerds, and Trekkies *coughSTARWARSISBETTERcough* how do you feel about the cancellation of Constellation? How do you feel about the future of NASA and American manned space exploration? Do you think we'll get back to the moon? Do you think the moon should be overlooked like they are proposing?
I just feel like making this an open discussion post, so go ahead and discuss, my fellow Nerds.
A rundown for the un-nerdy:
-The Shuttle program has been slated for retirement in 2010 for years
-Sept. 16, 2010 is the last scheduled shuttle launch.
-The shuttle program was supposed to be succeeded by the Constellation program, which included the Orion space vehicles and the Ares 1 and Ares 5 rockets.
-Constellation's goal was going back to the moon and possibly landing on the back of an astroid or even Mars in the future.
-No man has set foot on the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.
-Constellation has been BASICALLY scrapped and President Obama wants to cut our losses by turning the Orion technology we have now into an escape pod for the space station.
-As of now, there are no scheduled manned-space exploration efforts by NASA after the end of 2010.
-Link to NASA Constellation Main Menu
There are still tons of things unclear, since news is still sketchy in some ways, but here are a few article excerps that may interest you, though i suggest reading the whole articles:
-source for following excerp(s)-
"Obama sought to explain why he aborted President George W. Bush's return-to-the moon plan in favor of a complicated system of public-and-private flights that would go elsewhere in space, with details still to be worked out.
"We've been there before," Obama said of the nation's moon landings decades ago. "There's a lot more of space to explore."
He said his administration would support continued manned exploration of space "not just with dollars, but with clear aims and a larger purpose."
The Obama space plan relies on private companies to fly to the space station, giving them almost $6 billion to build their own rockets and ships. It also extends the space station's life by five years and puts billions into research to eventually develop new government rocket ships for future missions to a nearby asteroid, to the moon, to Martian moons or other points in space. Those stops would be stepping stones on an eventual mission to Mars itself.
"
"Among his most vocal critics has been Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon. Obama did not mention Armstrong, who did not attend the speech, but he did praise Buzz Aldrin, one of Armstrong's Apollo 11 crewmates.
Aldrin did attend the speech - flying in with Obama on Air Force One.
Obama also said his administration would rescue a small part of the moon program: its Orion crew capsule.
But instead of taking four astronauts to the moon, the not-yet-built Orion will be slimmed down and used as an emergency escape pod for the space station.
"
-source for following excerp(s)-
"Neil Armstrong and 26 NASA Legends Blast Obama's Space Plan
When President Obama recently released his budget for Nasa, he proposed a slight increase in total funding, substantial research and technology development, an extension of the International Space Station operation until 2020, long range planning for a new but undefined heavy lift rocket and significant funding for the development of commercial access to low earth orbit
Although some of these proposals have merit, the accompanying decision to cancel the Constellation program, its Ares 1 and Ares V rockets, and the Orion spacecraft, is devastating.
America's only path to low Earth orbit and the International Space Station will now be subject to an agreement with Russia to purchase space on their Soyuz - at a price of over 50 million dollars per seat with significant increases expected in the near future - until we have the capacity to provide transportation for ourselves.
The availability of a commercial transport to orbit as envisioned in the President's proposal cannot be predicted with any certainty, but is likely to take substantially longer and be more expensive than we would hope.
It appears that we will have wasted our current $10-plus billion investment in Constellation and, equally importantly, we will have lost the many years required to recreate the equivalent of what we will have discarded.
"
I'd like to comment that, on this one, the names on this letter are some very big names in NASA history and i'd also like to point out the price we're going to pay Russia PER SEAT to get our people to and from the International Space Station.
Here's the list of names for those who are too lazy to read the whole article:
(My fellow geeks will recognize many of these names, and everybody ALIVE will recognize the first one)
Neil Armstrong
Commander, Apollo 11
James Lovell
Commander, Apollo 13
Eugene Cernan
Commander, Apollo 17
Chris Kraft
Johnson Space Center Past Director
Jack Lousma
Skylab 3, STS 3
Vance Brand
Apollo-Soyuz, STS-5, STS-41B, STS-35
Bob Crippen
STS-1, STS-7, STS-41C, STS-41G, Kennedy Space Center Past Director
Michael D. Griffin
Past NASA Administrator
Ed Gibson
Skylab 4
Jim Kennedy
Kennedy Space Center Past Director
Alan Bean
Apollo 12, Skylab 3
Alfred M. Worden
Apollo 15
Scott Carpenter
Mercury Astronaut
Glynn Lunney
Gemini-Apollo Flight Director
Jim McDivitt Gemini 4
Apollo 9 Apollo Spacecraft Program Manager
Gene Kranz
Gemini-Apollo Flight Director, NASA Mission Ops. Past Director
Joe Kerwin
Skylab 2
Fred Haise
Apollo 13, Shuttle Landing Tests
Gerald Carr
Skylab 4
Jake Garn
STS-51D, U.S. Senator
Charlie Duke
Apollo 16
Bruce McCandless
STS-41B, STS-31
Frank Borman
Gemini 7, Apollo 8
Paul Weitz
Skylab 2, STS-6
George Mueller
Past Associate Administrator For Manned Space Flight
Harrison Schmitt
Apollo 17, U.S. Senator
Dick Gordon
Gemini 11, Apollo 12
Now, this article (source) says some things I agree with and support the decision to scrap the program for, such as delays and budget inflations:
Since 2005 the U.S. has spent roughly $9 billion developing the Constellation program's Ares rockets and Orion crew capsule, which were originally supposed to return astronauts to the moon by 2020. Constellation took shape in the wake of the 2003 Columbia disaster as a safer, longer-range successor to the space shuttle, which is slated for retirement this year. But Constellation's costs have ballooned and its timeline has slipped; an independent panel convened by the Obama administration and chaired by former aerospace executive Norman Augustine estimated last year that the Ares rocket system would not be ready for manned missions before 2017, with a lunar return sometime in the mid-2020s, even under the most favorable circumstances.
HOWEVER, i dont agree with this assessment to 'scrap the moon-landing missions' and privitization of Space Exploration:
By scrapping the troubled program-along with its focus on a moon landing-and leaning on the private sector, the agency thinks it will actually accelerate efforts to loft astronauts beyond low Earth orbit, the farthest reach of the shuttle. NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver declined to specify a preliminary target for exploration in a teleconference Monday afternoon but mentioned near-Earth asteroids as a potential stepping-stone on the path to ultimately exploring Mars and its moons. She also pointed out that, although the agency will relax its focus on the moon, lunar exploration remains on the table. "We're certainly not canceling our ambitions to explore space," Garver said. "We're canceling Constellation."
Garver tried to put the new approach in context, calling Constellation's stated goal of a moon landing in 2020 "wishful thinking." By stepping back from that unrealistic timeline, she said, the U.S. would be free to undertake more ambitious exploration. "We had lost the moon," Garver said, "and what this program does is give us back the solar system."
Also, I dont see how, if moon landing is out of the 'feasible' future, why would it be feasible to land on an astroid or expect to get to deeper space?!
In Monday's teleconference, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden expressed support for the budget request, saying that he was "excited" to present the president's proposal, which would add $6 billion to NASA's total outlay over the next five years. Bolden said that he and Obama agreed that Constellation was in an untenable position. "The truth is, we were not on a sustainable path to get back to the moon's surface," Bolden said. He applauded the decision to delegate the development of launch capabilities to commercial providers while, he said, "NASA firmly focuses its gaze on the cosmic horizons beyond Earth."
... now there are plenty more articles out there, but i'm sure you guys dont want to read even more of them.
So, my fellow geeks, nerds, and Trekkies *coughSTARWARSISBETTERcough* how do you feel about the cancellation of Constellation? How do you feel about the future of NASA and American manned space exploration? Do you think we'll get back to the moon? Do you think the moon should be overlooked like they are proposing?
I just feel like making this an open discussion post, so go ahead and discuss, my fellow Nerds.