NASA Shuttle Replacement Put on Hold

[Geekyfanboy]

NASA Shuttle Replacement Put on Hold
Posted by Sam on Tuesday, 12 Aug 2008

http://www.sliceofscifi.com/2008/08/12/nasa-shuttle-replacement-put-on-hold/#more-10612

Written by: Samuel K. Sloan (FarPoint Media Executive News Director)

Between 1963 until only recently, NASA was the leader in space science, travel, exploration, development and research. However, it would now seem that the billions spent everyday on the war in Iraq is not only affecting other programs here on the planet but also the nation's space hopes. Due to a shortage of funding NASA has had to put its scheduled release of Shuttle's replacement craft on hold.

The new Orion project, considered one of the best ideas to come out of NASA in decades, was scheduled to go into service by September 2013 allowing for a new fleet of space ships to replace the current Shuttles after they go into retirement. Yet, due to a lack of funding and some technical issues that will have to be curtailed.

NASA program manager Jeff Hanley said in a press call that "The window of opportunity....to accelerate Orion has closed."

It would seem that between the war and an American Congress that can't seem to get its own head out of its political ass, many worthy programs important to the future welfare of this nation, and the world itself, are being forced to take a seat way, way, way in the back of the arena.

The U.S., a one-time leader in space travel and exploration, will now be without a way to carry people to and from the orbiting International Space Station (ISS) after the year 2010. That is the projected date the Shuttle program is to be decommissioned. Cargo can still be launched to the station via rocket transport, however, U.S. astronauts will have to rely soley on Russia to take and bring them back to the station for the foreseeable future. In other words, like the chicken farmer who lost it all, every egg is going in the one basket.

As the enterprising people American's have always proven themselves to be whenever they become discontent with sucking on the governmental-bureaucratic teat, privately owned and openly public commercial companies are seeing this as an opportunity for them to step up to the plate and carry on where the U.S. government is now failing due to a useless legislature and prolonged war in the Middle East that is growing more wearisome by the day.

For NASA to at least meet its secondary Orion target of September 2014 additional funding will have to be approved by the U.S. Congress and in today's devisive political climate, that doesn't seem likely, especially in an election year. This delay with Orion will also require NASA to take a step back and look at some of its other projects, such as the Constellation program, future Mars endeavors, and certain of its contracts with other companies.

Could this and future Congressional budget cutbacks force the commercialization of NASA? For the sake of future space travel, discovery and a definite survival need to expand humanity into the cosmos, one can only hope so.