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The Obama Budget, NASA, and the Future of the Space Program

By Robyn Broyles, February 03, 2010 08:25



Earthrise (Apollo mission photo)For the past 35 years, humans have visited only the bare edge of space. Since the Apollo missions ended in 1975, NASA has sent astronauts only to low-earth orbit, with Space Shuttle missions and trips to the International Space Station (ISS). The future of manned space exploration brightened in 2004, when President George W. Bush proposed his "Vision for Space Exploration," which included putting Americans back on the moon by 2018 (later extended to 2020). This goal is part of NASA's Constellation Program.

President Obama's 2011 budget proposal for NASA changes all of that. Citing "a failure to invest in critical new technologies," among other problems, the proposal nixes the Constellation Program, including the moonshot. All is not lost for those hoping for a return to the era of real space exploration; Obama also proposes more research and development into the technologies needed for bringing industry to space (and thus bringing countless science fiction stories to life).

Other notable details of the proposal:

 

  • Low-earth orbit operations will be outsourced to private corporations, which NASA will pay to ferry astronauts to the ISS after the Space Shuttle is retired this year.
  • Robotic scouts will be sent to learn more about the solar system.

 

Notably missing from the Obama proposal is anything likely to capture the imagination of the public. Heavy-lift capability just does not stir the soul the way a man (or woman) on the moon does. Without public passion behind it, NASA will have a harder time holding on to the support of the people.

Read views and reviews:

 

Image credit: Apollo 8 mission photo of the rising Earth above the lunar horizon, taken on Christmas Eve 1968. Courtesy of NASA.

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Tags: space, space exploration, science, news stories, nasa

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Comments on “The Obama Budget, NASA, and the Future of the Space Program”

Comment #1 Permalink
I was really disheartened when I read about this.

I know that there are a lot of pressing matters in the world today, but there is something elevating about space travel. In much the same way as I imagine the early days of atmospheric flight captured the imagination of that time, the prospect of once again rolling back the horizon limiting human achievement is...well, simply put it's cool.

Do I think that NASA has done everything right? Heck no. Is Constellation over-budget? Probably. Seems to me, though, that those problems could be fixed with relative ease, so long as you can get around the congressional delegations of Texas and Florida.

Posted on February 03, 2010 13:08 by Der Wolfanwalt | Der Wolfanwalt's home page |

Robyn Broyles's avatar
Comment #2 Permalink
Well, space exploration isn't necessarily dead... the Constellation program wasn't exactly the most useful possible step to realizing those science fiction dreams. The investment in new technology and robot exploration is probably better, especially in the long run, for getting us back to space. Still, it's not exactly sexy, and cancelling Constellation just hits you right there.

Posted on February 03, 2010 15:36 by Robyn Broyles | RobynBroyles.net | Robyn Broyles's profile

Comment #3 Permalink
That's true, on both counts. I'll admit, I was not excited when I first heard about Constellation replacing the space shuttle program. It seems a little bit old hat.

Of course, being a trekkie, I won't be supremely excited until I see a ship with nacelles. :)

Posted on February 03, 2010 22:47 by Der Wolfanwalt | Der Wolfanwalt's home page |

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