Will the Obama administration and the 111th Congress go down in history as the politicians who turned out the lights on the US human-spaceflight program? Collapse (NASA via Getty Images) That is the fundamental question several lawmakers are asking as they pore over options and observations that were presented by a panel charged with reviewing America's human-spaceflight effort. The review panel, formed at the behest of the Obama White House and headed by retired aerospace executive Norman Augustine, has set out five "families" of options that could yield "a safe, innovative, affordable, and sustainable human spaceflight program," as the panel's charter puts it. These options include the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's current effort.
Obama's NASA Panel : Moon Missions Unrealistic Posted: Sep 9, 2009 08:59 PM WASHINGTON (AP) - A White House panel of independent space experts says NASA's return-to-the-moon plan just won't fly. The problem is money. The expert panel estimates it would cost about $3 billion a year beyond NASA's current budget. The plan to revisit the moon by 2020 was proposed five years ago by then-President George W. Bush. It was supposed to be financed by savings from retiring the space shuttles. However, President Barack Obama's expert panel said any plan to go beyond low-Earth orbit was "not viable" with current spending. The panel posted a summary report online Tuesday. NASA already has spent $7.7 billion on the moon plan, including the design and construction of new rockets.
Originally posted by MOTT the HOOPLE
reply to post by Zenlike
Well NASA keep saying there's nothing out there "So let's take them at there word! Mission accomplished!"
