Obama Planning to Scrap Shuttle Replacement, Says NASA

[SUBMAN1]

Well, I expected disappointments from his administration, but nothing like this. NASA needs a new vehicle. The Chinese are already planning on building their moon base, as is India planing on going there, and Russia.

I feel we will turn into a welfare state, shrivel up, and die. I'm sure most Europeans want this, but not most Americans.

-S

President-elect's transition team planning to use decades-old military rockets instead, say insiders.

President-Elect Obama's transition team is planning to scrap NASA's Ares program, the successor to the Space Shuttle, say NASA advisors. The transition team is demanding deep cuts from the agency, and is investigating whether old military rockets such as the Delta IV and Atlas V could be used in place of Ares.

NASA plans a permanent moon base by 2020, followed by a manned mission to Mars; plans which the agency says require Ares.

The Space Shuttle is due to make its last flight in 2010. Without a replacement, NASA may be without a manned space capability entirely, for the first time since the 1960s, a gap that NASA says would destroy the U.S.'s primacy in space technology.

Prior news reports have hinted at a great deal of tension between Obama's team and NASA, a report that NASA Administrator Michael Griffon has denied.

On the campaign trail, Obama blew both hot and cold on plans for NASA's budget. In the NASA-friendly states of Texas and Florida, he promised to expand NASA's budget by more than 10%. In other states, however, he promised cuts and delays to the agency, in order to help fund his education policies.

Lori Garver, a space policy advisor for Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, was selected by Obama to lead the NASA review transition team. Despite being criticized for her lack of an engineering or scientific background, Garver has been called a favorite to be the next NASA Administrator.

Ares program manager Steve Cook says that, with Ares due for its first test flight next summer, halting the program now would be an expensive mistake. "We would be really stepping backwards" by opting for a different launch platform.

Space Historian Andrew Chaikin said that, "Obama's first priority for NASA should be to get the Shuttle's replacement on track".http://www.dailytech.com/Obama+Plann...ticle13750.htm

An artist's conception of Nasa's Ares Rocket

[breadcatcher101]

It would be a shame if this happens. NASA's budget is but a drop in the bucket compared to the trillions we throw away on welfare programs that simply haven't worked throughout the years.

[Stealth Hunter]

Things have changed with our country. What's more important: NASA's budget or the United States' economy? In these times of hardship and financial troubles, sacrifices are going to have to be made. If we have to scrap a few expensive programs related to research that can wait in order to help the country, then so be it.

[Aramike]

Originally Posted by Stealth Hunter

Things have changed with our country. What's more important: NASA's budget or the United States' economy? In these times of hardship and financial troubles, sacrifices are going to have to be made. If we have to scrap a few expensive programs related to research that can wait in order to help the country, then so be it.

I don't see how technologically handicapping ourselves helps.

Sure, we get a little more money to throw around. Frankly, however, I believe that throwing money around is what got us into this mess in the first place.

[Stealth Hunter]

Originally Posted by Aramike

I don't see how technologically handicapping ourselves helps.

Sure, we get a little more money to throw around. Frankly, however, I believe that throwing money around is what got us into this mess in the first place.

Why is it so important to, at this very moment, pour millions of dollars into NASA's research? It can wait. Right now, we should be using that money to rebuild the country.

[Aramike]

Originally Posted by Stealth Hunter

Why is it so important to, at this very moment, pour millions of dollars into NASA's research? It can wait. Right now, we should be using that money to rebuild the country.

Well, first I have to ask what you mean by "rebuilding the country".

Secondly, one must recognize that we are in a fiat currency system. If you take away NASA's funding you would be losing the immense resources it has in favor of dollars that don't represent any resources whatsoever.

[subchaser12]

You all don't even take Christmas off from bitching about Obama? That's kinda creepy.

[lesrae]

@subman1

I'm not sure what you mean about my logic - I just don't know if the cost of space flight etc has been recouped through the advancements.

You're right enough though, comms, GPS etc wouldn't be what they are without it - no argument there - I just wonder if research and advancement for it's own sake is worth it, or should we be spending the money putting things here on earth right before we go reaching too far.

Sometimes I just see the space race as just that, a very expensive game of one-upmanship.

[AntEater]

The Obama administration apparently wants to turn NASA away from prestigious missions like Mars or Moon to basic research like space probes, space telescopes and such.
More for Astrophysics, less for engineers.
As much as I would want to see men on the moon again or on Mars, if you don't have the money, you don't do it.
And apart from Moon/Mars missions, NASA only needs a manned spaceship for the ISS.
The russians can do personel transfer to ISS, in future even ESA might do it, so a US crew transfer vehicle is really a redundancy.
Apparently they try to outsource cargo flights to the ISS to private launch firms, a disaster in the making, IMHO.

[Zachstar]

Subman you have no idea of the background behind any NASA decision.

Ares is going to be a failure. If it does not shake itself apart on the first flight. The mods will be so severe it will cost more to fly it than the shuttle.

[SUBMAN1]

Originally Posted by Zachstar

Subman you have no idea of the background behind any NASA decision.

Ares is going to be a failure. If it does not shake itself apart on the first flight. The mods will be so severe it will cost more to fly it than the shuttle.

This is just dumb - ignored.

-S

[August]

The shaking issue doesn't seem to be all that difficult a technical hurdle.

NASA officials hope to have a plan for fixing the design as early as March, and they do not expect it to delay the goal of returning astronauts to the moon by 2020. "I hope no one was so ill-informed as to believe that we would be able to develop a system to replace the shuttle without facing any challenges in doing so,'' NASA administrator Michael Griffin said in a statement to The Associated Press. "NASA has an excellent track record of resolving technical challenges. We're confident we'll solve this one as well.''

[SUBMAN1]

Originally Posted by lesrae

@subman1

I'm not sure what you mean about my logic - I just don't know if the cost of space flight etc has been recouped through the advancements.

You're right enough though, comms, GPS etc wouldn't be what they are without it - no argument there - I just wonder if research and advancement for it's own sake is worth it, or should we be spending the money putting things here on earth right before we go reaching too far.

Sometimes I just see the space race as just that, a very expensive game of one-upmanship.

Even one of the products above recouped ever last dollar invested.

-S

[Aramike]

Originally Posted by subchaser12

You all don't even take Christmas off from bitching about Obama? That's kinda creepy.

I thought this discussion was about the merits of NASA.