The future of science and human spaceflight

The Space Review ^ | 01/18/10 | Jeff Foust

[KevinDavis]

The relationship between the scientific community and the human spaceflight community might be best described by the title of a recent movie: “It’s Complicated”. Supporters of human spaceflight have often used science as a key justification for their programs, be it research on the International Space Station or exploration of the Moon and Mars. While some scientists share that interest, others have been less enthusiastic, seeing it as irrelevant and a waste of resources or, worse, a threat to their own programs when funding becomes tight. It’s little surprise that when NASA administrator Charles Bolden spoke at the American Astronomical Society’s conference in Washington earlier this month, the line that elicited the biggest round of applause was this one: “The future of human spaceflight will not be paid for out of the hide of the science program.”

[KevinDavis]

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[gibtx2]

nasa is useless