Congress, NASA Clash on Constellation Cancelation

Associated Content ^ | February 134h 2010 | Mark R. Whittington

[raptor22]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2439720/posts

[onedoug]

Got anything more than cliches?

[cripplecreek]

So what’s the capability of private space industry at this point?

It doesn't really matter as long as we cling to the outer space treaty. Private industry will forever be taxi driver and freight haulers to government facilities under government contract.

The problem is that the outer space treaty doesn't allow claims on any natural bodies in space which means anything of value found in space "belongs to the world". Space is a lot like Antarctica in that respect. Nothing but science can be done and even if vast oil reserves are found there no one can tap it and sell it.

As I said before. Obama is the king of half measures. He sounds reasonable when he says he wants private industry to do the lifting but the reality is that there's a huge roadblock in the way of anything more and he knows it.

I would have been impressed if he were to seriously push to disregard our involvement in the outer space treaty.

[MinorityRepublican]

Treaty is just a piece of paper, it’s only a matter of time before somebody violate the treaty.

[cripplecreek]

China doesn’t care about the treaty and have already tested it without consequence. Unfortunately we’re the country that will cling to it at our own peril.

[MinorityRepublican]

Then we are fools.

[SunkenCiv]

NASA, in response to President Obama's proposal to cancel the Constellation space exploration program, may be moving to wind down Constellation related work and cancel some contracts. NASA may be in violation of federal law by doing so.

Wait! Obama can rule by decree! His lackeys said so! Thanks KD.