Obama aims to ax moon mission (Killing Cent. Florida economy and American dreams at the same time.)

Orlando Sentinel ^

[MindBender26]

NASA's plans to return astronauts to the moon are dead. So are the rockets being designed to take them there — that is, if President Barack Obama gets his way.

When the White House releases his budget proposal Monday, there will be no money for the Constellation program that was supposed to return humans to the moon by 2020. The troubled and expensive Ares I rocket that was to replace the space shuttle to ferry humans to space will be gone, along with money for its bigger brother, the Ares V cargo rocket that was to launch the fuel and supplies needed to take humans back to the moon.

There will be no lunar landers, no moon bases, no Constellation program at all.

Officially, companies such as Boeing still support Constellation and its millions of dollars of contracts. Some believe that in a battle with Congress, Ares may survive.

"I would not say Ares is dead yet," said an executive with one major NASA contractor. "It's probably more accurate to say it's on life support. We have to wait to see how the coming battle ends."

The end of the shuttle program this year is already going to slash 7,000 jobs at Kennedy Space Center.

[messierhunter]

1) The space program shouldn’t be a jobs program for Florida.

The same could be said for any other job government is supposed to do, be it defense or infrastructure. Yet the military launches also serve as a bit of a "jobs program" out there as well, but I can't imagine you would argue we should stop that too.

2) Other than a feel-good exercise, there’s little point in spending billions of dollars to send 2-3 people back to the moon to collect more rocks and take photos.

The plan is to stay there this time and do much more important research. The ulterior motive is to maintain our space program's dominence and have the upper hand over China on access to the moon. If helium-3 ever becomes a viable fuel for fusion, we should already have a permanent presence on the moon ready to start exploiting it so that we don't become dependent on anyone else providing it to us, especially China. Furthermore, the moon could act as a viable military strategic location for China if we don't have a presence there ourselves, even if ours is peaceful in nature. I for one do not trust china to abide by the outer space treaty of 1967, at least not secretly.

3) Isn’t this something that should be left to private industry? In all these years, the government hasn’t developed a practical replacement for the space shuttle, what makes us think this will happen now?

No private industry has demonstrated the ability to put men on the moon; neither SpaceX nor Virgin have a booster even close to big enough, nor do they have the experience of building one. What the government space program HAS done so far is to provide a ready-made pad and infrastructure that SpaceX has now acquired for its own private use (SLC 40). That should be a model for the future, which means government should continue to pave the way Lewis and Clark style for private to industry to take over once the path is well-paved and the infrastructure to do it is in place. Otherwise, China is going to beat us to the punch. Their anti-satellite weapons test shows they really have no qualms about weaponizing space either, contrary to what they may outwardly say.

[Justa]

Short answer: H3.

[GonzoGOP]

On the anniversary of the Challenger Disaster no less

Don't worry the official budget is scheduled to be released on the anniversary of the Columbia crash. I think that Obama might just be sending a message here. Either that or the last week of January and first week of February are just bad for NASA. IIRC Apollo 1 falls right around now as well.

[folkquest]

Oh my... How I miss President Regan!

[Sen Jack S. Fogbound]

It is sad to note that by killing off the Space Program, we will lose our ability to send up and maintain the satellites, and all the technological advances that can be applied to the economical growth of the USA.

Remember all that computer industries, miniture electronics, medical advances, car improvements, and all that from the Apollo Programs?

And I was part of all that in the past! Damned shame of the ignorance displayed in Washington, DC.

[piytar]

This isn’t just about killing the moon mission. It is about crippling our entire space program, particularly the military side. IOW, it is about crippling America...

[messierhunter]

We also lose the ability to one day put a man on a body beyond earth orbit, which would be extremely important if we ever find an asteroid on a collision course with earth and have enough forewarning to do something about it.

[gathersnomoss]

Hey, we all die together. A Marxist dream.

[Brugmansian]

Trying to do more in space with less might be a worthy objective for American inventors and investors

The Charles Lindbergh, Cold War mentality should go. Manned missions are pointless.

[gathersnomoss]

“Damned shame of the ignorance displayed in Washington, DC.”

Senator, this is not ignorance, but blatant treason. These bastards must go, NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jacknhoo]

Don’t worry NASA will have plenty of environmental data collection to do...for the U.N.

[1scrappymom]

I have never despised an individual as these loser in chief.

Trashing NASA? How incredibly short sighted. He doesn’t care for science or for the defense of this nation. Private industry won’t be interested in defending this nation. China and India will get up there and start doing things for their nations and we will have a sudden gap in space security just like we did with the Russians.

I sincerely hope that this can be circumvented.

If not the next president will have to make up for the damage to NASA and the military.

Frankly though, I’m all for a meteor smashing into DC or some other liberal bastion and blowing it sky high. It would be ironic justice.

[Nonstatist]

Not just Florida. ATK and others ( which helps build the Airies) will have to lay off thousands in Utah....Get the picture??.. Florida, Alabama, Utah. None of these states voted for him.

Remember: EVERYTHING Obama does is centered on punishing his enemies and rewarding his friends. If any of this employed people in Detroit or Chicago he wouldnt be doing it. He is a narcisstic Chicago thug .

[Nonstatist]

Manned space flight is DEAD. Don't tell me commercial companies are going to take up the slack, that is BS. They're not going to the moon, theyre not going to Mars, it's over.

He's going to fund BS weather satellites and crap for little money, and spend 30 billion bailing out student loans (the whole NASA budget is about 17 billion)

NASA makes more sense than anything else the gov't does besides the military and maybe the roads.And cheaply.. What BS

[JimRed]

The moon? Been there, done that. Mars, now, that’s the ticket!

[chessplayer]

Obama has officially ended the US manned space program. China and others will be happy to replace us.

[Mr Inviso]

Carter and Mondale redux.

[redgolum]

I hate to say this.

The USA is out of money. Beyond out. We have no money. The spaced program is more of a luxury, and one that we can't afford right now.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

If these projects and dreams depend on tax money, maybe we’d better rethink it.

Columbus was financed by tax money.