Cernan: Pres. Unwilling to Invest in U.S. Future (Last man to walk on moon slams Obama NASA plan!)

..former astronaut Cernan says cutting the Constellation program will relegate the U.S. to being second in the world of space exploration. With the retirement of the space shuttle in 2010, the U.S. would have to rely on Russia to take American astronauts to and from "our own space station,"

The Constellation program followed logical steps that would break new ground by sending the U.S. to Mars, added Cernan. He also said he believes that taking away the dream of human space exploration will have a negative impact on education.

"We have a responsibility in our country to inspire our kids to do bigger and better and greater things," said Cernan...

"If someone can find something beyond going to the moon, which turns kids on, I'm all for it. But to this day, I haven't found it yet."

Cernan said he also feels that President Obama is ignoring all the jobs that will be lost, and now will never be created by cutting human exploration into space. He points out that the President is proposing a $100 billion jobs bill, but wants to cut a current job-creating program that costs just $3 billion.

"I'm angry. It's very short sighted on the part of this administration, he is somehow unwilling to invest in the future of this country and the future of this country is important to me. I won't be here 20, 30, 40 years from now, but my grandkids will. I want them to have the country I had. I want something better for them."

....he hopes Congress will reject this part of the President's budget, but ultimately he says it is up to the American public what they want to invest in. He thinks they should let their voices be heard.

Gene need to read the article at SpaceFuture.com titled, "How The West Wasn't Won". Wagons are nice analogy for the government spaceflight monopoly.

How The West Wasn't Won

Obama is an SOB to do this.

[admit being biased by having spoke briefly with Captain Cernan]

NASA EXPERIENCE: Captain Cernan was one of fourteen astronauts selected by NASA in October 1963.
He occupied the pilot seat alongside of command pilot Tom Stafford on the Gemini IX mission.
During this 3-day flight which Began on June 3, 1966, the spacecraft achieved a circular orbit of 161 statute miles;
the crew used three different techniques to effect rendezvous with the previously launched Augmented Target Docking Adapter;
and Cernan, the second American to walk in space,
logged two hours and ten minutes outside the spacecraft in extravehicular activities.
The flight ended after 72 hours and 20 minutes with a perfect re-entry and recovery as Gemini IX landed within 1-1/2 miles of the prime recovery ship USS WASP and 3/8 of a mile from the predetermined target.
Cernan subsequently served as backup pilot for Gemini 12 and as backup lunar module pilot for Apollo 7.
On his second space flight, he was lunar module pilot of Apollo 10, May 18-26, 1969, the first comprehensive lunar-orbital qualification and verification flight test of an Apollo lunar module.
He was accompanied on the 248,000 nautical sojourn to the moon by Thomas P. Stafford (spacecraft commander) and John W. Young (commander module pilot).
In accomplishing all of the assigned objectives of this mission, Apollo 10 confirmed the operations performance, stability, and reliability of the command/service module and lunar module configuration during trans-lunar coast, lunar orbit insertion, and lunar module separation and descent to within 8 nautical miles of the lunar surface.
The latter maneuver involved employing all but the final minutes of the technique prescribed for use in an actual lunar landing, and allowed critical evaluations of the lunar module propulsions systems and rendezvous of the landing radar devices in subsequent rendezvous and re-docking maneuvers.

In addition to demonstrating that man could navigate safely and accurately in the moon's gravitational fields, Apollo 10 photographed and mapped tentative landing sites for future missions.

Cernan's next assignment was backup spacecraft commander for Apollo 14.

He made his third space flight as spacecraft commander of Apollo 17--the last scheduled manned mission to the moon for the United States--which commenced at 11:33 P.M. (CST), December 6, 1972, with the first manned nighttime launch, and concluded on December 19, 1972.
With him on the voyage of the command module "America" and the lunar module "Challenger" were Ronald Evans (command module pilot) and Harrison H. (Jack) Schmitt (lunar module pilot).
In maneuvering "Challenger" to a landing at Taurus-Littrow, located on the southeast edge of Mare Serenitatis, Cernan and Schmitt activated a base of operations from which they completed three highly successful excursions to the nearby craters and the Taurus mountains, making the Moon their home for over three days. This last mission to the moon established several new records for manned space flight that include: longest manned lunar landing flight (301 hours 51 minutes); longest lunar surface extravehicular activities (22 hours 6 minutes); largest lunar sample return (an estimated 115 kg (249 lbs.); and longest time in lunar orbit (147 hours 48 minutes).
While Cernan and Schmitt conducted activities on the lunar surface, Evans remained in lunar orbit aboard the "America" completing assigned work tasks requiring geological observations, handheld photography of specific targets, and the control of cameras and other highly sophisticated scientific equipment carried in the command module SIM-bay. Evans also completed a 1-hour, 6-minute extravehicular activity on the transearth coast phase of the return flight, successfully retrieving three camera cassettes and completing a personal inspection of the equipment bay area.
Apollo 17 ended with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean approximately 0.4 miles from the target point and 4.3 miles form the prime recovery ship USS TICONDEROGA.

Captain Cernan has logged 566 hours and 15 minutes in space-of which more than 73 hours were spent on the surface of the moon.

For other space news go to: http://www.spacetoday.net
For a list of Private Space Companies: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_private_spaceflight_companies

BS, space probes are a far better use of limited funding and still advance technology. Zero got this right.

Cernan: Pres. Unwilling to Invest in U.S. Future

First Hussein hates this Country, so he's not interested in it's future; and Second, he doesn't understand enough economics to see how many jobs are created - in THIS Country - by the space program.

Baloney. You honestly believe this junk. The country who leads in space exploration will rule the future world. I sure am glad you were not around when space exploration was just getting started.

Space probes do not take human presence beyond earth.
They do not settle the frontiers. They are our robotic partners in exploration, NOT a replacement.

The nations that lead on the frontiers, dicatate the course of human history.

"We have a responsibility in our country to inspire our kids to do bigger and better and greater things," said Cernan...

We have a responsibility to give up the fruits of our labor to the Democrats so they can buy votes to keep them in power. This is the only responsibility we have. So kneel before our new aristocracy and your masters. At least as they see it.

The secret Apollo cameras recorded Cernan speeding like a lunatic! He and his buddy Schmitt souped up the Lunar Rover with some of that Helium 3.

Eugene A. Cernan test drives the Apollo 17 lunar rover shortly after unloading it from the LM.

I propose that we file an FOIA petition for the release of these pictures which are stored at Aeea 51 next to "The Kenyan Birth Certificate" of Barry Sotero AKA POTUS!

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