Bye-bye moon
The budget request, released Monday, would scrap NASA’s Constellation program to build the Orion spacecraft and Ares rockets for new manned moon missions — a $9 billion investment to date. The request calls for $19 billion in funding for NASA in 2011, a slight increase from the $18.3 billion it spent in 2010.
The request does, however, pledge extra funding to extend the life of the International Space Station through at least 2020 and offers $6 billion over five years to support commercially built spaceships to launch NASA astronauts into space. The space agency’s three remaining space shuttles are due to retire later this year.
The budget announcement occurred on the seventh anniversary of NASA’s Columbia shuttle disaster on Feb. 1, 2003, in which seven astronauts were killed during re-entry due to wing heat shield damage. It came just days after the 24th anniversary of the Challenger shuttle accident that killed seven astronauts on Jan. 28, 1986.
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, a former space shuttle commander, said that while the budget cancels the program building the agency’s space shuttle replacement — the Orion crew vehicle — it is not trading away safety to embrace new, privately built spaceships to fly astronauts. It also paves the way for a “21st-century space program,” he said.
“No one cares about safety more than I. I flew on the space shuttle four times. I lost friends in the two space shuttle tragedies. So I give you my word these vehicles will be safe,” Bolden said. “They will fulfill a critical NASA need, spur industrial innovation and free up NASA to do the bold, forward-leaning work that we need to do to explore beyond Earth.”
Read the full article here at MSNBC
I think Obama should send men to the moon because it might be a optional place to send humans if disaster occurs
I like the idea, but unless there is untapped oxygen traces under the moon’s craters that haven’t been discovered before, humans will need to search for another planet beyond the moon that can support the life cycles that oxygen and carbon dioxide provide. This is why finding water on Mars would support the theory that life could live there, because water has oxygen in it.
i hate this this has destroyed billions of kids dreams wanting to be astronots obama needs to quit because ever since he became president the economy has destroyed the only reson he got elected was because of rasest voting look up hitler ufo and youl see there is a better way that we could fly up there
This sucks. And, yes, I agree with Zach, Obama does need to get out of the office and let someone who knows what to do with the country get in there. But, That’s not what I’m commenting about. I love to look up at night into the sky and watch the stars. I know a lot of other people like to do that too because, really, who doesn’t? And who wouldn’t like to go up into space, land on the moon, and jump around? And now, since Obama is doing the wrong thing and shutting down the space program, we may never do that and find any life on other planets or their moons [If there is any]. Wouldn’t millions of people around the world love to do that? Now, all those dreams, all of those people are now crushed. All thanks to Obama and his “necessary” budget cuts.
I will clearly admit that my comment will be somewhat ‘conspiracy’ sounding, but I DO stand behind the possibilities of my claims, which is this-
Throughout human history, we have went from worshiping the sun, moon and stars as Gods. We took comfort and gain ‘faith’ in a book that told us that the world was flat (four corners of the world as it is written), so man believed the world was flat, and was willing to KILL anyone who defy that belief. Only man DID defy that belief, PROVED the world was NOT flat, that the sun, moon and stars were NOT Gods and that we are NOT the center of the universe.
What does that have to do with NASA and it being shut down?
Well, as time passed, man has proven many things that contradict the ‘belief’ and ‘faith’ of religion- ALL religion. The further along we go, the more we begin to make ‘Gods’ into myths, and this CANNOT be excepted by so many people (98% of the world believes in a God of some sort), particularly the Christians. By continually exploring the universe, we slowly destroy the need to believe in a God, because the more we learn about our universe and the reality of what we are in it, we realize that we do NOT need to live for something beyond our natural life, but to live NOW by building a better future for us as well as those who come after us. It may be science fiction, but Gene Roddenberry created the blueprint of how we can live as HUMANS, and not just individuals.
Hopefully, it won’t take a nuclear holocaust to realize and achieve that.
You all are a bunch of idiots! Obama needs to do everything but walk out of office! he walked right into the GFC, thanks to president BUSH and his fellow beaurocrats. Ps “mason”, go and learn about how Obama has consolidated the GFC, and compare that to what Bush did! (because you obviously have no idea)!
i agree with zach!!
so many kids down here wanted to b astrnauts (one like myself).. but guess what who cares!!
Steve sewar ur a fucking idiot
Who fucking cares
I think before we do anything in space we should have a plan to eliminate space debris, by sending anyone up to space will kill them. ANYTHING you send up to space will de detroyed and a waste of money. SOLVE SPACE DEBRIS!!!!!
Obama is an idiot. He’s trying to screw the oil and gass industry. DUMB ASS!
yall need to get off Obama though, its B U S H fault not his. GOODBYE
SO EAT THAT HAM !
I’m disappointed with Obama’s 2011 budget as i was really looking forward to seeing another fake moon landing…