The Orlando Sentinel reports today that the Obama administration plans to propose cutting funds for further manned moon exploration.
As you may know, a key part of NASA's post-Space Shuttle plans involved a return to the moon, using the Ares booster as part of the Constellation project. It has been controversial, with a recent commission headed by former Lockheed CEO Norm Augustine, saying NASA's plans were significantly underfunded.
As a conservative, and in a time of great budget pressures, the cancellation of a return to the moon is probably a good decision, if it hurts national pride somewhat, and means that people in Florida, Alabama, and Texas will lose jobs, well, what does Bam care about those red staters, anyway.
On the other hand, as I have posted before, I'd rather us spend $787B on space exploration and defense projects than what Stimulus 1 spent it on (ummm, nothing useful). To reiterate, nothing would show the Chinese who the biggest, baddest kid on the block is than sending men back to the moon, and building a 600 ship Navy. Take that, China!
Instead, Bam wants NASA to focus on measuring the effects of global warming. Now, that's useful.
Anyway, a pretty sad day.
i say boo to this. exploration is good for many things. we havent discovered everything, science needs space, and kids can be highly motivated by interesting and crazy things like space.
ReplyDeletewhen you don't have things to dream to become or reach for, you kinda just settle in to mediocrity... something we don't need to do.