Archive for September 8th, 2009

The Human Space Flight Plans Committee has determined that NASA does not have enough money to go anywhere beyond LEO, and that the Constellation program as we know it now isn’t the way to go. This with the last shuttle flight looming on the horizon, and after spending so much money and time already on the current direction.

Unfortunately the committee’s findings don’t surprise me, and it will be interesting to see what the president does here. Past presidents, republican and democrats alike have done little more than push the status quo. President Bush had a chance to give the agency a future, but failed to fund the policy that he laid out. NASA, and the future of manned spaceflight stand at a turning point. Its up to President Obama to decide whether we are going to continue to remain a leader in manned spaceflight.

The rest of the world will not wait for us, and while our capabilities far outmatch our willingness at this moment, China, Russia, the ESA and the rest will forge ahead with or without us.

Click the link below, write up by the folks at the BBC.

Nasa needs its annual $18bn budget boosted by $3bn if astronauts are to conduct meaningful missions like trips to the Moon and beyond, a panel warns.

The panel, convened by the White House to review human spaceflight plans, has delivered its summary findings.

It says the spaceship and rocket programmes being developed to replace the shuttle are not presently viable.

The group has given President Barack Obama a series of options to help him shape the US space agency’s future.

But the panel, led by retired aerospace executive Norm Augustine, says only a funding increase can truly get Nasa back on track.

“The committee finds that no plan compatible with the [Financial Year] 2010 budget profile permits human exploration to continue in any meaningful way,” it said.

“The committee further finds that it is possible to conduct a viable exploration program with a budget rising to about $3bn annually above the FY 2010 budget profile.”

Link

Update: Also a bit of news Space Gizmo related, a good friend of mine made it possible for me to be the proud owner of a domain for my birthday. So, you can reach Space Gizmo directly now by http://www.spacegizmo.com/.

The about page has also been updated, so feel free to take a look at it.

Discovery departed from ISS at 3:26 PM EST, giving a beautiful view of the station and the space shuttle.