One of the last remaining shuttle launches flew Friday. The countdown for the final launch of space shuttle Atlantis has started. There are only two a lot more shuttle launches that have to go off. Space shuttles Discovery and Endeavor will conduct their final missions to finish the International Space Station before the fleet of spacecraft is retired for good. The end of space shuttle launch countdowns has sparked a battle between old-school astronauts and a new generation of space entrepreneurs.
Obama’s NASA plan
President Obama’s NASA plan would make shuttle launches a thing of the past. A new direction for the space program calls for commercial enterprises to take over the lead from government. Aging heroes who walked on the moon predict doom and gloom for U.S. spaceflight with Obama’s NASA plan. Adventurous billionaires are looking forward to a future for space exploration. What is even is the US government is entirely broke, fighting two wars, and has to take out cash loans to deal with economic meltdowns. For the present, earthbound initiatives are a priority.
Billions go up in fire and smoke
. More than 30 years is this technology. Most individuals are really surprised to discover that only two shuttle have met with disaster in 25 years. According to NASA, the space shuttle Endeavor, built to replace the space shuttle Challenger, which disintegrated reentering the atmosphere in 2003, cost about $ 1.7 billion. The average cost to launch a space shuttle, not including the rest of its mission, is about $ 450 million.
Obama NASA funding
A new way of thinking about the future of manned spaceflight is what Obama’s NASA funding signals. The Obama administration cancelled George w. Bush’s Constellation program, which was aimed to return astronauts to the moon by 2020. Reuters reports that an independent review found the $ 108 billion Constellation program was severely underfunded, with no hope of reaching its goal without a $ 6 billion a year increase in NASA’s $ 18 billion annual budget. Instead, Obama is pushing for all technology development to be for an international mission to Mars.
Old schoolers oppose Obama NASA plan
With shuttle launch countdowns winding down, politicians from Florida, Texas and Alabama — which have thousands of jobs tied to the space program — are crying foul about the president’s plan. The New York Times reports that on Tuesday, Neil Armstrong, who was the first man on the moon, and Eugene Cernan, the last man on the moon, read the president the riot act before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. The 80-year-old Armstrong said to the committee: “I do not believe that would be in our best interests”. Wednesday, Mr. Cernan testified. He explained to senators the space program was on a “slide to mediocrity” and “third-rate stature”.
New schoolers reap Obama NASA funding
Many young space cadets are excited about the end of the shuttle launch. Obama is also pledging $ 6 billion for private companies that want to build their own spaceships. PayPal founder Elon Musk has founded SpaceX and plans to fly astronauts to the International Space Station by the end of 2013. SpaceX plans to charge NASA about $ 20 million per astronaut–a bargain in contrast to a lot more than $ 300 million a head it was going to cost NASA under the Bush plan, plus NASA will pay Russia $ 56 million for trips on Soyuz rockets in the meantime.
Friday’s shuttle launch
The shuttle launch today sends Atlantis on a 12-day mission to deliver a Russian-built addition to the space station that will provide some storage space, and a new docking port for the Russian spacecraft which will continue to service the station. As reported on eWeek, three spacewalks are intended to stage spare components outside the station, including six spare batteries, an antenna and spare parts for the robotic arm.
Article Resources
Reuters reports
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6340LE20100405
New York Times reports
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/13/science/space/13nasa.html
As reported on eWeek
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Midmarket/NASA-Fuels-Space-Shuttle-Atlantis-for-Last-Launch-798722/
