Opinion: Privatizing Human Space Flight
Department:
The Future in Space
Teaser:
It is rumored that President Obama is about to kill the Constellation Program and turn manned space launches over to private enterprise. Many are upset about this, but realistically there seems to be little alternative.
Source:
Scientific American - Space Download time: Jan 30 2010 7:26 AM ET
President Barack Obama is expected to deliver his budget request for fiscal year 2011 on February 1, but to hear many commentators tell it, the sky has already fallen on NASA.
On Wednesday the Orlando Sentinel reported that Obama's budget would essentially scrap the Constellation program, NASA's current plan to develop a successor to the space shuttle. The shuttle, which has just five remaining scheduled launches, will be retired this year or in 2011, and without Constellation on the horizon, the future of U.S. manned spaceflight is unclear but would likely require commercial providers to boost astronauts into orbit.…
See Scientific American - Space for links to further info.
