Houston, we have a problem.
NASA’s 2011 budget, released Feb. 1, unveiled Obama’s plan to scrap the Constellation program, which sought to establish a lunar research post by 2020.
The administration cited “budget issues” as the primary reason for cutting the project that NASA has worked on for the past five years.
This cancellation could not come at a worse time for NASA. With the October retirement of the space shuttle, NASA will not have a spacecraft to ferry crew and supplies to the International Space Station and must rely on other nations to carry the load.
Obama’s new plan will rely solely on private industry to provide space vehicles. This may seem like a plus for capitalism, but up to this point, private industry has not produced a single human-rated spacecraft.
This is a radical shift from the strategies that have made NASA the leader in space exploration for over 50 years. But the effect on NASA will extend much further.
At least 13,000 jobs are expected to be lost, 5,000 from Houston alone. Ironically, this comes on the heels of Obama’s proposed job market stimulus.
NASA always functions best when provided with a clear direction. However, Obama’s risky plan leaves the organization without any clear purpose except to hope for a rise in private space industry.
Exploration has been central to the philosophy of NASA, but now NASA is forced to reach for help rather than the stars.
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