Saswato R. Das: Farewell to NASA's Glory Days
[Saswato R. Das is a science and technology writer in New York.]
Outsourcing will soon hit the National Aeronautics and Space Administration hard, if President Obama has his way. The new NASA budget unveiled this month calls for the U.S. space agency to outsource rocket development for manned space flights — historically a NASA strength — to commercial companies. If Congress approves it, NASA astronauts will be stuck riding in commercial space taxis — a sorry state of affairs for the organization that won the race to the Moon....
Now in its sixth decade, the space agency is very different from what it was in its youth. The unfettered funding it enjoyed during the Cold War has long since dried up. For years, Congress has kept its spending in check. Its budget today stands at $18.7 billion, less than one percent of U.S. government spending.
As a consequence, NASA’s missions have grown modest. Its astronauts have not returned to the Moon in more than 30 years. It has suffered disasters with the space shuttle and other missions. It is no longer the destination of choice for America’s best and brightest scientists. The fiery pioneering spirit seems to have given way to a more day-to-day ethos of survival: It has become another government agency....
In recent years, about a third of NASA’s budget has been spent on scientific missions, while the rest was consumed by manned efforts — the space shuttle and the international space station, both of which have grossly exceeded cost projections. Most scientists think that the most valuable knowledge comes from the scientific missions. Yet the manned missions are very much part of NASA’s history, and the U.S. public has always been supportive of them.
All that will change if the Obama administration prevails. NASA will hand over rocket development to commercial companies like Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, a startup company which has yet to launch its first space-faring rocket capable of sending humans into orbit; the United Launch Alliance, a collaboration between Lockheed Martin and Boeing; and other emerging companies.
The Obama administration’s decision will get NASA out of rocket development for manned space flight altogether. NASA has amassed a singular competence in the field, which will be hard to replicate by private companies. What will happen if they can’t deliver?
One of the most important attributes of a manned space program is its ability to inspire young people to pursue careers in science. As someone who came to power on a platform of inspiration, President Obama knows about the importance of rekindling hope. Killing NASA’s storied manned space program and doing away with a timeline for space travel will snuff out much of inspiration and awe that has come to be associated with NASA’s endeavors.
Read entire article at International Herald Tribune
Outsourcing will soon hit the National Aeronautics and Space Administration hard, if President Obama has his way. The new NASA budget unveiled this month calls for the U.S. space agency to outsource rocket development for manned space flights — historically a NASA strength — to commercial companies. If Congress approves it, NASA astronauts will be stuck riding in commercial space taxis — a sorry state of affairs for the organization that won the race to the Moon....
Now in its sixth decade, the space agency is very different from what it was in its youth. The unfettered funding it enjoyed during the Cold War has long since dried up. For years, Congress has kept its spending in check. Its budget today stands at $18.7 billion, less than one percent of U.S. government spending.
As a consequence, NASA’s missions have grown modest. Its astronauts have not returned to the Moon in more than 30 years. It has suffered disasters with the space shuttle and other missions. It is no longer the destination of choice for America’s best and brightest scientists. The fiery pioneering spirit seems to have given way to a more day-to-day ethos of survival: It has become another government agency....
In recent years, about a third of NASA’s budget has been spent on scientific missions, while the rest was consumed by manned efforts — the space shuttle and the international space station, both of which have grossly exceeded cost projections. Most scientists think that the most valuable knowledge comes from the scientific missions. Yet the manned missions are very much part of NASA’s history, and the U.S. public has always been supportive of them.
All that will change if the Obama administration prevails. NASA will hand over rocket development to commercial companies like Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, a startup company which has yet to launch its first space-faring rocket capable of sending humans into orbit; the United Launch Alliance, a collaboration between Lockheed Martin and Boeing; and other emerging companies.
The Obama administration’s decision will get NASA out of rocket development for manned space flight altogether. NASA has amassed a singular competence in the field, which will be hard to replicate by private companies. What will happen if they can’t deliver?
One of the most important attributes of a manned space program is its ability to inspire young people to pursue careers in science. As someone who came to power on a platform of inspiration, President Obama knows about the importance of rekindling hope. Killing NASA’s storied manned space program and doing away with a timeline for space travel will snuff out much of inspiration and awe that has come to be associated with NASA’s endeavors.