President Sets New Course For NASA
Tags: Barack Obama, Florida, Human spaceflight, NASA, Obama, Space, Space exploration, Technology, United States
President Obama flew to Florida and appeared before a select number of people from NASA to announce to them his plan for the future of the space program.
Prior to his visit there were grumblings from the NASA community about the end to the plan to return to the moon by 2020, but I think more importantly was the blow back from politicians in NASA districts, as well as workers concerned about their jobs. The most recent high profile argument about the end to the moon program came between none other than Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong. To assuage these fears, President Obama said that he was 100 percent committed to the future of the National Aeronautics Space Agency, announcing a $5.6 billion budget increase.
He also defended himself from criticism that he shouldn't have opened up NASA to the commercial space industry by allowing businesses to further develop NASA technologies for future space travel, while the space program focuses on a new heavy lift rocket. This rocket is expected to be ready for use by 2015, leaving a gap of 5 years between the end of the shuttle program (this year) and the next generation of space vehicles, during which time Russian rockets will bring astronauts to the space station. I should note that the shuttle program was ended prior to President Obama coming to office, but that's not to say that the direction he has picked hasn't sparked controversy.
Some of the projects he spoke of strengthening was improved ground based observation, extending the life of the the international space station, development of deep space propulsion, manned mission to land on an asteroid, and a manned mission to mars. President Obama even speculated that he expected to be orbiting Mars by the mid 2030's, something he said he expects to be around for.
I'm not a scientist, but I am certainly a fan of space exploration and the development of new technologies, so I personally have no problem with the new plan. The biggest complaints I've heard against the new agenda is that it breaks the continuity of manned missions into space, but it seems to me it's more about jobs than anything else. I call dibs on Olympus Mons.
Watch the speech below:
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Prior to his visit there were grumblings from the NASA community about the end to the plan to return to the moon by 2020, but I think more importantly was the blow back from politicians in NASA districts, as well as workers concerned about their jobs. The most recent high profile argument about the end to the moon program came between none other than Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong. To assuage these fears, President Obama said that he was 100 percent committed to the future of the National Aeronautics Space Agency, announcing a $5.6 billion budget increase.
He also defended himself from criticism that he shouldn't have opened up NASA to the commercial space industry by allowing businesses to further develop NASA technologies for future space travel, while the space program focuses on a new heavy lift rocket. This rocket is expected to be ready for use by 2015, leaving a gap of 5 years between the end of the shuttle program (this year) and the next generation of space vehicles, during which time Russian rockets will bring astronauts to the space station. I should note that the shuttle program was ended prior to President Obama coming to office, but that's not to say that the direction he has picked hasn't sparked controversy.
Some of the projects he spoke of strengthening was improved ground based observation, extending the life of the the international space station, development of deep space propulsion, manned mission to land on an asteroid, and a manned mission to mars. President Obama even speculated that he expected to be orbiting Mars by the mid 2030's, something he said he expects to be around for.
I'm not a scientist, but I am certainly a fan of space exploration and the development of new technologies, so I personally have no problem with the new plan. The biggest complaints I've heard against the new agenda is that it breaks the continuity of manned missions into space, but it seems to me it's more about jobs than anything else. I call dibs on Olympus Mons.
Watch the speech below:
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