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The space agency says it is studying the implications of delaying the retirement of the shuttle fleet, now set for 2010, so that the incoming president and Congress can consider their options.
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NASA studies changes in shuttle plan
News Type: Event — Seeded on Sun Aug 31, 2008 10:39 PM EDT
Article Source: msnbc.com{"contentId":"1810586","authorDomain":"xoxchi"}
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{"commentId":2675193,"authorDomain":"xoxchi"}
Although manned spaceflight may not be our most critical priority, to lose our access to the High Frontier for five years and become entirely dependent on the Russians, with whom we're currently having a contentious relationship, is, in my opinion, unwise.
It reminds me of the way we abandoned the most technologically-advanced space transportation system, the Saturn 5, in 1973. Once you lose your infrastructure, if you later decide that it's needed, you have to re-build from scratch, a much more expensive proposition than maintaining what you have.
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#1 - Sun Aug 31, 2008 10:39 PM EDT{"commentId":2690727,"authorDomain":"pccoder28-1"}
Sticking with the present plan will lead to disaster for the U.S. space program...either the mercurial Russians will deny us access to the ISS at Putin's whim or another one of our rickety shuttles will be lost as we keep these things going with string, duct tape and glue.
So, it's time to bite the bullet: get our last astronauts down, repair the Hubble and then cancel both the ISS and shuttle programs immediately. Sounds harsh, but it's less harsh to us than the alternatives. Forget sending up the rest of the ISS--hey, we didn't invade Georgia; and Russia will be at the Ukraine's throat very soon. Russian national pride is wounded due to the loss of the Soviet Empire: they now want it all back. So, expect more rumblings out of Moscow soon--that means more uncertainty regarding the ISS.
View this as an opportunity for NASA: let's design a cheap, reliable, safe and capable manned to-orbit system from scratch using modern engineering ideas. Once that is achieved, build a 100% American Space Station with no unreliable Russian partners involved. In the end, we'll get more than if we stay the course with Russia. Soon, when Russia cuts off gas and petroleum supplies to Europe, we'll see the wisdom of a 'go it alone' approach in space!
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#2 - Tue Sep 2, 2008 3:30 AM EDT{"commentId":7419409,"authorDomain":"yarok"}
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