Barack Obama wants to slash funding for the NASA program to develop a replacement for the space shuttle that will not only fly to low Earth orbit, but also beyond to the Moon and Mars. He
is doing this "for the children" as a means to pay for an education initiative. Whenever a politician wants to do something "for the children", it's time to watch out.
According to a story on the MSNBC website, "Though Obama called for a renewed investment in math and science education, his plan would actually pull money from the federal government's greatest investments and achievements in math and science. Obama would delay funding for the NASA Constellation program for five years, though he would maintain the $500 million in funding the program would receive for its manufacturing and technology base, in order to help fund his education policy. The campaign did not say how much money delaying the program would provide. "
The really frightening aspect of the plan is that the Obama plan means that, barring a commercial alternative, the United States will be dependent on foreigners (i.e. the Russians) to send people into space for at least a decade. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, a Republican, and Senator Bill Nelson, a Democrat, have pointed out that this would make the United States over dependant on a country with which America has had increasingly frosty relations.
It is clear from the shortage of details in the proposal that Obama and his people lack even a modicum of understanding of its implications. The United States will have no means of its own, again barring a commercial alternative, of servicing the International Space Station. The return to the Moon would be deferred into the third decade of this century, virtually ensuring that the Chinese will be able to get there first should they choose to do so.
According to a story on the MSNBC website, "Though Obama called for a renewed investment in math and science education, his plan would actually pull money from the federal government's greatest investments and achievements in math and science. Obama would delay funding for the NASA Constellation program for five years, though he would maintain the $500 million in funding the program would receive for its manufacturing and technology base, in order to help fund his education policy. The campaign did not say how much money delaying the program would provide. "
The really frightening aspect of the plan is that the Obama plan means that, barring a commercial alternative, the United States will be dependent on foreigners (i.e. the Russians) to send people into space for at least a decade. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, a Republican, and Senator Bill Nelson, a Democrat, have pointed out that this would make the United States over dependant on a country with which America has had increasingly frosty relations.
It is clear from the shortage of details in the proposal that Obama and his people lack even a modicum of understanding of its implications. The United States will have no means of its own, again barring a commercial alternative, of servicing the International Space Station. The return to the Moon would be deferred into the third decade of this century, virtually ensuring that the Chinese will be able to get there first should they choose to do so.
Published by Mark Whittington
Mark R. Whittington is a writer residing in Houston, Texas. He is the author of The Last Moonwalker, Children of Apollo and Nocturne. He has written numerous articles, some for the Washington Post, USA Today... View profile
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