Space Station's Future Is Murky as NASA Turns to Moon and Mars

[papau]

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAMRO7TPPD.html

Space Station's Future Is Murky as NASA Turns to Moon and Mars
By Mike Schneider
Associated Press Writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - President Bush's vision of astronauts on the moon and Mars dims the spotlight on the international space station, leaving its future murky. <snip>

Between the retirement of the shuttles and the time NASA gets a next-generation spacecraft ready for human flying, as late as 2014, NASA will rely on the Russian Soyuz vehicle to get astronauts to the station. The next generation space vehicle, known as the crew exploration vehicle, also can be used for ferrying astronauts and scientists to the station after the shuttle is retired. But the new vehicle's primary focus will be exploration of the moon and Mars. In the meantime, some former members of NASA's Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel worry that too many resources will be diverted from the space station as NASA reshifts its focus.

NASA plans to divert $11 billion over five years from other programs toward the new exploration plans. About $1.7 billion of NASA's $15.3 billion budget request this year goes directly to the space station. "It's hard to believe that all of this is going to be done with the same amount of money," said Shirley McCarty, a California-based aerospace consultant who used to chair the safety panel.

Added Art Zygielbaum, a former manager of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, "They're not going to put the money in for the space shuttle or the space station." <snip>

[northzax]

1. hell, why not? they've already killed Hubble

perhaps the single greatest scientific tool NASA has ever come up with for this pipe dream. Why not gut the space station (which is of dubious value anyway) along the route?

[papau]

2. Why did press not mention the no results until 2014 on Shuttle replacement

The space plane that was to be the replacement was just killed by this Mars idea.

Damn good thing Bush and the GOP have the "vision" thing down pat.

[jayfish]

3. Hmmm... Now If I Was China,...

I would wait for the abandonment and send a mission to commandeer the station. kinda like when you throw something in the garbage it is no longer private property. It would be a huge &category=Video%20Games&date=2002-10-08">Victoly for my space program. Imagine how far I could leap ahead technologically. Just like I did when I captured your spy plane, reversed engineered it and made you apologize for the whole incident.

Chi.. er I mean

Jay