Spaceflight Now Home





Top Stories



Science with Iridium - The Iridium satellites are merging science with communications duties.

Helping space workers - A presidential task force recommends a grant program to help the Space Coast transition to the post-shuttle era.

China preps station - China has finished constructing the building block for its first space station.

EVA finishes repairs - A third spacewalk outside the space station completes the replacement of a failed pump module.

Moonlighting at Saturn - The Cassini spacecraft sees three moons Saturn during a weekend flyby.

The next decade - Scientists issue recommendations for the next 10 years of astrophysics research.

Atlas lofts comsat - A new era of military communications begins with an Atlas 5 rocket launch.

JWST cost crunch - Rising costs on the next big space telescope are affecting NASA's ability to start new astronomy missions.

Failed pump removed - A second contingency spacewalk pulls a faulty cooling pump from its housing on the space station.

New JAXA projects - The Japanese government has approved a new asteroid probe and small rocket for further development.

Prisma separation - Two Swedish satellites part ways to begin orbital formation flying trials.

New imaging contract - A government agreement to purchase imagery will accelerate new commercial satellites.





NewsAlert



Sign up for our NewsAlert service and have the latest news in astronomy and space e-mailed direct to your desktop.

Enter your e-mail address:

Privacy note: your e-mail address will not be used for any other purpose.



White House says no decision yet on NASA's future
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW

Posted: December 18, 2009


Bookmark and Share

White House officials say President Obama has not yet made a decision on the fate of NASA's moon program, two days after an Oval Office meeting with NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.


A collage of the Constellation program's Ares rocket family. Credit: NASA
 
Obama and Bolden met Wednesday afternoon to discuss the space agency's work and the results of the Augustine commission, a panel of experts that submitted options in October for the future of the human space program.

A report by the online edition of Science magazine late Thursday said Obama plans to request a $1 billion increase in the NASA budget for 2011. The money would fund a new heavy-lift launch vehicle, and the agency's current Ares 1 rocket design would be scrapped in favor of commercial crew transportation services to Earth orbit, according to the Science report.

The Ares 5 rocket is currently NASA's design for a heavy-lift launcher. Engineers are also studying other designs more closely based on the space shuttle.

NASA and White House officials claim such reports are mere speculation, but they are providing no information on when a decision could be announced. The administration will file its fiscal year 2011 budget request in February.

"The meeting with Bolden was informational, not decisional," said Nick Shapiro, White House spokesman.

The Augustine panel submitted eight options in its final report in October. Most of the options included discarding the Ares 1 rocket and relying on the private sector for manned launches to the International Space Station in Earth orbit.

The committee's report found NASA's Constellation moon program was threatened by low funding and unattainable schedules. A robust exploration program would require up to $3 billion in new funding, according to board members.

A destination for human space exploration is also under question. The Constellation program is focused on lunar exploration, but other options could take astronauts to Mars or nearby asteroids.

Obama and Bolden discussed the committee's work during their meeting Wednesday.

"The President confirmed his commitment to human space exploration, and the goal of ensuring that the nation is on a sustainable path to achieving our aspirations in space," Shapiro said. "Against a backdrop of serious challenges with the existing program, the Augustine Committee has offered several key findings and a range of options for how the nation might improve its future human space flight activities. The two spoke about the Administrator's work at NASA and they also discussed the Augustine Committee's analysis."

Next Shuttle Mission Patch

Free shipping to U.S. addresses!

The final planned flight of space shuttle Discovery is symbolized in the official embroidered crew patch for STS-133. Available in our store!
 U.S. STORE
 WORLDWIDE STORE

Special shuttle history patch

Free shipping to U.S. addresses!

This special commemorative patch marks the retirement of NASA's Space Shuttle Program. Available in our store!
 U.S. STORE
 WORLDWIDE STORE



Ares Patch
The Ares Project will develop two new rockets to launch astronauts back to the Moon under NASA's Vision for Exploration. The Ares 1 will employ a single space shuttle solid rocket booster to loft the Orion crew capsule. The gigantic Ares 5 will haul the equipment and cargo needed for such lunar voyages. This is the Ares emblem.
 U.S. STORE


One Giant Leap
Hosted by Corbin Bernsen, this award winning documentary marks the 50th anniversary of the U.S. space agency and features exclusive interviews with veteran astronauts.
 U.S. STORE
 WORLDWIDE STORE

STS-134 Patch

Free shipping to U.S. addresses!

The final planned flight of space shuttle Endeavour is symbolized in the official embroidered crew patch for STS-134. Available in our store!
 U.S. STORE
 WORLDWIDE STORE

INDEX | PLUS | NEWS ARCHIVE | LAUNCH SCHEDULE
ASTRONOMY NOW | STORE

ADVERTISE

© 2010 Spaceflight Now Inc.