NewsX Community
US' manned moon mission in doubt
Mon-Jul 06, 2009
Washington / Agence France-Presse
US ambitions to send astronauts back to the moon as a prelude to missions to Mars have been put in doubt by budgetary constraints 40 years after man's triumphant landing on Earth's nearest neighbor.
After the Columbia space shuttle disaster in 2003, former president George W Bush decided to phase out the shuttle flights by 2003 and set a more ambitious mandate for America in space.
Launched in 2004, the so-called Constellation program aims to take Americans back to the moon by 2020 to use as a launch pad for manned voyages to Mars.
Without renouncing those objectives, President Barack Obama has named a commission of experts to review the US manned space flight program and make recommendations by the end of August.
The space shuttles, which have carried crews of astronauts into space since 1981, were conceived as reusable vehicles to transport heavy, bulky equipment into Earth's orbit, primarily for the construction of the International Space Station.
But the shuttle has kept the United States stuck in a low orbit for too long at a time when other countries like China are emerging as rivals in space, argues Michael Griffin, the former NASA chief who championed the Constellation program.
"I think we must return to the moon because it's the next step. It's a few days from home," he said. "Mars is only a few months from Earth."
In unveiling the Constellation program in 2004 to the Congress, Griffin said: "The single overarching goal of human space flight is the human settlement of the solar system, and eventually beyond."
"In the long run, human populations must diversify if it wishes to survive," he said in an interview with AFP last year.
But NASA's budget is not big enough to cover the cost of Constellation's Orion capsule, a more advanced and spacious version of the Apollo lunar module, and the Ares 1 and Ares V launchers needed to put it in orbit.
Constellation is projected to cost about $150 billion, but estimates for the Ares 1 have skyrocketed from $26 billion in 2006 to $44 billion last year.
With a space exploration budget of six billion dollars in 2009, Senator Bill Nelson of Florida said: "NASA simply can't do the job it's been given -- the president's goal of being on the moon by 2020."
Nelson, a former astronaut, deplored that between 2020 and 2015 the United States will have no way of transporting its astronauts to the ISS except aboard Russian Soyuz space craft.
Meanwhile, a group of active and retired NASA engineers, who are critical of the Constellation project, have been working in their spare time on a parallel project dubbed Jupiter Direct.
It envisions using the Orion capsule but replacing the Ares launchers with a family of launchers with common components based on existing shuttle technology.
Proposals presented to Obama's commission on human space flight estimate Jupiter's cost at $14 billion, half the original estimate for the Ares 1.
The commission chairman, respected former Lockheed Martin chief executive Norman Augustine, said it comes down to money.
"With a few exceptions, we have the technology or the knowledge that we could go to Mars if we wanted with humans. We could put a telescope on the moon if we wanted," he said.
"The technology is by and large there. It boils down to what can we afford."
After the Columbia space shuttle disaster in 2003, former president George W Bush decided to phase out the shuttle flights by 2003 and set a more ambitious mandate for America in space.
Launched in 2004, the so-called Constellation program aims to take Americans back to the moon by 2020 to use as a launch pad for manned voyages to Mars.
Without renouncing those objectives, President Barack Obama has named a commission of experts to review the US manned space flight program and make recommendations by the end of August.
The space shuttles, which have carried crews of astronauts into space since 1981, were conceived as reusable vehicles to transport heavy, bulky equipment into Earth's orbit, primarily for the construction of the International Space Station.
But the shuttle has kept the United States stuck in a low orbit for too long at a time when other countries like China are emerging as rivals in space, argues Michael Griffin, the former NASA chief who championed the Constellation program.
"I think we must return to the moon because it's the next step. It's a few days from home," he said. "Mars is only a few months from Earth."
In unveiling the Constellation program in 2004 to the Congress, Griffin said: "The single overarching goal of human space flight is the human settlement of the solar system, and eventually beyond."
"In the long run, human populations must diversify if it wishes to survive," he said in an interview with AFP last year.
But NASA's budget is not big enough to cover the cost of Constellation's Orion capsule, a more advanced and spacious version of the Apollo lunar module, and the Ares 1 and Ares V launchers needed to put it in orbit.
Constellation is projected to cost about $150 billion, but estimates for the Ares 1 have skyrocketed from $26 billion in 2006 to $44 billion last year.
With a space exploration budget of six billion dollars in 2009, Senator Bill Nelson of Florida said: "NASA simply can't do the job it's been given -- the president's goal of being on the moon by 2020."
Nelson, a former astronaut, deplored that between 2020 and 2015 the United States will have no way of transporting its astronauts to the ISS except aboard Russian Soyuz space craft.
Meanwhile, a group of active and retired NASA engineers, who are critical of the Constellation project, have been working in their spare time on a parallel project dubbed Jupiter Direct.
It envisions using the Orion capsule but replacing the Ares launchers with a family of launchers with common components based on existing shuttle technology.
Proposals presented to Obama's commission on human space flight estimate Jupiter's cost at $14 billion, half the original estimate for the Ares 1.
The commission chairman, respected former Lockheed Martin chief executive Norman Augustine, said it comes down to money.
"With a few exceptions, we have the technology or the knowledge that we could go to Mars if we wanted with humans. We could put a telescope on the moon if we wanted," he said.
"The technology is by and large there. It boils down to what can we afford."
Rate This Article:
Delicious
Digg
StumbleUpon
Propeller
Reddit
Magnoliacom
Newsvine
Furl
Facebook
Google
Yahoo
Technorati
Icerocket
Print
Comments For This Post
YES,
THIS IS WRITE THAT THE THERE IS NOTHING HAPPENED AT ON 'MISSON MOON'.
YES THIS IS FAKE MISSON BY USA SPACE COMPANY NATIONAL ARONOTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION. AMERICAN IGO BEHIND THIS STORY........
THIS REPORT RELEASE AFTER PROF AND TEST[SECRETLY].
AT THAT TIME WORLD IN TWO SUPER POWER...AMERICA AND SOVIET UNION. SO AT FIRST USSR IS MOST VERY FAST FORWORD IN SPACE TECHNOLOGY. AND AFTER SOMETIME USSR SUCESSED IN WORLD FIRST CONTRY IN SENDING SETELITE,AND SENDING FIRST MAN IN SPACE...
SO AMERICAM IGO IS VERY HURT AT THAT TIME............
SO AMERICANS ARE WANT TO STAY FIRST THAN USSR.......
BUT NOTIHING IS POSSIBLE..AT THAT TIME.AMERICAN THINKING THAT IF WE SUCESSED IN SENDING MAN ON MOON THAN WE ARE AHED THAN USSR...
BUT THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE BECAUSE OF AFTER USSR SUCCESS IN THE SPACE TECHNOLOGY.AMERICAN WANT TO DO SOMTHING AGAINST USSR.THE IGO IS WOUNDED OF AMRICANS.
PRESIDENT ALSO WAMT SAY SOMETIHNG AGINST USSR TO THEM SCIENTIST.BUT AFTER 5-8 YEAR THEY CAN NOT DO THAT .RESON IS THE TECHNOLOGYCALY IS NOT POSIIBLE.THAT THE MAN ON MOON.
SO AT LAST TIME WHAN MR.CANNEDY KNOW THAT THE PROBLEM THEY REFUSE THIS MISSON .BUT THE THIME IS AWAY .......
MORE BIG NAME AND MONY CONNECTED WITH THIS PROJECT.
THEY DO NOT WANT TO REFUSE THIS MISSION.SO AFTER... THAT
A INCIDENCE HAPPEN -----THE MURDER OF MR.CANNEDY.......
WORL SHOCKED BUT RESON OF MRCANNEDY DEATH IS NOT UNCOVER TILL TODAY.WHY???????????
CAN BELIVE THAT WORLD POWER FUL PRESIDENT DETH AFTER VERY HI-FI SECUTRY OF CIA /US INELIGENS.....IT IS JUST A FAKE BY US -CIA .THERE IS NO REPORT ABOUT THEIR PRESIDENT HOW CAN THIS POSIIBLE.......
THEY HIDE REISON ...TO WORLD.BECAUES BEHIND THAT THEIR BENIFIT......OF MONEY.....AND FEAR OF LOST THE NO.1 TAG AGAINST USSR..
THEY JUST DRAMA...AT THAT MISSON[GOING TO MONN MAN] AT THAT TIME THEY SENDING ASTRONOUT TO SPACE NOT LANDING ON MOON......THEY SROUND MOVE AT EARTH.
THAT IS THE TRUTH..
AFTER THEY COMPITE THE [DRAMA]MISSON[FAKE] THEY WANT TO DECLER THATH THE WE SUCCESS IN MAN ON MOON.[THAT IS THE FAKE TRUTH.]THEY WANT SEE WORLD THAT THE THEY ARE SUCCED
THEY WANT DECLERE FAKE PROOF FOR COMPLETE MISSON.
NOW READ VERY CARFULY...
AFTER SOMEDAY NASA RELESS THE SOME FOTO AND VIDEO.
AS MISSON SUCCES PROOF......
IN A VIDEO MR.NIL ARMSTRONG WHO KONW AS THE FIRST MAN STEP ON MOON.OK..
BUT WHO IS THE CAMERAMAN[JURNALIST] WAITING AT MOON.AT ALRADY ON MOON...[THINK YOUR MIND-IF YOU ARE NOT STUPID]
IN THIS INCIDENCE HOW CAN THIS POSIIBLE...
ANOTHER IS ......AMERICAN FLAG ON MOON...IN FOTO[RELESE BY NASA]THAT IS WRIGHT THAT IS THE THERE IS NO SPACE+NOWIND ON MOON SPACE.SO HOW CAN USA FLAG FLYING WITHOUT WIND
THIS IS VERY FAKE......[A 5YEAR CHILDREN IS ALSO KNOW THAT.ABOUT THIS FAKE.]
ANOTHER ALSO IS
IN FOTO OF ASTRONAUTS HELMENT GLASS YOU CAN SEE IN GLASS THERE ARE TWO ANOTHER ASTRONOTA IN IMAGE....OK......
BUT NASA DECLARE THAT THE ON MISSON THREE ASTRONUTS BUT ONLY TWO PERSON LANDING ON MOON.THIRD ASTONOUTS IS NOT PUT HIM STEP ON MOON.WHO IS THE FOURTH ASTRONOUTS ON MOON.
NASA GIVE THAT THE ANSWER OF WHY THIRD ASTONOUT NOT PUT HIS STEP ON MOON.,.........
ANSWER IS HE DO NOT WANT TO DID THAT......[LISTEN]
THIS IS NOT THE TOUR OF STREET THAT THE HE DO NOT WANT STEP ON MOON.[AMERICAN ARE UNDERSTAND THAT ALL WORLD IS STUPID. WORLD NOT BELEVE ON THAT FAKE PROOF.]
THIS IS JUST THREE PROOF BUT YOU CAN FIND MOR PROOF....
ON VEDIO/FOTO......
AND ANOTHER WEB SITE..
MR.BILL CASING ALSO TALKING ABOUT THIS TOPIC WHO PART OF THIS [FAKE]MISSON.
TRUTH IS THAT THE AMERICAN ARE NEVER GO TO ON MOON .IN FOTO OF LANDING SPACE CRAFT ON MOON THAT IS THE VIDEO RECORD FILM WHICH IS RECROD AT IN NEVADA[AREA 51].
THIS IS THE MOST SECRET AREA ON WORLD.TRUTH IS TRUTH .
ITS IS ALWAYS COME TO PEOPLE.
THIS IS ONE TRUTH COME TO WORLD.
AND THOUSAND TRUTH IS ALSO POSSIBLE ......[WHICH IS NOT COME TO WORLD.]
THIS IS TRUTH .......
REASON IS ALL ABOUT MONEY AND POWER [IN WORLD].
AFTER THIS 25-35YEAR AGO A MAN WANT MAKING FILM ON THIS TOPIC.BUT NOBADY PRODUCE IT.FINALY DIRECTOR GOT FINANCE. MAKING FILM....AS "CAPRICORN ONE".SEE THIS FILM
MINDLY ....
THINK ABOUT PROOF OF FAKE MIISON.
THE AMERICAN ARE VERY SELFISH..BUT WHAT IS THIS THEY SPAKE LIE TO THEIR PEOPLE.HOW DISCUSTING???????????????
OK FIND ANOTHER TRUTH..................
Thanks for the report. I'm a regular reader/viewer of your news reports and telecasts, but it's disappointing to see good news coverage being marred by an increasing number of careless language errors. The last bit in the above report is not an interrogation statement. There should be no question mark at the end. It's a simple sentence....small but important details in a news service that's primarily text-based. Please give your readers high-quality news content. We deserve it :)
Post new comment