We saw this coming from miles away. Though we’re confused about the priorities. During the 60s there were several major social revolutions and wars aplenty . Yet the USA still managed to go to the moon. We did this using computers less powerful than a contemporary digital watch.
The Office of Management and Budget has released the proposed $19 billion fiscal year 2011 budget for NASA, with plans to cancel the Marshall Space Flight Center-managed Ares I and directions to shift focus away from returning to the moon to continue support of the International Space Station.
Are we being delusional because current times are tough? Let’s face it. Times are always tough. The benefits from the Apollo program are countless. Imagine what we could learn by stepping off our front porch. All of you practical minded folk who don’t have the love for The Black like we do, please consider the shear volume of jobs that would be created just to send a manned mission into Mars orbit.
There will be no lunar landers, no moon bases, no Constellation program at all.
In their place, according to White House insiders, agency officials, industry executives and congressional sources familiar with Obama’s long-awaited plans for the space agency, NASA will look at developing a new “heavy-lift” rocket that one day will take humans and robots to explore beyond low Earth orbit. But that day will be years — possibly even a decade or more — away.
Beyond low Earth orbit is not good enough. We’ve been out there for decades. Why not stroll down the street to see what’s there?
Robots are not good enough. Until we create the intelligence that will fuel our future robot overlords, they don’t have the know-how, the poetry, or the will to get things done. This new tact is not the way of the future.
Today, our Space Bastard soul is disappointed.
UPDATE: @BryanMcB tells us that Buzz Aldrin is all about skipping the moon and going right to Mars: [PDF]. A bold and awesome thought. Aldrin hopes that more commercial explorations of low Earth orbit will “likely result in so many more earthlings being able to experience the transformative power of spaceflight.”
If only we could be as positive as Mr Aldrin about this.
