So let's say you're a NASA astronaut. The shuttle program has just been forcibly ended. NASA will be launching paper rockets for the forseeable future. The US is paying for seats on the Russian Soyuz as our only human-rated access to space (at $56M a pop, I might add). You'd likely be asking yourself, how the hell did we get here?
Of course, the argument goes the economy is in the proverbial toilet, there's no money, etc. NASA accounts for 0.5% of the federal budget. Compare that to the DoD and its "black projects" and it's not even a comparison. (not to mention the two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.)
Ares I was an abortion, and will never see the light of day. Ares V may yet survive in some form or fashion as the "SLS" (aka "Senate Launch System") - but that too is a rocket to nowhere.
You may remember my post from over a year ago. http://angrygentlemen.blogspot.com/2010/04/kennedy-would-be-really-proud.html Sadly, nothing has changed. The layoffs of all of those who worked so hard on shuttle continue, and the knowledge continues to walk out the doors of the VAB.
I has a sad. More to follow.
