Fight to Save the Manned US Space Program

The fight begins to save the US Manned Space Program. Indicative of the uproar the Obama Administration will face on Capitol Hill when hearings start on the NASA budget: On Feb. 13, the day when an angry letter signed by 27 Reps was sent to NASA head Charlie Bolden, Rep. Bill Posey (R-Fla.), whose district includes NASA's Kennedy Space Center, released his own statement to emphasize the impact on his constituents.

Posey references NASA's illegal cancellation on Feb. 13 of a ground launch control contract, which is needed to test Constellation's Ares-1 rocket. Kennedy is already facing up to 7,000 layoffs when the Shuttle stops flying later this year, because nothing is ready to take its place. This Constellation contract cancellation, Posey says, "could be as many as 1,500 additional jobs that will be lost at KSC." "It is truly disappointing that our space program lacks leadership and vision. If current trends are allowed to continue, we risk reverting to pre-1961 status, having no human space flight program." Back to the Moon and on to Mars.