Renowned astronaut, soldier, and former Ohio Senator John Glenn said on Thursday that the Obama Administration should not close down the International Space Shuttle (ISS) program.
Following Congress’ announcement that the space shuttle program will get cut, Glenn wrote a letter to officials asking them to continue carrying out space missions, otherwise there will be no Americans in space starting as early as next year.
In 2004, NASA received a new directive from President George W. Bush to establish a base on the moon and to complete a mission to Mars. However, no reliable plan for funding the program was provided and it was decided that the ISS would be closed down by 2015 and shuttles will stop flying before 2011.
Funding for the ISS was cut as early as 2005 and it was only finished this year. With a lot of NASA’s budget spent on accomplishing the new tasks, the IS shuttle is getting closed down and American astronauts will have no access to the only “means of getting into space,” which are space shuttles, Glenn explained.
Before NASA completes the construction of the new Shuttle, space missions will be carried out from a Russian spacecraft launched from Kazakhstan. In this way, astronauts, researchers, and scientists will need to be launched from and to the site. According to Glenn, this will not only cost more, but will defy the meaning of “world’s greatest spacefaring nation.”
“Why terminate a perfectly good system that has been made more safe and reliable through many years of development?” asked Glenn.
On Friday, Obama decided to allocate $100 million to the growth of the aerospace industry for the 2010-2011 fiscal year.
“We’re very pleased the president has asked for additional support to help the communities and workers most deeply involved in our space program,” said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.
Following Congress’ announcement that the space shuttle program will get cut, Glenn wrote a letter to officials asking them to continue carrying out space missions, otherwise there will be no Americans in space starting as early as next year.
In 2004, NASA received a new directive from President George W. Bush to establish a base on the moon and to complete a mission to Mars. However, no reliable plan for funding the program was provided and it was decided that the ISS would be closed down by 2015 and shuttles will stop flying before 2011.
Funding for the ISS was cut as early as 2005 and it was only finished this year. With a lot of NASA’s budget spent on accomplishing the new tasks, the IS shuttle is getting closed down and American astronauts will have no access to the only “means of getting into space,” which are space shuttles, Glenn explained.
Before NASA completes the construction of the new Shuttle, space missions will be carried out from a Russian spacecraft launched from Kazakhstan. In this way, astronauts, researchers, and scientists will need to be launched from and to the site. According to Glenn, this will not only cost more, but will defy the meaning of “world’s greatest spacefaring nation.”
“Why terminate a perfectly good system that has been made more safe and reliable through many years of development?” asked Glenn.
On Friday, Obama decided to allocate $100 million to the growth of the aerospace industry for the 2010-2011 fiscal year.
“We’re very pleased the president has asked for additional support to help the communities and workers most deeply involved in our space program,” said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.
