Saturday, July 31, 2010

Downsizing the Dream

it's notified 900 employees that layoffs will begin starting October 1st.
This comes as a shock to me
as it was a little over 3 months ago that Obama announced to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida:
"By 2025 we expect new spacecraft designed for long journeys to allow us to begin the first ever crew missions beyond the moon into deep space," adding,
"So, we'll start by sending astronauts to an asteroid for the first time in history. By the mid-2030s, I believe we can send humans to orbit Mars and return them safely to earth, and a landing on Mars will follow."
He even went so far as to say he was "100% committed"
announcing he would increase NASA's budget by $6 billion over the next 5 years.
This is money excavated from the Stimulus Bill.
A costly project in such uncertain economic times.
He said they should "begin with a return to the surface of the moon first"
which the Augustine Committee (a group which reviews US human space flight plans)
said the project would require $50 billion more over the next 10 years to get back to the moon and even then it would be a decade late.

It was less than a month ago
that Obama ordered NASA to increase its ties with Muslims.
Which came out of left field for most, and many questioned its true purpose.

No comments: