Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to NASA will be scraping space science missions...

Chris is mostly correct
Gary — (archived)

Chris Vancil said:

>I think the CEV will cause most if not all space science missions
>at NASA to be scraped as it will cost more than they seem willing
>to admit currently.

Refer to:

http://www.cbo.gov/showdoc.cfm?index=5772&sequence=1

Look at Summary Figures 1 and 2. Trace D on Summary Figure 2 is probably the most accurate prediction. As we approach 2020, Social Security, Medicare, the federal debt, etc. will become such major political issues that ignoring them will not be possible. Increasing NASA's budget from $16 billion to $25 billion is fantasy. Note that human exploration is actually "Human Lunar Exploration" (Mars is omitted). The only way NASA is going to to do the Moon Thing and keep NASA's budget fixed at $16 billion is to ramp down "Aeromautics and Other Science Missions and Activities" from the constant funding level shown in Figure 2. By 2020, NASA will be mainly focused upon Human Lunar Exploration. Aeronautics and atmospheric science will have been mostly jettisoned along with the Space Shuttle and ISS. Most of the Space Program will be poised for orderly shutdown should any President after 2013 decide that doing "Flags and Footprints" on the Moon isn't worth the money. It'll be a repeat of NASA's budget collapse in 1968 when the Apollo Program's research and development funding was terminated.

Gary

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