Manned Spaceflight In Jeopardy Given Current NASA Budget

The Obama Administrations' Human Spaceflight Commission, also known as The Augustine Commission after its chairman Norman Augustine, will tell the administration that NASA's budget constraints make the continuation of human spaceflight almost impossible to sustain, putting plans for a return to the moon or a mission to Mars in doubt.

After its final meeting Wednesday, the committee concluded that NASA's existing plans for manned space exploration are "not executable" given the budget constraints placed on the agency by the Administration. In jeopardy are a planned $80 million space capsule program, as well as development of the next generation of launch vehicles needed for manned missions to the moon or Mars.

Among other scenarios that will be presented to the administration are utilizing existing shuttle technology to continue to place people in low earth orbit, with the possibility of orbiting refueling stations for missions to explore asteroids or deeper into space. Using derivatives of existing military rockets is also a possibility. International pressure to continue funding for ISS could drain additional funds from any future manned flight budget.

The Wall Street Journal reports that former astronaut Sally Ride, a member of the commission, said while all of the options discussed recognize the importance of supporting ISS with delivery of cargo and crew, "we need to get NASA out of the business of getting crew" into low earth orbit. "(E)xploration doesn't look viable" given the state of NASA's current budget, she said. The commission will recommend boosting the existing $9 billion budgeted for manned flight by 25-50 percent in the coming years.

Also at risk is Alliant Techsystems, the developer of solid rocket boosters for the Ares I and Ares V that were seen as being the space programs workhorses following retirement of the shuttle. The Ares I would ferry crew and cargo to ISS, and the Ares V was being designed for Lunar or Martian missions. The WSJ reports that the discussions Wednesday seemed to favor startup companies like Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX).

Ares V Artists Rendering

The Air Force could also benefit from NASA's problems, if the Administration decides to shift money from NASA to upgrades in the military's launch systems. Money currently spent on NASA could be used to upgrade the Air Force Space Command Delta IV and Atlas V programs.

Some of the recommendations involved major layoffs and a restructuring of NASA's industrial base, which drew a cautionary note from Ms. Ride. "We shouldn't underestimate the magnitude of the repercussions" of such a move, she said.

FMI: www.nasa.gov