Says Current Low Earth Orbit Era A Mistake

NASA Administrator Michael Griffin believes the US space program's change of focus from the Moon to low earth orbit operations was a mistake.

Griffin told the New York Times, "Viewed from the point of history several decades out, the period where the United States retreated from the Moon and quite deliberately focused only on low Earth orbit will be seen, to me, a mistake."

This is not the first time Griffin has made such comments. Indeed, his oft-stated beliefs may have led to his appointment as the space agency's head -- it came just as President Bush announced his "vision for space exploration" calling for a return to the Moon by 2020.

Griffin's latest comments to the Times are seen as justification for his recent controversial budget decisions. His cut backs for certain science activities and the change of focus to manned Moon missions has some NASA and other scientists up in arms.

After his negative remarks about the wisdom of continuing the Shuttle program of nearly a year ago were taken as a stab by those working on it, Griffin publicly apologized to the agency's employees.

But, while he lauds all those involved in its development, Griffin still maintains NASA should never have embarked on the shuttle program. "The space shuttle is a response to a policy mistake — it isn't the mistake. The mistake was tearing up all the infrastructure that we built for Apollo and saying, ‘let’s just focus on low Earth orbit,'" he said.

NASA revealed its latest plans for manned Moon missions to establish a permanent lunar presence just last week to much media criticism. Many wonder if the agency can make it happen within the confines of its $17 billion annual budget.

Griffin says he understands the skeptics while acknowledging the agency has lost its Apollo-era reputation for getting things done on time and on budget.

Griffin said, "I’m trying to restore that."

FMI: www.nasa.gov