Preview of Official NASA Budget/Policy Events - 2nd Update

I haven't, after all the whining you've done, a clue why this would interest you. The efforts will be 'gutted' to the point of trivial waste - same a much of the other administration's goals. Current contractors will be 'adjusted' to the 'new' ones which have admin ties; we'll stick a carbon looking device in the sky -whoopee, and in the mean time allow India, China, Russia, to lead.

You wanted blank checks to commercial interests; then how come Arianne remains 75% market share for commercial flights? - Musk is missing. Where's Sea Launch? Do u really think Astronaut ferrying will cover commercial costs at two flights per year?

If Bolden and Garver announce anything other than U.S. Human Exploration of the moon and Mars it will be a colossal waste of my tax money and more of the same "redirection talk" BS from this shortsighted administration. Big announcements? More childish narcissism and navel gazing. Yawn, over and out.

After all of the funds that have been invested in Constellation so far, I just feel that our government for some reason is looking for ways to lose many. Constellation shouldn't die. It should be made into a more collaborative effort. NASA, Russia, ESA, JAXA, India, and China should all be equal partners in this effort. To go back to the moon and Mars. That goes for funding as well. Use the commercial sector for LOE missions and tourism. Why can't this happen?

My hat is off to Brian Williams for making mention of the space issue, unlike most other talking heads, and for being a supporter of exploration. I've always liked him better than most TV anchors.

That much said, I totally agree with Mike's comment. Anything other than exploration of the Solar System as the objective, goal and purpose for NASA would be... I'll just say "unwise". Helping spur the growth of the commercial sector is important and should be a part of that. But if NASA is reduced to building climate change satellites and being a Fannie Space - funneling cheap money to companies that are too high-risk to raise capital on their own - then the agency shouldn't even exist.

snkarma, it might be worth pointing out what percentage of Arianespace and it's contractors are partially or wholly owned by the various governments in Europe. It's far from being truly private enterprise. In fact, Arianespace probably couldn't survive without the hefty, massive, subsidies and support it receives from government. Heck, they just got out of a financial mess with government's help. I surely don't want THAT kind of situation with American, wholly privately-owned, companies.

I won't be getting too excited by any of this, not until the 2011 budget comes out of Congress and the president signs it. Then, and only then, will we know the fate of Constellation and the future of NASA.

Tomorrow 50 years US manned space flight will essentially end as we know it. It will be replaced by substandard rockets like spaceX and vaporware.

JFK was the mother of the space program and Obama is the mortician.

What a disappointment Obama has become.

Bye, bye, American pie.

It is over.........

Couple of questions...

First, who decides Nasa's mission? It sounds like the President does, but then it's really up to Congress? What about Bolden? I'd love to hear how the process actually works and WHO has the ultimate say so. It "sounds" like Congress does at this point and with their backing of Constellation then we will stick to the program of record. So, tell me how this will unfold... Obviously no one know how voting will go, but if Congress disagrees with Obama then who decides the future? Details please !

Also, with all the talk of Congress not approving this axing of Constellation, can anyone talk of past events of other President's where they have proposed a mission of sorts for Nasa and Congress has altered that direction?

The President determines the mission but Congress holds the purse strings. The President will put in his budget request that represents the mission and Congress must approve it. The problem here lies with certain members of Congress that are fairly powerful and can de-rail the Presidents budget request or completely change it. Senator Shelby is one such person.

If Congress and the President disagree, then they will negotiate until they have an agreement. However, Congress holds the purse strings and will ultimately send the NASA budget to the Presidents desk for his signature. He can VETO it but usually NASA's budget is attached to the rest of the Presidents budget. It is highly unlikely he'll veto.

General Bolden is tasked with carrying out the mission. The President and Congress will consult with him about what the mission should be and how it should be carried out but eventually they will tell him what to do.

Welcome to the Republic form of Government.

Who says human spaceflight has anything to do with space exploration? NASA has the most advanced, comprehensive space exploration program in the world. The US currently has probes traveling beyond the solar system and exploring the heliosphere. New Horizons is headed to Pluto. Cassini is exploring Saturn and its moons. Opportunity still roams the surface of Mars. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is taking amazing photos of Martian surface geology. LCROSS slammed in to the Moon recently and found water. Hubble, Chandra, WISE, Spitzer peer into the universe. NASA does all of this at a fraction of what human spaceflight costs. Funding human spaceflight on the basis of space exploration is insupportable.
So what is the purpose of human spaceflight? To expand human civilization beyond Earth. This means establishing permanent facilities out in low Earth orbit, at EML points, the Moon, and eventually perhaps Mars establishing and nurturing new markets for human expansion. When markets become established transportation systems and infrastructure tend to rapidly develop to support them. Human spaceflight is about commerce, not exploration.

The VSE in 2004 was DOA when neither the last administration and congress never supplied an adequate budget.
The Human Space Flight Plans Committee noticed this in a micro second.
They did outline some reasonable ideas for getting out of LEO ... we shall see.

So, it sounds like the President would "like" to cancel Constellation.
So, the headlines should only read that Constellation is cancelled when the Congress and President agree that is such.
Until then, Constellation is alive and well it seems!
Misleading headlines so it seems.

"Who says human spaceflight has anything to do with space exploration?"

One of the problems with robotic spacecraft is that they are limited. They tried to mount a robotic mission to repair HST but the cost was high. The Viking landers didn't discovery if there was life on Mars because they were inflexible.

Robotic missions are still important, but it will be a long time before they can totally replace humans in space exploration.