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Commercialization

Misplaced and Misinformed Concerns by Rep. Ruppersberger

By Keith Cowing
NASA Watch
January 5, 2011
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Relaunch the U.S. space program, opinion, Rep. Ruppersberger, Baltimore Sun
“The president announced plans to cancel Constellation, the plan to return astronauts to the moon by 2020. This move jeopardizes an $11.5 billion investment, puts thousands of skilled scientists out of work, and shakes the very heart of the space industrial base.”
Keith’s note: Rep. Ruppersberger hasn’t really been paying attention to recent events. SpaceX Launched a Dragon test vehicle on a Falcon 9 years ahead of any schedule NASA ever imagined for Orion and Ares 1 and did so for a fraction of what NASA spent on Constellation. For that $11.5 billion “investment” in Constellation, NASA produced nothing like Falcon/Dragon that ever came remotely close to flying. NASA “jeopardized” its “investment” all by itself. The White House simply sought to stop throwing good money after bad by cancelling Constellation.
Ruppersberger goes on to lament the fact that commercial crew transport services are being sent to Russia yet seems to be clueless that NASA is going out of its way to levy crew transport requirements on American companies that would hinder their ability to provide the same services that NASA throws at Russia. Russia is not – and will not – be called upon to adhere to these same requirements.

NASA Watch founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.