Panel: NASA Should Skip Moon, Fly Elsewhere

Posted: October 22, 2009

Those commercial rockets should be ready in about six years, Crawley said.

NASA is slowly delaying some parts of the old moon program. It's rethinking its future annual $10 million spending on a still-unbuilt lunar lander as it awaits Obama's decision on the Augustine panel recommendations, said NASA spokesman Grey Hautaluoma.

George Washington University space scholar John Logsdon praised the report as "more comprehensive" than NASA's current program.

Syracuse University public policy professor Henry Lambright said he worries about changes that will cause a loss in momentum in NASA's exploration plans. "You've got to make a decision and you've got to stick to it if you are ever going to get to Mars."

Senator Richard Shelby, R-Ala., criticized the idea of using unproven commercial carriers instead of the Ares, which was designed in his state. He said the report was "unsatisfactory and disappointing."

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Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee: http://www.nasa.gov/offices/hsf/home/index.html

Updated on 10/22/2009

moon

we need to visit the moon to answer questions once and for all. who is on the moon ? there is something going on up there, and i would like to know what? we need a base on the moon , and it would be cheaper to launch ships from there to mars or elsewhere. i want to know if there was something or someone alien that use to or still does live on the moon. it's like bypassing africa to go to asia . why haven't we been to the moon ?

john of OH @ Jan 24, 2010 15:22:56 PM

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The ISS should be powered and lifted to a higher orbit and become permanent for manufacturing space vehicles and other exotic materials that can only be done in space. Remember those astronauts who died by keeping the ISS alive.

ECOSPACEUSER of OH @ Jan 13, 2010 10:51:36 AM

SPACE MAN

from the lookof things, I dont beleive Nasa has found any water at the south pole of the water. I frist suspected this form the no show of the big plume which we all expected but saw shown over the internet by animated images.
Secondly , the lenght of time Nasa is taking to analysed the result is even more suspicous. Why if the plume had in water or oxygen and hydrogen molocule like we were told to expect, then it would not take the prodes data collected weeks to be deduced ,but rather minutes.
I some how belive Nasa moon mission of late was more than a big failure, but which the excepted bad news to be deleivered, I think the whole manned return mission to the moon might now be in serious qusetion.
The russian have taken the correct step in looking at building a nuclear power space craft for a mars trips and the soon to introduce orbital transfer vehilces.
These type of vehiches IF POWERED BY ION engine or nuclear power would help build a space infrustructure necesary to maintain an economical space activity.
Nasa need s to look at the concept of way-stations i.e in high orbit around the earth. ,in orbit around the moon , and at distance points beween mars and earth and even the astroid belt,

Ian Parke of FL @ Nov 09, 2009 09:59:06 AM

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Panel: NASA Should Skip Moon, Fly Elsewhere

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Panel: NASA Should Skip Moon, Fly Elsewhere

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