Armstrong: Obama Hurting Space

[alienlovechild 75]

Former astronaut Neil Armstrong has issued a strongly worded rebuke of President Barack Obama, criticizing the president for proposed revisions to the U.S.' space program.

Armstrong, along with astronauts James Lovell and Eugene Cernan, called the proposal “devastating” in a letter obtained by NBC News. Read below for the full text:

"The United States entered into the challenge of space exploration under President Eisenhower’s first term, however, it was the Soviet Union who excelled in those early years," the letter begins."Under the bold vision of Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon, and with the overwhelming approval of the American people, we rapidly closed the gap in the final third of the 20th century, and became the world leader in space exploration. ...

"When President Obama recently released his budget for NASA, he proposed a slight increase in total funding, substantial research and technology development, an extension of the International Space Station operation until 2020, long range planning for a new but undefined heavy lift rocket and significant funding for the development of commercial access to low earth orbit.

"Although some of these proposals have merit, the accompanying decision to cancel the Constellation program, its Ares 1 and Ares V rockets, and the Orion spacecraft, is devastating.

"America’s only path to low Earth orbit and the International Space Station will now be subject to an agreement with Russia to purchase space on their Soyuz (at a price of over 50 million dollars per seat with significant increases expected in the near future) until we have the capacity to provide transportation for ourselves. The availability of a commercial transport to orbit as envisioned in the President’s proposal cannot be predicted with any certainty, but is likely to take substantially longer and be more expensive than we would hope.

"It appears that we will have wasted our current ten plus billion dollar investment in Constellation and, equally importantly, we will have lost the many years required to recreate the equivalent of what we will have discarded.

For The United States, the leading space faring nation for nearly half a century, to be without carriage to low Earth orbit and with no human exploration capability to go beyond Earth orbit for an indeterminate time into the future, destines our nation to become one of second or even third rate stature. While the President's plan envisages humans traveling away from Earth and perhaps toward Mars at some time in the future, the lack of developed rockets and spacecraft will assure that ability will not be available for many years.

Without the skill and experience that actual spacecraft operation provides, the USA is far too likely to be on a long downhill slide to mediocrity. America must decide if it wishes to remain a leader in space. If it does, we should institute a program which will give us the very best chance of achieving that goal.

Neil Armstrong

Commander, Apollo 11

James Lovell

Commander, Apollo 13

Eugene Cernan

Commander, Apollo 17

http://www.politico.com/click/stories/1004/armstong_obama_hurting_space.html

[luckytxn 2,264]

I find no fault with Obama the Socialists scrapping the manned Moon and Mars missions. They were way too expensive and wasteful. Lets get our house in order on Earth before we spend on this boondoggle.

[natty bumppo 297]

I find no fault with Obama the Socialists scrapping the manned Moon and Mars missions. They were way too expensive and wasteful. Lets get our house in order on Earth before we spend on this boondoggle.

guess you didn't benefit from the space program of the 60's .... so how is your cave?

[luckytxn 2,264]

guess you didn't benefit from the space program of the 60's .... so how is your cave?

I also worked at the Johnson Space center for awhile in the late 70's, so what. I live a few miles from there still, so what? It is moronic to do the manned space flight when the same stuff can be done without having humans actually there at a tenth of the cost. We are too in debt and need to control spending not waste money just to do something that is not even needed.

[natty bumppo 297]

I also worked at the Johnson Space center for awhile in the late 70's, so what. I live a few miles from there still, so what? It is moronic to do the manned space flight when the same stuff can be done without having humans actually there at a tenth of the cost. We are too in debt and need to control spending not waste money just to do something that is not even needed.

so the advances of the 60s manned flight program don't impact your life today ... congratulations your subscription to "cave life" has been renewed.

[luckytxn 2,264]

The advances of living among my means has done wonders for me. My cave is paid for and life is good for me.

[alienlovechild 75]

It is moronic to do the manned space flight when the same stuff can be done without having humans actually there at a tenth of the cost. We are too in debt and need to control spending not waste money just to do something that is not even needed.

Why is it that India and China are heading for the moon while we can't do it 40 years later? Maybe they are wasting their money out of national pride but it's sad that I wasn't old enough to remember our moon landings and my daughter will probably only get to see India and China take that big leap.

[natty bumppo 297]

The advances of living among my means has done wonders for me. My cave is paid for and life is good for me.

can't ask for more .... maybe the next generation of advances will move you beyond digital watches/calculators and tang ... who knows ...

[luckytxn 2,264]

Why is it that India and China are heading for the moon while we can't do it 40 years later? Maybe they are wasting their money out of national pride but it's sad that I wasn't old enough to remember our moon landings and my daughter will probably only get to see India and China take that big leap.

They are not as broke as us too. They don't run huge deficits also. They have tons of discretionary spending. They buy our debt at pretty good interest. They make lots of cheap ####### that Americans can't get enough of from Wal Mart.

Us we spend a ton on wars and troops all over the world playing policeman. We toss out money away like it was nothing and give handouts freely to every one all over the world.