From FLORIDA TODAY's Eun Kyung Kim
WASHINGTON - Rep. Bill Posey introduced a bill today that would continue flying the space shuttle until its replacement, the Ares rocket, or another U.S.-made spacecraft could immediately resume taking Americans into space.
The measure represents the latest attempt by federal lawmakers to extend the life of the shuttle program beyond its scheduled retirement next year. Once NASA grounds the shuttles, it will be forced to rely on Russia to fly U.S. astronauts to the International Space Station until 2015. That's when the Ares rocket, part of the Constellation program replacing the shuttle, should be ready to fly.
Posey's bill calls for at least two shuttle missions a year, starting in 2010.
"Or, they could have three (launches) one year, two the next," said the Rockledge Republican. "We just don't want to lose our launch team. We'll never be able to get back that kind of talent again."
NASA estimates it would cost about $2.5 billion per year to keep flying the shuttle after 2010. Posey called that estimate high. He said he believes the price to be about $1.5 billion per year instead. Although his legislation does not include any funding, he plans to introduce a separate appropriations bill that would provide $1.5billion for next year's fiscal budget "to get things started."
Posey's bill also calls for various cost-cutting measures, including the possible retirement of one of the shuttle orbiters. NASA also would be required to cut back on shuttle upgrades not related to safe operation.
Posey's bill mirrors legislation introduced by his predecessor, former Rep. Dave Weldon, R-Indialantic. Posey's bill, however, allows for the shuttle to retire once a U.S.-based supplier (such as Space X) is certified to take NASA astronauts to the space station.
Posey said several lawmakers have expressed interest in co-sponsoring the legislation. Rep. Suzanne Kosmas, the New Smyrna Beach Democrat whose district includes Kennedy Space Center, was reviewing the bill, said her spokesman, Marc Goldberg.
According to the budget blueprint released earlier this year by the White House, President Barack Obama plans to stick with his predecessor's plan to end the shuttle program next year. Posey would not say whether his bill has a chance to advance, in light of that directive.
"If you don't shoot for the moon, you don't ever get out of your own backyard," he said.
Last month, a Senate budget panel passed a resolution urging lawmakers include an extra $2.5 billion to NASA's budget to fly the shuttle for an additional year.
Space news and analysis from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral 
6 comments:
Bill Posey's bill makes a lot of sense. Obama's plan to end the shuttle program underestimates the technical, logistic and political need for the shuttle to keep flying.
Well let's see....Has Mr Posey done anything to PO the big guy? He might get some support from the Detroit area. Our pork is the very best pork.
Posey doesnt get it. Keeping the Shuttle flying will just push Constellation further to the right. Funds need to be shifted from operations salaries to development salaries. If those funds don't shift, NASA can't pay people to develop the new systems in accordance to the current schedule. The more you delay a program like this, the more likely it is to get killed by the next administration, wasting all that was invested to date so the new administration can fund their own new pet project until the next administration comes in, cancels it, and replaces it with their own project.
Considering how Obama is blowing the federal budgets, the Shuttle is just 'chump change. He would just print some more money. It would not delay any follow-on program. No funds need to be shifted.
With the shuttle continuously active there is no pressing political drive to bring on Constellation. Which works because it will be hella difficult to use the same facilities for two sets of launch vehicles and both programs will proceed at a snails pace.
If the new moon rocket has a fumble (as these programs tend to, see Apollo for plenty of examples) instead of working through the problems the politicians will sooner end the whole deal to look as if their saving money.
There after if the shuttle has another incident, manned spaceflight itself ends up on the chopping block.
Politically convenient for them... a disaster for mankind.
I love the shuttle as much as anyone, but its time to move on.
Now that we have deflation raging, that cost should be down to $1 Billion a year, by the time it gets passed.
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