This just in from the office of U.S. Rep. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge:Administration Plan to Terminate Constellation Contract Without Congressional Approval in Violation of Law
WASHINGTON, DC -- Congressman Bill Posey (R-Rockledge) released the following statement in response to the Obama Administration's notice today that it is cancelling Kennedy Space Center's Exploration Ground Launch Services (EGLS) contract:
"Administration's unilateral decision to cancel contracts associated with the Constellation program, absent Congressional consent is a direct violation of the law and of Congressional intent," said Congressman Posey.
"The President's budget request represents a significant retreat from human space flight and a departure from his promise to close the gap and keep the United States first in space. The President's budget has not been approved by the Congress. Congress has not directed the Administration to cancel the Constellation program in fact it has done just the opposite in recent legislation.
"Now we learn that the Administration is moving ahead with terminating Constellation without Congressional approval. I am informed that NASA has formed teams to wind down Constellation projects and that NASA is cancelling the EGLS procurement process for Constellation at Kennedy Space Center. This could be as many as 1,500 additional jobs that will be lost at KSC.
"The Consolidated Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2010 expressly prohibits the 'termination or elimination of any program, project or activity of the architecture for the Constellation program.' Moreover, indications that NASA is not properly allocating funds intended for Constellation is worrisome and in direct violation of the legislation that Congress passed and that has been signed into law. The unilateral decisions by the Administration are likely in direct violation of the Impoundment Control Act.
"Today I joined 26 of my colleagues from both parties in sending a strong message to NASA to halt any actions damaging to Constellation and reiterating the central role of elected legislators in authorizing and funding the future of human space flight.
"It is truly disappointing that our space program lacks leadership and vision. If current trends are allowed to continue, we risk reverting to pre-1961 status, having no human space flight program.”
Click HERE to read the "cease-and-desist" letter the legislators delivered to NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.
96 comments:
Oh please - NASA is part of the executive branch and therefore is managed by the President. It amazes me that a so called fiscal conservative wants to keep this boon doogle going.....
So whats new? Mr. O has made it clear he intends to control as much as he can and has no respect for normal processes. He is not a team player, and in his own words, and especially his actions, has shown disrespect for democracy. When Americans finally figure out his agenda we will have lost our basic freedoms.
Excellent! We elect Presidents, not a dictators, and Presidents need to follow the law!
If you read the letter, notice the use of the words 'may', 'ask' and 'request'. Basically this is a letter with no meat in it at all, even references to legal violations are vague and unsubstantiated.
It is true. NASA has been working very hard to shut down Constellation and begin work on the new program without congressional approval. They don't even know what the new program is.
See how the thug from Chicago works, especially when he has a Nastynaut turned NASA Administrator as his accomplice who would dare to attempt anything illegal that the mind controlling slobberer in chief bids him to do. New Management Required Now!!
Bag it... we don't need that booddoggle. We need more high speed rail. The US is the worst rated nation for rapid transit... behind even China by at least two decades. We need health care for all our citizens - we're ranked the lowest in life expectancy and highest in infant mortality of all the industrialized nations.
We need to take care of people at home for a change. We need solutions on Earth. I appreciate the satellites and Hubble telescope, and even the robot on Mars.... but sending humans there is a huge waste of money.
"Administration's unilateral decision to cancel contracts associated with the Constellation program, absent Congressional consent is a direct violation of the law and of Congressional intent," said Congressman Posey.
True, factual and well said! No one person has the right to disregard the DECISION made by the people! No one person, not one large minority has the right to disregard the WILL OF THE PEOPLE! MAJORITY RULES! US is a country of laws which protect the taxpayers decisions. TAXPAYERS MAJORITY DECIDES. Vote!
Thank Florida Today for reporting this truth! FT rocks!
Bill Posey gets the job done!!! Thanks, Bill.
montreal here
China is laffing all the way to the moon
Get a thesaurus, booddongle, boondoggle - we get your point, you do not like NASA. Trust me, you'll get your wish. Unfortunately the president will ultimately get his wish and 20000-30000 people total will become unemployed and a decent percentage of those will likely end up on the gov dole. That should make you giddy with glee. Besides, we can depend on our trustworthy Russians to do the right thing. It'll be interesting to see Obama's response to something like Russia invading Georgia again. So, Antagonist (just guessing)...you'll get what you are hoping for, the shutting down of the 'space welfare program'. I just wish I could hear you complain when things go down the tubes here in a year or two. Of course many generations from now, when you are long dead and the world is truly falling to pieces, they can thank you and your inspired vision of the future for our lack of progress expanding into the universe. You won't care, you'll be dead...not your problem.
High speed rail...to take people from Tampa to Orlando...where they'll have to rent a car to get anywhere anyhow. Billions of dollars to go the same speed as a car, typical liberal government work program, produces nothing and will forever be a tax burden. Heck, even the trains themselves have to be built overseas. Quit giving China props, which China do you admire, the one the oppresses, murders and censors it's own people, or the one that supposedly is so advance and 20 years ahead of us? Take your stats and stick it, if you read how they were determined you would realize that quoting them makes you look like a naive idiot who can be led around by the nose....perhaps that is the truth.
Montreal again,
If congress endorses this new nasa plan, then starting next year, your VAB will be nothing more than a glorius musium to past glories
This is not about other campaign issues such as healthcare reform, etc.; this is about NASA and our future as a country in space endeavors. It is important to remember to pray for our leadership so that they make the best decision possible to help strengthen our country.
Personally, I believe that too many American tax dollars have already been spent and too much ground has been gained in developing the Constellation program for cancellation entirely of the program. Perhaps the best answer is a better understanding and clarification of direction for CxP. Cancellation altogether is a waste of taxpayer dollars, especially with the launch of ARES 1X, CPAS, etc.
Studies have shown that for every dollar spent on our space program, $2 is created in jobs and economic growth for the general economy. So reducing NASA expenditures actually hurts the economy.
Continuing to confine human civilization solely to our planet of evolutionary origin could result in the extinction of our species.
"Earth is the cradle of humanity, but one cannot remain in the cradle forever."Tsiolkovsky
Nope, constellation is now an UNFUNDED MANDATE...like so many that Bush left in his wake when he rode off into the sunset. The President is absolutely within his rights and obligations to propose a budget.
Once again, Posey is making us look stupid. He's such a moron. This isn't legislating...it's posturing. Ridiculous. He should try governing like he was elected to do.
Is it 2012 yet???
Brevard Democrats ... this is the hope and change you voted for?
Canceling Constellation? We may as well rool up the Streets in Brevard County. This place will be doomed. It will affect every non-direct space related person on the Space Coast. School Teachers, Sanitation Workers, Store Clerks, Bar Tenders, Servers etc.. because so MANY will either leave the area to find work elsewhere, or they will be so strapped for money that they will not be able to patronize Business - creating more loss. The trickle down affect of this Budget Cut will be devasting. I know - I barely survived the 70's here at the end of the Apollo Program.
This country needs to offer better pay for the position of president so that it will attract better candidates. Obama's not walking the talk. McCain wouldn't have done any better. This country is massive and needs an experienced, smart individual at the reigns. We need to stay ahead in space to hold our place in the world influence, and a supportive administration is what it will take.
Obama wants to be a Dictator like Hitler. Tell you what to do, how much you can make, and "share the wealth" to people who can manage it. That is why they are poor in the first place.
We don't need space, we need welfare programs. welfare, welfare, welfare because we are a bunch of losers. USA #100 Thanks Obama for spoon feeding everyone like a baby. We need our daddy since we are unable to take care of ourselves. What a shame.
To quote a line from the movie "JFK," "What else do you expect from a pig but a grunt?"
Posey is only interested in his own pork, just as Senator Shelby (R-AL) tried to block all Obama appointments until he got the pork he wanted for his state.
For all the lip service we get from Republicans, they have shown themselves to be world-class borrow-and-spend hypocrites.
The non-partisan Augustine Panel found that Constellation was over budget, behind schedule and badly managed. It wasn't going to launch a lunar mission until 2028, if ever. It was sapping money from ISS and science missions. It was a black-hole jobs program for his district, and Posey knows that.
how was the Hubble put into orbit? The Shuttle and its astronauts!! How was the Hubble repaired 3 times? The Shuttle and its astronauts!! How many satellites have been repaired, refurbished, or returned to earth by the Shuttle and its astronauts? We wouldn't have the ISS without the Shuttle and its astronauts. Now under Obama, we won't have any astronauts at all, just passengers to be ferried to space by the Russians or the lowest bidder.
For the full calendar of the Space Program it has been known that the last days would come, and that the last days would be approximately now. For several years academically trained, well-experienced law makers and industry leaders conducted exploratory and advanced planning conferences to design and work out economic, commerce and work force solutions to issues that were known from the beginning of the Program, to no avail. Have these reknown appointed and elected officials failed, such that they now point fingers at a higher level of management to avoid their own legacy of failure to take care of Florida's workforce, economics and commerce?
why all the fuss, obama is letting the private sector take over, that's what the republicans want, less gov't involement, they want gov't out of our lives and a free market society "RIGHT".
Yo "Bag it"...you are obviously delusional! Why would we go BACK in progress to the age of TRAINS instead of progressing ahead with space exploration? And how many people is this TRAIN going to employ? If there is no one left in central Florida, who is going to RIDE this train? Wake up and smell the 21st century.
A little late dontcha think? Instead of worrying about his birth certificate, maybe you should have been trying to gain support so folks in your district could keep their jobs.
On the other hand, some of the local tea baggers could possibly shell out some of their cash since they don't seem to want the government to tax people so programs like this can be paid for.
So "The Poser" sends out a toothless Press Release before he leaves DC for t weekend. ROFLMAO!
more high speed rail ? yeah, more empty trains...that's the ticket.
What about invading a sovereign country under false pretenses? Oh, that was a Republican who did that. Or, revealing a covert CIA agent's identity for political gain? Oh, that was a Republican. Constellation was going nowhere before it was cancelled. A mission with no tangible, realistic or beneficial goal, other than employment base sustainment. The GOP's all for cutting spending, as long as it doesn't effect their districts. Hypocrite.
The irony...Birther BIll belly-aching about a very expensive government program!!! What happened to lowering the defecit Bill? What happened to less govnmt...less waste...??
NIMBY(NOT IN MY BACK YARD) huh Bill!!! Hey, where's the tea party folks. I'm sure they would agree with Prez. Obama's choice!
Calling for high speed rail over the space program is just lain ignorant. High speed rail serves only a small segment of the population, the space program benefits the entire world.
Those who wish the space money go to social programs are incredibly selfish and short-sighted. Social programs continue the cycle of dependency, the space program creates thousands of jobs.
Frankly the we taxpayers would rather spend the money on something that will be of benefit to all.
"Comment will be visible after approval".
Oh? Should I be praying to the FT gods and hope my comment meets their high standards for literacy? Or are they just going to publish that which is politically correct?
POSEY IS A CORPORATE LOBBYIST SELL OUT AMBULANCE CHASER!
If you want to be broke then vote for Posey.
Posey supported Bush until the country went down the drain helping Oil Companys and Defense Contractors drain the treasury.
The guy is a murdering crook. He and Bush are not only responsible for making Defense Contractors filthy rich he is also responsible for murdering over half a million people in the Iraq WMD SCAM!
One more thing! All this belly aching from the folks in Brevard is kind of ironic as well. Considering Brevard supported and carried Mccain/Palin. Obama does not owe anything to brevard. Politically, Brevard has no one's ear in Washington. Get over it!
Please show me were, or get your haed outof your a$$. http://www.whitehouse.gov/our-government/executive-branch/
since waste is the topic of choice...we need to stop wasting time, effort, and finances, on helping useless foreign countries when there are plenty of deserving americans needing help.
maybe if the Birther wasn't such a LOSER, Obama might change, But the Birther was a huge EMBARRASSMENT TO BREVARD COUNTY, and America, and acted in lock step against the president at every turn. THE BIRTHER IS CRYING ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT COST MONEY, AND NOW HE WAS MORE PORK FOR BREVARD TO SAVE HIS OWN PORKY BUTT. IF OBAMA APPROVES MONEY FOR THIS PROGRAM, THEN THE BIRTHER WILL DEMOAN IT AGAIN AND BLAME OBAMA FOR INCREASING THE DEFICIT. WE KNOW HOW THIS BIRTHER IS PLAYING HIS GAME, AND HE MUST GO FOR THE GOOD OF OUR NATION.
VOTE HIM OUT, VOTE FOR SENSE AND INTELLEGENCE
NOT FOR TIN HAT BIRTHERS, HAND BAGGERS, TEABAGGERS, TOWN HALLERS, DEATHERS AND GRAND OLD PUTZES, FROM THE PARTY OF DEATH AND TAXES AND LICENSE INCREASES, AND INSURANCE INCREASES, AND LOW IQ STUPIDITY
Big difference between canceling a procurement action and canceling a program. Birther Bill is a partisan hack and it shows in all he does.
Agreed! It is a boondoggle of infinite waste and only a select few benefit and they are squeeling like pigs because their worst fears are they might have to really go back to a job that requires some work.We have never even achieved deep space travel because we can't get humans there using the propulsion systems in use today.I can drive my car further than the orbit of the ISS, all those private parking spots at KSC will make nice flower gardens!
If Former President Bush had cancelled the Constellation, Poser...i mean Posey, would say nothing. Nor would any other wingnut.
High Speed Rail....That will never be used...the placement is nowhere to nowhere and cost to build and even ride has already proven to be to high. Health Care just changed to no care for people WITH insurance. NO insurance =Care is provided with specialists, all dental (including root canals) rides to all appointments, food stamps mother/child 400.00 a month and higher with each child, free housing,and electric paid, gas cards, cell phone,even cash assitance. Thats not counting all the free food pantrys, daily breakfast and lunches,free clothes,housewares,and furniture. These are located on every street corner in America and not just for Americans. That is only 1 person...start multiplying. We are overly taking care of our people at home.We might need some solutions on earth but we don't need to stop progress in the world.
So Posey is for Stimulus money being spent on the space coast before he was against spending Stimulus, or against the Stimulus before he was for spending Stimulus on the space coast? Can't these birther nuts make up their minds, if they have one??? Like republian Shelby from Alabama who is holding up all 172 of Obamas appointments because he wants an ear mark for Alabama, these obstructionist republicans want to continue feeding like the pigs they were under Bush, Spend, Spend, Spend, and won't pay for anything. Did rosep Posey say were he was going to borrow money from, we know he is against Taxes before he was for spending taxes.
Wish a Tea Party candidate would run against Posey and his bank sell-out policies.
SEE HOW THIS BREVARD TIN HAT BIRTHER THUG OPERATES? HE USES FEAR AND CONTRADICTS HIS OWN ACTIONS AT EVERY TURN. HE IS ALWAYS LOOKING FOR SOMETHING OBAMA DID AGAINST THE LAW, BUT DOES HE CARE THAT HIS PARTY DOES NOT ALLOW CONSTITUTIONAL MAJORITY RULE IN THE SENATE?
51 VOTES IS MAJORITY RULE BY LAW.
60 VOTES FILIBUSTER SUPERMAJORITY IS NOT NEEDED, IT IS UNAMERICAN, UNPATRIOTIC, AND UNCONSTITUTIONAL, AND REPUBLICANS HAVE ABUSED THIS ILLEGAL ACTION 137 TIMES ALREADY, WHEN BUSH/CHENEY RULED THE DEMOCRATS WERE THREATENED WHEN THEY USED 50 FILIBUSTERS BY THE SAME REPUBLICANS, WHO WANTED TO DO AWAY WITH THIS OBSTRUCTION, AND THOSE REPUBLICANS BYPASSED IT WITH RECONCILLIATION PROCESSES THAT CUT OFF ANY DEBATE.
TELL YOUR CONGRESSMAN YOU WANT CONSTITUTIONAL MAJORITY RULE RESTORED TO CONGRESS, STOP THE ALABA HOLDS ON FILLING NEW GOVERNMENT POSITIONS AND ALLOW THE APPOINTMENT TO CONTINUE. STOP ILLEGAL REPUBLICAN TAKEOVER OF OUR GOVERNMENT BY THE MINORITY PARTY
A TIN HAT BIRTHER WILL ALWAYS BE A TIN HAT BIRTHER, TOOT TOOT TOOT TOOT TOOT TOOT TOOT HOWL
STOP SUPPRESSING FREE SPEACH TO SUPPORT REPUBLICAN IDIOLOGY OVER COMMON SENSE, POST ALL MESSAGES AND TAKE THE LUMPS JUST LIKE OUR MAJORITY PARTY GETS FROM YOUR REPUBLICANS AND FOX TV WHO ARE DISHING IT OUT TO THIS COUNTRY EVERYDAY
Remember this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdvAVSNRni4
Where was Posey when all the Security officers on the Cape pleaded with him to stop the Air Force from Screweing them over? He would not even return their phone calls. Now you have the Nations military Space Launch Base being Guarded by a bunch of incometent newcomers, being led by incompetent civil servants. Now all of a sudden Posey grows a spine. Please!!!
Let the games begin! I have worked for NASA for several budget cycles now. President Obama's budget proposal is just that: a proposal! Congress still has to sign the Federal budget, so everyone here on the Space Coast needs to relax and just wait and see where the money finally ends up. Lighten up everyone...
NASA is under the executive branch, therefore it is managed by the President. Unless it is law, and notice that there is nothing that states that explicitly in the letter, he can manage how he chooses.
Read the letter and look for words such as the other poster said - 'may', 'possible,' 'ask', 'request', etc. The writer is implying that he is breaking the law, but does not state it. This is political posturing by Posey.....Personally I hate to see the manned program end. However, Ares and Constellation was POS from the beginning.
Supporters of the President (and we should respect the office enough to refer to him that way as we expected with the former President) consantly complained that President Bush abused Executive Power. When wil the current Administration begin the "change" away from that course? Mr. Posey is correct. Unless he goes through Congress he is in violation of the Separation of Powers part of the Constitution. The only place he can act unilaterally is when using the War Powers Act. Pretty quiet around here. Are we at war?
"The Poser" puts out yet another toothless friday Press Release before he leaves "D.C. for the weekend".
Pathetic.
Posey is right on this!!!!!
Reading Matthew 4 verse 8, 9, 10 and 1st John 5 verse 19 gives insight as to what is Causing Current United States President to Terminate American NASA Human Space Flight
Who does Representative Posey intend to tax to maintain this program which is already reported as in overrun status? How much will the nation's taxpayers to save 1,500 jobs????
The "Bag it" comment concisely sums up the liberal viewpoint on the space program in all of its ignorant glory.
NASA spends approximately 90% of its total budget ($18.7B) through contracts. These contracts employ thousands of hard working Americans across this country who provide the services and produce the hardware required to accomplish the agency's mission. So, the argument that we are not taking care of people or providing solutions to our economic problems at home is grounded in misunderstanding.
If the President's budget is passed Brevard County will likely lose 7 to 9 thousand jobs at KSC and thousands more in the private sector.
As for high speed rail, Sun rail like success is coming to Central Florida courtesy of President Obama with the attendant lack of ridership and taxpayer subsidies, but with far fewer employed taxpayers in Brevard County.
no, empty trains are a huge waste of money.
Impeach President Obama
Save the Space Shuttle and Ares Programs.
Save 10,000 American jobs!!!
"I appreciate the satellites and Hubble telescope"
Remember Hubble was serviced in space FIVE TIMES by human beings. The telescope would never have given ust the immense amount of knowledge and discovery that it has without real human hands to keep it working.
Until someone figures out a better way to make a federal budget than one year at a time ,ALL important long term projects both in space and on the ground will be more expensive and less sucesfull than they should be.
The Augustine Commission, whose work is cited by the Obama Administration in attempting to justify the cancellation of Project Constellation, noted in its final report, in relevant part:
"A human landing and extended human presence on Mars stand prominently above all other opportunities for exploration. [...] Mars is unquestionably the most scientifically interesting destination in the inner solar system. It possesses resources which can be used for life support and propellants. If humans are ever to live for long periods with intention of extended settlement on another planetary surface, it is likely to be on Mars. But Mars is not an easy place to visit with existing technology and without a substantial investment in resources."
The Commission then extensively examined options for human spaceflight beyond low-Earth orbit, settling on the Flexible Path option, which at a minimum preserved the Orion aspect of Project Constellation.
Under President Obama's proposal, Orion, along with the rest of Project Constellation, would be cancelled.
Use of commercial options for low-Earth orbital operations, the Commission noted, should be pursued only if there is accelerated development toward a heavy-lift vehicle such as the Ares V.
Contrary to the Commission's findings, the Administration's proposal for NASA, however, contains no such acceleration and in fact would terminate the Ares V without providing for any substitute.
The Commission also noted that a commonly cited alternative to Project Constellation, reliance on the Defense Department's Delta IV and Atlas V vehicles (also known as Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles, or EELV's), incurred significant costs:
"Because of these realignment costs, the EELV-heritage super heavy does not become available significantly sooner than the Ares V or Shuttle-derived families of launchers. The transition to this way of doing business would come at the cost of cutting deeply into a the internal NASA capability to develop and operate launchers, both in terms of skills and facilities."
Nor does the Administration's proposal contain any funding for even this alternative.
In short, President Obama's budgetary proposal would cancel NASA's means to achieve the goals cited by the Augustine Commission. It would seek private means of achieving low-Earth orbital operations but essentially delay programmatic commitment toward any human spaceflight beyond that threshold.
If the Administration had its way, NASA would no longer have in mind the objectives the Commission saw were worthy of a great nation.
At this point, anyone who is still tooting the "Bush's fault" horn after the mess we elected is just being a clown. Start with the fact that the Dems have controlled Congress since the last two years of the Bush presidency, throw in the election of a Chicago Socialist thug with no experience and a big government agenda...and shazam !!! you have massive deficits and massive unemployment from the party who brought you massive taxes and inept leadership.
NASA has been lying to the taxpayers and the people of the planet for over 50 years. Obama has been briefed as to the nature of what awaits discovery by the public. He has obviously been ordered by persons unknown to keep the lie going. NASA and the highest reaches of the US government have perpetuated an outrageous myth on humankind that - We are possibly alone in the universe.- It is becoming more clear to more people everyday that NASA IS EMBEZZLING FROM IT'S EMPLOYER. We have been lied and cheated from our destiny by those who seek order and status quo. Promises mean nothing to these people, the only thing they promise is that things will stay the same or get worse for the common man, woman, and child.
The other big truth is that America must decide not to kill people for a while if they want to continue to explore space.
A simple question deserves an answer. How much funding does the Constellation program, set into motion in 2003 by then President Bush, require to come to conclusion, what is the current status, why is maintaining the funding for this specific program important over all other NASA programs? Is the private sector unable to take this on? Justify how cancellation of this program is a major set back for space exploration at this time and in context with the funding that NASA will receive. Totally lacking in coverage on the details and complexities. This is my tax money and I expect greater explanation for Posey's position than it's against the law. If this is not a viable program, then it should go. Waiting for the detail......
Brevard, this is called payback. Don't vote for the chicago thug, and he cuts you off at the knees. Look at the farmers in California who voted against him. They are getting their water cut of so they can't grow food. If 0bama doesn't care about growing food, why would he care about rockets? 0bama only cares about payoffs and paybacks. Acorn is going to get $4 billion to do nothing with, but that is more important to 0bama than showing the world that America is the best.
The problem is the space program shows we're the best, which goes against 0bama's basic beliefs. He thinks we are like every other country, and he's dong his best to make us as weak as every other country.
As a taxpayer and constituent, I expect greater detail than the current proposal is against the law. The Constellation program was set into motion in 2003, so it is reasonable to inquire as to the current status, cost overruns, projected long term costs, and the value in the end. What are the ultimate goals for going back to the moon? Participation in the International Space Station pushed space exploration forward, how does Constellation? Posey fails to explain his position other than the most narrow terms. So far, I do not see the Florida Today elaborating either. I will not support Posey in this effort until he can justify the expense. Otherwise, it sounds like another bail-out.
Power to the people! Right on, Mr. Posey. Give 'em Hell.
"Reading Matthew 4 verse 8, 9, 10 and 1st John 5 verse 19 gives insight as to what is Causing Current United States President to Terminate American NASA Human Space Flight" your right, Obama is the deceiver.
We seem to have billions of dollars going to build up other nations' infrastructure, school systems, hospitals, etc, but don't seem to be paying attention to our own nation's needs. And all this spending is from the American Taxpayer's pockets which is not being used to make the Americans' lives better. Now, we are going to set back the one thing that we, as Americans had stronghold in the world - the scientific advancement!! Seems to me that the current administration is determined to push America backwards! Why are we spending billions on US AFRICA Command and calling them our "partners"? We teach them how to handle weapons, supply them with weapons or knowledge to make weapons so that 10-20 years from now they can use that knowledge to stab our backs. A partner is someone who also contributes, not just takes and takes! Let's bring all that money back in US to support advancement in science and keep America #1!!
Well there goes our chance to cleanly loose the bloated and costly workforce and move on to a more efficient, less costly and safer family of launch vehicles._You know those who blindly did what their AIMAW mast'ers told them to and vote away their program and jobs.
And BTW if anyone is still questioning, this is more proof the workforce pool at ksc needs some bleach. 6 years ago they were told to start making other plans because their program was coming to a close. anyone smart enough to work in manned spaceflight should have done so. time to raise the bar. no more editing resume's to make someone with a BCC air conditioning certificate look qualified to breathe anywhere near an orbiter.
It's amazing that no one at FLT has fallowed up on the cocaine found on a screen inside one of the orbiters.guess USA bought some more ad space.well so much for journalistic integrity.
but remember these are the same loosers who fill the bars of titusville and north merritt island every day, starting about 1:30, more than 2 hours before shift change. the same people who speed off base doing 80-90 mph in a 50mph zone. they don't care about their own safety or the safety of their co-workers, and we expect them to care about the well being of 7 crew members they've likely never met?
I love the comments calling Obama a dictator they are truly hilarious. The closest we have come to a dictatorship was the previous administrations 8 years in office. Bush made more decisions on his own without any congressional input or approval that Obama ever could or will.
The right is so busy crying over the loss of the oval office that they don't realize how hypocritical they are. You guys run around contradicting yourself more than you make valid points.
Before the 08 election you criticized Obama for his lack of experience all the while putting Palin stickers on your cars. Don't even try to argue that a woman who couldn't even finish her first term as Governor of Alaska is anything but a joke.
During the painful Bush years you argued that "we must stand by our President no matter what" and now with barely a year under his belt and no major screw ups Obama is "Hitler"
So please keep your "Liberalism is a sickness" bumper stickers on your car. Cause the people driving by you laughing and shaking their heads are not laughing with you, we are laughing at your idiotic ideas, and flawed logic
The Ares 1 and Ares V rockets was a stupid plan. Two rockets to go to the moon? Come on. The Ares V would have sufficed. I can imagine the ATK company had influence in that concept as both used their solid rocket boosters. More money in their pockets!
What about the job losses with shutting down the F-22 production line? I didn't see anybody in Brevard caring about that?
Those folks at KSC and thank their fellow KSC employees that voted for Obama.
And don't forget that there was going to be jobs losses anyway with the retirement of the Shuttle program.
Brevard County has known since April 2005, when Bush cancelled the Space Shuttle, that this day was coming.
Your elected representatives, and lobbying groups such as Space Florida, have had five years to prepare for the potential job loss.
Their solution was to lobby for a jobs program called Constellation. The non-partisan Augustine Panel found that Constellation was over budget, behind schedule, badly managed, and would not launch a lunar mission until 2028, if ever.
Obama did what any sane manager would do -- cancel a program that was wasting money.
That's not the same as saying we shouldn't explore beyond Earth orbit. That goal is alive and well. NASA Administrator Bolden will present to Congress in a few weeks a list of potential goals, and ask your representatives to decide where the available money should be spent.
If you want to blame someone for the job losses, don't blame Obama. Blame your elected representatives, Space Florida, and the Bush Administration for flushing $9 billion into a bad program just to avoid doing what had to be done. If this decision had been made five years ago, we'd have a thriving private-sector Low Earth Orbit community with plenty of jobs, we would still have ISS flying until 2020, we wouldn't be paying the Russians $50 million to take an astronaut to ISS, and we'd be developing new heavy-lifter technology to take us more efficiently to the Moon and beyond.
When the Apollo program was shut down, the contractors at KSC lost their jobs. Many of them had to walk away from their homes and move out of state. Many and I mean many NASA cvil servants, took advantage of this situation and bought up their homes at a steal! Many NASA civil servants became owners of numerous rental homes.
Since it is rumored that NASA won't lose any civil servants when the Shuttle retires and the Constellation program gets cancelled - meaning history will repeat itself.
I wonder how many NASA civil servants will take advantage of the KSC contractor personnel who will have to walk away from their homes?
Let's get rid of some of those NASA civil servants if the Constellation program gets cancelled! That would be fair for once!
Goodby Ares, hello Brevard County (AKA Ghost town)
The president does not hold the purse strings. Congress does. Until Congress approved and appropriates spending for NASA, the president can say all he wants and propose all he wants and it doesn't mean a hill of beans until NASA appropriates it. Constellation is funded for this year, not the new agenda he's proposed. This is like when Cheney wanted to not build anymore C-130s. Where did that go? Oh yeah. Congress didn't agree and we are still making C-130s.
It's inconceivable insanity for Presdient Obama, who was likened to Kennedy and who spoke of his interest in bringing new things to the space program, to now destroy space. The President of change -- well then make changes in Constellation. BUT TO SLAUGHTER the boldest vision of a nation, a vision that could lift educatiion from its slumps, inspire our students, our nation and the world. For the White House to hand over the moon to China is bankrupt leadership.
Bush cancelled the Shuttle even though it was finally working safely and efficiently, The Obama administration was willing to extend the Shuttle but NASA refused, thinking they could blackmail the administration into throwing more money into Constellation. We could easily have flown Shuttle AND SpaceX if we had been willing to dump Constellation. Now we are spending $2.5 billion to shut it down, money that's totally wasted.
Now every so-called "safety expert" at KSC thinks they should be given a job looking over the shoulders of Elon Musk's engineers and telling them how to do their job. That would be a real disaster. Constellation is overrun with engineers and managers who think "safety" comes from tons of documents, who have no idea what common mode failures are and throw on redundant systems and unrealistic "rescue" modes until the vehicle is too heavy to fly, instead of testing the basic systems, figuring out what is wrong, and improving them until they don't fail.
Glad to see at least one elected leader... lead.
Posey, that's the "Birther" psyco, right?
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in my new ghostNASA article you can find a COMPARISON between Space Shuttle and the "commercial space"
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http://www.ghostnasa.com/posts2/061comparison.html
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To Mr. Boondoggle and hi speed rail - I hope we get the rail system so we can run you our of here on it - If you think trying to save 5000 or mare jobs is a boondoggle then I say good riddance to you sir.
Anonymous said...
Bag it... we don't need that booddoggle. We need more high speed rail.
I say...
The best high speed rail cars have two wings and go wherever you want, without one single billion spent for places where they can go fast and load and unload passengers.
2 things that we cannot ever be second best at in the World, The Military and The Space program. So how long will it take before Obama goes after the military.
Wait..... I thought you guys didn't like socialism? Last time I checked the CCCP, oops I mean NASA, was socialism.
Two prominent Republicans, Newt Gingrich and Robert Walker, endorse Obama's proposal:
washingtontimes.com/news/2010/feb/12/obamas-brave-reboot-for-nasa/
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The Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry in 2002 suggested that greater commercial activity in space was the proper way forward. The Aldridge Commission of 2004, headed by former Secretary of the Air Force Edward C. "Pete" Aldridge, made clear that the only way NASA could achieve success with President George W. Bush's Vision for Space Exploration was to expand the space enterprise with greater use of commercial assets. Most recently, the Augustine Commission, headed by Norman R. Augustine, former chief executive of Lockheed Martin, made clear that commercial providers of space-launch services were a necessary part of maintaining space leadership for the United States.
NASA consistently ignored or rejected the advice provided to it by outside experts. The internal culture within the agency was actively hostile to commercial enterprise. A belief had grown from the days when the Apollo program landed humans on the moon that only NASA could do space well and therefore only NASA projects and programs were worthy.
Montreal, Sunday afternoon,
I m glad to read a bit above here somebody seems to give a bit of credence to my idea of a few days ago about the Ares 5 launcher being a good compromise solution. If it could be upgraded to a 4 SRB version, then it could do the job of both Ares vehicles in 1.
How com none of these supposed colleges mit gorgia tech ucla and all that don t think about such sulution, and by that i meen all those Agustine commission folks. Don t reduce Ares 5 capabillaty, increase it. That option clearly was not submitted to Pres Obama.
Perhaps you do not need Ares 1 after all, althouth as a manned space fanatic i was looking forward to seing it fly.
If anyone in the states could write about such an option to their rep or senator, espacialy sen Nelson in Florida and a few others. mabay all is not lost.
A reminder to P Obame. Spaceflight needs to be safe before it can be revolutionnary.
One Way to find the money for all of this, Close a few of these oversees bases that don t employ AMERICAN CITYZENS. I concede that a few won t think this is a good idea, but, in these times of deficits and dept, do you really want army base in some country in Europe or Asia that should start to spend a little more for its own protection.
looking forward to read more good ideas and maybe even a few replies to these paragraphs.
Thanks.
monteal here,
Sorry for my few possible orthgraph errors. My mother thong is french afterall.
Big Rally planned for Titusville, aiming to save Human Space Flight and the Space Coast at the same time.
http://iam2061update.blogspot.com/
This illustrates the fundamental problem to the core of what is wrong with America's Space Program: It isn't a Space Program. It has been a very long time since manned space exploration has done anything "new" in the name of "discovery" or exploration. Round and round they go, and where it ends, no one knows. It's a Jobs program disguised as a Space program, and as time goes on and the Legislative Porksters Republican and Democrat continue to open their big fat mouths the more the fact will reveal itself that really this isn't a space program at all. Posey is a Defecit Hawk, unless it's oink-oink pork in his own District. Utterly disgusting. Just shameful.
Reading through the link I'm really disturbed at the determination to WASTE money on what is clearly the earmarked construction of the known brige to NOWHERE. Co-Sponsors of this "cease & desist" order to NASA include what appears on the surface to be a bipartisian effort: Robert Aderholt (R/AL) John Culberson (R-TX) Ralph Hall (R-TX) Pete Olson (R-TX) Spencer Bachus (R-AL) Parker Griffith (R-AL) Jo Bonner (R-AL) Lamar Smith (R-TX) Pete Sessions (R-TX) Bobby Bright (D-AL) Gene Green (D-TX) Jason Chaffeutz (R-UT) Steven LaTourette (R-OH) Bob Bishop (R-UT) Anh Cao (R-LA) Artur Davis (D-AL) Bill Posey (R-FL) Suzanne Kosmas (D-FL) Michael McCaul (R-TX) Ken Calvert (R-CA) Kevin Brady (R-TX) Ron Paul (R-TX) Charles Gonzales (D-TX) Al Green (D-TX) Steven Rothman (D-NJ). But there is commonality with all but the last. Anybody know why? Not hard to figure out. I just can't figure out why Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) isn't on the list. Oh yeah - having Astronauts in the home does not constitute a NASA center and a large voting block over-reliant on Federal PORK courtesy the 400-something unnamed Congressional Districts.
FY 2010 Consolidated Appropriations Bill Summary
Link>>
http://www.floridatoday.com/content/blogs/space/CJS%20FY10%20Conference%20Summary%20-%2012-7-2009%20-%20FINAL.pdf
Human Spaceflight: In October 2009, the Review of U.S. Human Spaceflight Plans Committee (The Augustine Commission) reported its findings on NASA’s human space flight program. The Augustine Commission raised several issues regarding the current program and budget profile that will require thoughtful consideration by the Administration. In the absence of a bona fide proposal from the Administration on the future of U.S. human spaceflight activities and investments, the bill provides the budget request of $3.1 billion for activities to support human spaceflight in fiscal year 2010; however, the bill requires that any program termination or elimination or the creation of any new program, project or activity not contemplated in the budget request must be approved in subsequent appropriations Acts.
Anyone reading that language would agree that holding contracts, engaging in shut-down activities of Constellation, even if it is just planning, and certainly telling a NASA Center to stop work on Constellation violate the above.
To Anonymous from 12:07 AM... You are a narrow minded Moron. do you enjoy all your technology (most of which is spun off from the space program)? Maybe you would like to live the same lifestyle that is enjoyed by most in 3rd world countries. pack your bags and get out! I am sure you can find a hut in Cuba!
Here's an excellent article on the true status of the Chinese lunar program, and why Obama's proposal liberates the U.S. space program to leap further ahead in technology:
www.atimes.com/atimes/China/LB12Ad01.html
Bottom line ... The Chinese don't even have a facility yet for launching a lunar rocket, which exists only on a drawing board. None of the proposed technology actually exists.
The Chinese may talk big, but the reality is they won't be on the Moon any time in the next ten years, if at all.
I know why so many KSC workers are screaming about losing their jobs - they're scared because some of them will have to finally go out there and work for a living. Too many KSC workers have do nothing jobs where they get paid to socialize with fellow workers for 6 hours a day, 5 days a week.
Maybe it's time to revamp NASA.
It is ashame that these aerospace workers will be going on unemployment and later welfare lines! If the Space Shuttle and Ares programs were continued, these workers would be contributing to the U.S. progress in space exploration.
It is time to send letters to congress, senators and the president to support these programs. If no support, these senators, congress and president should be on the layoff list too!
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