Space Program Faces Tough Questions

This article in the Orlando Sentinel tells the story.

Obama transition team members (those “strong” on policy and weak on actual science and engineering knowledge), have visited NASA to determine the program’s future. Never mind the rhetoric of the campaign, nor his position paper(s) regarding our future in space. Obama is in office now and has welfare programs to fund.

When team members arrived three weeks ago, they asked the agency, among other things, to quantify how much could be saved by canceling Ares I. Though they also asked what it would take to accelerate the program, the fact that the team could even consider scrapping the program was enough to spur Griffin and his supporters into action.

There are unconfirmed reports of NASA administrator Mike Griffin being openly scornful of the transition team’s representatives. Additionally, aerospace companies are being asked to clear the materials provided to the upcoming Obama administration with NASA first. 

Given Obama’s desire to throw ludicrous amounts of cash at domestic problems, I believe this is the death knell of American leadership in space. Maybe my son can get a job in China if he chooses to be a scientist or engineer.