So, is there still a future in NASA?

The Shuttle Program was canceled by the Bush Administration, the fleet was ordered to be retired in 2010 (see how well we listen?) It was a necessary and overdue order, in my opinion. The shuttles were massive, bulky, unsafe, fuel guzzlers, among other issues... nothing at all like the safe, lightweight reusable spacecraft that were supposed to launch like a rocket and land like a glider, to 'shuttle' humans to and from Low Earth Orbit.

The fleet is aging. The repair time and costs to turnover one shuttle from the conclusion of one mission to the next were more than double the established parameters.

Cutting funding for this incredibly expensive manned spaceflight program will open up funding for what NASA is actually best at... unmanned space exploration.

NASAs budget was increased for this year, the approved missions still have contracts awarded to private companies. There is no evidence that there will be a net loss of jobs, directly or indirectly, due to NASAs current state.

Obama wants manned spaceflight to be developed by the private sector, NASA would purchase the flights with a designed mission from these competing companies. Which is different from the past, where companies would compete for a contract to build a spacecraft for a specific design. SpaceX and Virgin Galactic are probably the two most well known current companies competing for manned spaceflight, a timetable will be difficult to come up with:

http://www.spacex.com/

http://www.virgingalactic.com/

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Joe joe, NASA is a pre destined agency whch can never be absolved by the government - instead, space exploration is about to reach the next level - time to open a 'wormhole' for them to explore other galaxies - let's just say, i have a map for them - amèn.

The Congress Elected in 2008 and OBAMA INCREASED NASA's budget in 2010. You are lying.

The Congress (House)elected into office in 2010 that is trying to strangle NASA and kill jobs.

NASA most definitely still has a future.

http://www.nasa.gov/missions/current/index.html

People who try to lie in Astronomy & Space get exposed pretty quickly for what they really are, ignorant and/or intentionally deceitful.

The latest on what the U.S.A. house is trying to do NASA:

http://spacenews.com/civil/110718-house-panel-deni...