End of Space Station

[Conan]

Anyone else see this?: NASA to junk space station in 2016
Posted: 10:33 AM ET
After a decade of costly construction, the International Space Station is nearing completion. But NASA won’t have long to enjoy the achievement.

According to an article from the Washington Post, NASA space station program manager Michael T. Suffredini raised eyebrows when, at a public hearing last month, he declared flatly that NASA plans to de-orbit the station in 2016.

That means the $100 billion research facility, which has been circling Earth since 1998, will ultimately burst into flames as it reenters the Earth’s atmosphere and crashes into the Pacific Ocean.

Budget constraints and the lack of a shuttle program, which is set to retire in 2010, may have persuaded NASA to end the space station program.

The Washington Post explains:

The rap on the space station has always been that it was built primarily to give the space shuttle somewhere to go. Now, with the shuttle being retired at the end of 2010, the station is on the spot. U.S. astronauts will be able to reach the station only by getting rides on Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft.

There is no official lobbying to extend the mission, but NASA’s plans have met with criticism. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) argues, “If we’ve spent a hundred billion dollars, I don’t think we want to shut it down in 2015.”

While speaking to a panel charged by the Obama administration with reviewing the entire human spaceflight program, Nelson affirmed, “My opinion is it would be a travesty to de-orbit this thing… If we get rid of this darned thing in 2015, we’re going to cede our leadership in human exploration.”

They haven't even finished building it and already they are talking about scrapping it. It would be a shame.

[Vincent]

It'll get funded.

Because if it doesn't, the manned spaceflight gap gets even larger as Orion will essentially have nowhere to go until we can get it to the Moon!

[Mercergl]

It really has to get funded. As far as Orion, we need it as a jumping off point. On an unrelated note has anyone read World War Z by Max Brooks? Yes it's about zombies but one of the sections is about an ISS crew aboard during the "war". I thought it was pretty interesting.

[Hotdog]

Yes I saw this too and posted ithe story on my Facebook this morning.

This story is too ludicrous for me to believe. Here's the real scoop:

Charlie Bolden was named NASA Administrator today which is going to put NASA in the media spotlight answering questions. We are in tough economic times when many people will question the need for a space program with so many people out of work and struggling. What better way to drum up support for the ISS than to say we are going to scrap the 100 billion dollar space station just as soon as we finished it? Those who came up with this idea know we are not going to deorbit this thing into the ocean deliberately just to "save money". This whole story is reverse psychology meant to make those who might wanna oppose NASA funding keep funding it instead. What better way to make the new NASA Admin Bolden look like a savior and give him an immediate purpose to "save the ISS" on his way in?

It's all politics.

Go ISS and Go Endeavour!

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