| Associated Press item, April 7, 2010, "Cost for U.S. | | | | government, it is now turning the launching of space |
| Astronauts to Ride on Russian Rockets Soars". The | | | | vehicles to the private sector, while NASA'S efforts |
| article explained that NASA has signed a contract to | | | | will be re-directed toward future ventures, such as |
| pay about $335 million for six US astronauts to be | | | | landing on Mars. Augmenting the concept of viable |
| flown to the International Space Station in 2013-4, | | | | private sector space activity, there are several |
| carried aboard the Russian Soyez capsule. This | | | | private programs whereby civilians - at costs of |
| situation obtains because the Obama administration is | | | | several hundred thousands of dollars per traveler - |
| quietly closing down America's space program and its | | | | are taken to the edge of space, carried by a sleek |
| supremacy in space. This will be the final year for the | | | | vehicle. These, however, achieve only altitude - no |
| Space Shuttle, with no U.S. manned-space hardware | | | | speeds as required for true space venturing. To |
| to follow - leaving Russia with a monopoly. Mr. | | | | escape Earth's gravity, space programs require |
| Obama ostensibly is killing the Space program to save | | | | tremendous rocket boosting for horizontal speeds of |
| money - at the peak of the Apollo program NASA | | | | 18,000 miles per hour just for low orbit, and much |
| was spending somewhat less than 4 percent of the | | | | greater speeds to escape Earth's gravitational force. |
| federal budget (in terms of this year's budget, about | | | | There are some well-advertised private ventures to |
| $150 billion). Today the manned space program is | | | | take civilians to space for several hundred thousand |
| being killed for want of $3 billion a year - 1/50th of | | | | dollars each - however, these only achieve space |
| the Apollo number and only 1/300th of Obama's | | | | altitude, there is no attendant booster-rocketry to |
| stimulus package of last year. | | | | acquire the necessary speed to achieve orbit, and |
| For over fifty-eight years, since John Glenn's flight in | | | | much more for escape velocity, to reach the moon |
| 1962, the U.S. has dominated space, the final frontier | | | | or Mars. (Note: The most meaningful concept of |
| - after the USSR took the initial lead in low-orbit flight | | | | space orbital flight is that the vehicle must travel so |
| (employing converted intercontinental-ballistic missile | | | | fast that it is continually "falling" around Earth, gravity |
| rockets to propel the first cosmonauts - the U.S. and | | | | pulling the capsule into a circular trajectory. Higher |
| NASA going for non-military rocket boosters). First | | | | speeds permit higher altitude orbiting - to escape |
| there were orbits of Earth, a monkey, then a man, | | | | Earth's gravity entirely for true space travel, more |
| then multiple astronauts; then exploratory missions to | | | | than 25,000 miles per hour speed is required. Of |
| the moon; then moon landings - all fraught with | | | | course, to return to Earth, there is then the problem |
| danger with many deaths; then came the | | | | of the extremes of re-entry heat, 2000 to 3000 |
| International Space Station as an orbiting platform. | | | | degrees Fahrenheit; thus protective insulation of the |
| National pride in such accomplishments was | | | | occupants is required, and thus the extremely costly |
| unsurpassed; however, as Charles Krauthammer, | | | | and fragile Shuttle re-entry tiles.) |
| world affairs commentator, recently observed sadly, | | | | Knowledgeable space engineers and scientists shake |
| "Fifty years ago, Mr. Kennedy opened the New | | | | their heads sadly at the thought of a Mars venture - |
| Frontier; Mr. Obama has just shut it." | | | | if the U.S. can't afford even a continuation of the |
| While prior price arrangements between NASA and | | | | hardware that achieved high orbit and the moon, it |
| Russia for the ferrying of U.S. personnel were only | | | | can only be ridiculous to minimize the astronomic |
| about half as much per astronaut, the increase was | | | | increases in complexity, cost and risks of trying for a |
| demanded to enable Russia to build more Soyuz | | | | journey 150 times farther than the moon; only three |
| capsules (while the US justifies saving dollars by not | | | | days for a moon trip versus a half-year to reach |
| building Space Shuttle follow-ons). | | | | Mars - with all the attendant dangers: effects of |
| This drastic change in America's national program | | | | long-term weightlessness, exposure to cosmic rays, |
| priorities has apparently been carried out below the | | | | and the compounding hazards of complexity of |
| radar screen of public awareness (the major media | | | | mechanical hardware, software and the unknowns of |
| outlets keeping the story quiet), and it will probably | | | | space. |
| be presented to the public as an economic and | | | | The curtain lowers quietly on one of the most |
| political benefit - after the pioneering effort by the | | | | glorious periods of United States history. |