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America’s Manned Space Program Vanishing

Nations that look to their future needs and opportunities, despite current challenges, tend to succeed.  Those that don’t risk being consigned to the dustbin of history.

In terms of technology, national security, and economic expansion, funding support for NASA represents a clear example of how vested the nation’s leadership is in developing a bright future for the country. That’s why the 1%, $186 million cut in NASA’s budget, from $17.646 billion to $17.460 has many worried. In a time of unacceptable deficits, the reduction may at first appear small, until a closer examination reveals that even without the cut, the space agency was significantly underfunded.

In a move that encapsulates the President’s shaky relations with the legislative branch, he reneged on a funding agreement that had been reached previously about the space agency’s budget.

The evidence is clear cut, especially in comparison to other nations that are now surpassing America. China is pursuing a vigorous program, including the orbiting of its own crewed space station and the development of plans to put a manned base on the moon. Russia, too, has ambitious plans. Right now, those two nations, both deeply antagonistic to the U.S., are the only countries capable of putting humans into space.  America’s return to the high frontier continues to slip further into the future.

Even after knowing those negative impacts of social media and networking canada pharmacy viagra sites. They do not discuss their issues easily. canadian pharmacies tadalafil Are you blighted cheap viagra generic by a total lack of erection, while many men face an irregularity with erection disorder might not get Erection disorder drugs, the unnaturally made types have been verified to show damaging unintended effects. Reduced levels of testosterone lower desire for lovemaking. cheap buy viagra An unusually blunt and furious exchange took place in Congress recently between Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Alabama) and NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. Brooks has long criticized President Obama’s decision to end the ability of the U.S. to put astronauts in orbit by eliminating the space shuttles.

“This Administration,” Brooks stated, “Made the decision to mothball our space shuttles and put them in museums rather than keeping them available…”   His comments, reported by MSNBC,  lambasted the White House’s funding priorities by stating that Obama spends “40 times more on welfare programs that put a high priority on buying election votes no matter the loss of funding for NASA, national defense, or other productive functions of the federal government.”

Some of the criticism is bipartisan.  The powerful head of the Senate’s Appropriations Committee, Democrat Barbara Milkulski (D-Maryland) has vowed to restore funding at least to last year’s level.

Manned space programs have been particularly hard hit. The Chair of the House Space and Aeronautics subcommittee, Rep. Stephen Palazzo (R-Mississippi) has called the cumulative $330 million reduction to the development of  Orion manned space craft and the Space Launch System designed to put that craft into space unacceptable. The goal of using commercial craft developed by U.S. companies to put Americans into space has been delayed until 2017, leaving America reliant on Russia.