[Rocketfan]

I didn't realize we were just finished the space station and then just "hitching rides" with the russians from now on???



CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - NASA plans to use $50 million of federal economic stimulus funds to seed development of commercial passenger transportation service to space, agency officials said on Monday.

Aspiring spaceship operators will have 45 days to submit proposals, which will be competitively evaluated. Awards for the Commercial Crew Development program are expected to be announced before the end of September.

The United States is retiring its fleet of space shuttles next year after seven more missions to complete construction of the $100 billion International Space Station, which orbits about 225 miles above Earth.

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/ ... 4520090810

[El Scorcho]

Yeah, President Bush effectively ended the shuttle program and our servicing of the ISS when he gave NASA the directive to head for Mars.There are pros and cons to both, IMHO. We've effectively had 20 years of research-focused space activity. Now we're going back to a focus on exploration.

Both focuses have produced some pretty incredible things thus far, so I'm up for whatever.

[ATrain]

I'm with El Scorcho, NASA is one government program I don't have a problem with.

[Sly Fox]

One of my dad's buddies is piloting a mission in November. They are cramming in as many missions as possible before the shuttle's kill date.