Five Year Space Gap

I used to follow the United States space program minutely and am an avid student of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs, so I am ashamed to admit that what I am about to report is news to me. Quite honestly, I am still processing the shock.

Here it is. The shuttle (more properly known as the Space Transportation System) is slated to be retired in the year 2010. The new space vehicle which we will use to take astronauts to the Space Station and, eventually, to the moon--known as the Crew Exploration Vehicle--is not slated to become operational until FIVE YEARS LATER, in 2015.

Say what?

During that time, of course, we are planning to continue to operate the International Space Station and keep a crew in it continuously.

What are we supposed to use to get there and back for five years--very powerful pogo sticks? Huge catapults?

Seriously, there IS a plan. We are going to hitch rides with our long-time, traditional allies--the Russians. Yes, I know they are allies. Now. Yes, I know that they make reasonably good launch vehicles and spacecraft. Sort of.

BUT, we have no assurance that these folks will STILL be our allies in 2014 or 2015, or even that they will have a functioning space program , or even that their economy won't have totally cratered and their government have disintegrated into anarchy.

This is insane, an adjective that has accurately described United States space policy ever since we cancelled the last two Apollo moon landing missions AFTER we had bought, paid for, and built the $50 million dollar launch vehicles and spacecraft, which are now probably the world's most expensive technological museum exhibits.

Congress needs to fund the development of the Crew Exploration Vehicle and the Ares launch vehicles that will be used to put them in space at a high enough level to get these vehicles flying safely as soon as possible, while giving the shuttle program the money and resources it needs to keep the shuttles flying as safely as practicable until the new spacecraft and rockets are ready. This nation has the financial and technological resources to make that happen, and should commit itself to doing just that.

There is too much at stake in terms of access to space, use of the space station which has cost us so much to build, and national prestige for American astronauts to depend on the vagaries of an unpredictable foreign power to get into space.

This is the United States of America. We can afford our own car. We should not be hitchhiking.

ADDENDUM: Here is a link to an MSNBC article on this subject, filling in more of the facts and the reactions of a few experts. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17877302/