On April 15, U.S. President Barack Obama...
in the national space program."Without the skill and experience that actual spacecraft operation provides, the USA is far too likely to be on a long downhill slide to mediocrity," the letter reads.
Standing behind Obama"s new space plan is the looming U.S. budget crisis. The simple fact is the U.S. cannot afford the spending like it did in the 1990s, let alone the 1970s, when the U.S. put 4-5% of its budget toward space exploration. If those spending levels were maintained today, NASA would have received $190 billion of the $3.8 trillion federal budget for 2011, as opposed to the meager $20 billion it has received.
These are the main points of Obama"s speech:
1) Under the new plan, the United States will focus on developing more advanced space technology, engines and launch vehicles, as well as robotic and unmanned missions. Although manned missions will continue, lunar exploration is no longer a top priority.