Obama no longer dreaming of the Moon
Nasa's hopes of putting man on Moon for first time since 1972 ended by Barack Obama's 2011 budget
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By Darren Plant. |  |
Monday, 01, Feb 2010 05:17
By Matthew Champion.
Nasa's hopes of putting a man on the Moon for the first time since 1972 have been ended by Barack Obama.
As expected the US president's 2011 budget unveiled today confirmed the Nasa Constellation Programme was being scrapped.
Ares I, the successor to Nasa's space shuttle programme, will also be axed as President Obama looks to reduce the country's $1.4 trillion deficit.
His budget, thought to be worth $3.8 trillion (£2.4 trillion), up from $3.6 billion last year, will include $100 billion worth of tax breaks to encourage businesses to hire staff.
But the focus on cutting America's ten per cent unemployment rate and a spending freeze on most domestic programmes - excluding defence and education - is a death knell for Constellation; a programme initiated by the Bush administration with the aim of having a US base on the Moon by 2020.
Nasa, which last year celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Apollo Moon landings, instead faces using other country's spacecraft to reach the International Space Station.
President Obama is urging private companies to invest in space technology as well in his budget, which is subject to Congressional approval.
"In place of Constellation, the president's budget funds a redesigned and reinvigorated program that focuses on leveraging advanced technology, international partnerships, and commercial capabilities to set the stage for a revitalised human space light program for the 21st century," a statement said.
"The president's budget will also increase Nasa's funding, accelerating work - constrained for years due to the budget demands of Constellation - on climate science, green aviation, science education, and other priorities."