Congress

More on shuttle lobbying

Florida Today follows up on the report earlier this week that some members of Congress are lobbying the OMB to increase NASA’s budget to fully fund the shuttle program, saying that without full funding one shuttle orbiter, Atlantis, will have to be mothballed. (Why Atlantis, which is slightly younger than Discovery? The article doesn’t say.) Two Congressmen who represent the Space Coast area, Dave Weldon and Tom Feeney, were among those who signed the letter. “Underfunding the shuttle is like building half a bridge,” Feeney claimed, with the ISS as the bridge. The article also quotes space policy expert John Logsdon, who plays down what he perceives as some of the hyperbole in the letter.

Florida Today, through its space blog, includes a link to the letter sent by the members of Congress to President Bush, but as of this morning the link wasn’t working. (However, a Florida Today editor emailed a revised link to the letter that does work.)

1 comment to More on shuttle lobbying

  • David Davenport

    Atlantis, will have to be mothballed. (Why Atlantis, which is slightly younger than Discovery? The article doesn’t say.

    Probably because they’ve discovered some structural cracks and/or wingbox fatigue that would be difficult to repair.

    NASA hasn’t said anything about that? I’ve long suspected that NASA withholds info. that the public has a right to know.

    Btw, Back last August, was it, when NASA had a press conference announcing that the next Shuttle launch would be delayed, I seem to recall Mr. Gerstenmair (sp) making an obscure little comment about the launch delay not being such a bad thing because one of the Shuttles needed modifications. Did he say “modifications’ or “some work done”? I can’t recall.