The democrats have to defend 23 seats in the Senate, the GOP 10. Even short of 60 there will be enough fear for dems to break ranks. Obama’s prospects? Even liberal sycophants like Chris Mathews have abandoned him. Michelle Obama was roundly booed at Sundays NASCAR race in Florida. The canary in the proverbial coal mine…

how joyous that the super committee has failed..wonderful…get use to massive budget cuts including NASA …gone will be SLS and Webb. bye bye RGO

When this kabuki dance began months ago, I predicted that ultimately Congress would ignore the mandatory cuts. I still believe that will happen. Already they’re talking about legislation to reverse it.

I’m happy about their failure, because it means the Bush tax cuts will expire which is what I’ve wanted all along. The only thing that could change that would be a filibuster-proof GOP majority in Congress and a GOP President in 2013. Ain’t gonna happen.

As for SLS and Webb, SLS will survive after everything else, because as we saw last week the porkers are more than willing to destroy everything else in the name of pork for their own districts. JWST is pork for Senator Mikulski; so long as she’s chair of the Senate appropriations subcommittee for space, JWST will survive. SLS is pork for a whole lot of congresscritters, so it will survive too.

There’s not much pork in ISS, COTS/CCDev, robotic exploration, climate change or aeronautics research, so expect those to disappear long before SLS and JWST.

While the Bush tax cuts are a partisan issue, pork is bipartisan.

as to cronyism: i think you’re projecting.

This is an ignorant and idiotic, and completely unsubstantiated claim. Just what we’d expect from you.

“considering that between Tesla and SpaceX Mr. Musk is the recipient of more government handouts”

Windy, you are spinning out of control again – SpaceX has received no government loans. All of the money they have received from taxpayers has been for contract work that they have completed.

For someone that hates SpaceX so much you would think you would be more informed about them. I guess facts are not that important for you…

how joyous that the super committee has failed..wonderful…get use to massive budget cuts including NASA …gone will be SLS and Webb. bye bye RGO

Explicit? Not that I’m aware of, at least in ratified legislation. Quote please?

But that had nothing to do with obligations about keeping an observatory capability forever.

How noble, considering that between Tesla and SpaceX Mr. Musk is the recipient of more government handouts than any of Obama’s crony donors, and that he has little so show for either endeavor.

Thanks for reminding us of the progress being made.