Lost in Space

Under the title "Heavy Lift Limbo" Space Reporter Jeff Foust Monday told us that our space program is not moving forward, at least in public.  Here is the lede:

The situation involving the Space Launch System (SLS)—the heavy-lift launch vehicle Congress directed NASA to develop in last year’s NASA authorization act—is curious, to say the least.  In the eyes of supporters of the SLS, particularly on Capitol Hill, NASA has been dragging its heels on making a formal decision for months, raising the ire of some members, who have even threatened subpoenas and investigations for the delay.  And yet, there’s little doubt about exactly what that design, a not-so-distant relative of the now-cancelled Ares 5, will be—the only question is when exactly that design will become official.

As you read the original article you will see that the US Congress, the ones with the checkbook (at least so far with the checkbook) are a little frustrated.

He ends with:

...the future of a heavy-lift rocket proposed by Congress and accepted by NASA last year is still far from certain.

I was young when we started going into space.  The Soviet Union launched Sputnik and late on 31 January 1958 we put the thirty pound EXPLORER 1 into orbit.  On 20 July 1969, about 11 and 1/2 years later, we had Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walking on the moon.  Now the last shuttle mission has been launched and I don't have much hope of the United States putting someone back into space on a US government or private launch vehicle in my lifetime.  It makes me sad.

As a side note, the original US entry for space launch during the International Geophysical Year (1957/58), Project VANGUARD, was a spectacular failure its first time out.  After two successful Sputnik launches, the first VANGUARD blew up on the launch pad, on television.  However, after the successful launch of the US EXPLORER 1, the VANGUARD system managed to put a three pound satellite in orbit 17 March 1958.  Soviet Leader Nikita Khrushchev dismissed it as, "The grapefruit satellite."  To its credit, while those first satellites have decayed and fallen back to earth, VANGUARD 1 is still in orbit, and expected to be there for quote some time.

Regards  —  Cliff