By Jess Mellen
On September 14, 2011 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) issued a press release discussing a design for a vehicle that could carry astronauts to distant asteroids and, eventually, to Mars. This announcement was made shortly after the launch of the twin exploration satellites to the moon as well as amid the ongoing concern of the International Space Station’s possible abandonment. All of these events have been said to be important to the future of U.S. space exploration.
The press release made by NASA last Wednesday explained the concept of a multi-stage rocket simply named the "Space Launch System." This rocket, if and when finished, will be capable of lifting nearly 130 metric tons and will be able to carry human crews out of Earth’s orbit and to other celestial bodies. It has been estimated to be more powerful than the Apollo missions’ Saturn V rockets from the 1960s, making it capable of flying farther. "I think it's a great idea," Cass Mellen, a student at the University of Maryland said. "Especially because they (NASA) incorporated designs from previous concepts into the design of the rocket. I like what they're doing." Since the announcement of the rocket, there has been a mixed opinion of the concept from officials and critics alike. Some government officials support it while others question the cost.
The estimated cost is the main obstacle for NASA to get over in order to move this project forward, as increasing budget cuts over the years have made funds sparser. The development and testing of the SLS has an estimated cost of $18 billion over the next six years, not including the costs of maintenance, preparation, and construction of the rockets in the future. In order to reach the goal of the first official launch in 2017, NASA estimates the requirement of a $41 billion budget to be approved by Congress. It seems to be still too early to tell, but the rocket may or may not be approved simply because of the cost.
Besides this large and ambitious announcement, NASA has also been busy on the moon. The Monday before the SLS announcement, a small rocket carrying two surveying probes was launched to measure the moon’s gravity and to observe the moon’s core. These probes, named Grail-A and Grail-B, won’t reach the moon until the end of the year, but officials are hoping for good results when they do. Many supporters and criticizers of the space program question what NASA plans to do with the data gained from this nearly $496 million mission and if it will truly benefit to the future of human space exploration.
Critics could actually complain about a lot of things about the world’s effort to ‘space out’ lately. Several rocket and launch failures in Russia have brought the $160 billion International Space Station back into the spotlight. Since the beginning of the project in 1998, several individuals and groups have protested the cost and the purpose of the station. Now, some could almost say ‘I told you so’ as the station may have to be emptied of its occupants in November unless more supplies are successfully sent to it. This is easier said than done, as the Soyuz rockets that bring supplies and astronauts to and from the station have been grounded until their failures are sorted out. The current occupants of the station are in no danger of running out of food or oxygen, but will have no choice but to leave come November because of deadlines. "I find it kind of ironic," Cass Mellen also commented, "that as soon as the US retired the space shuttles, the rockets in Russia began to fail. The Soyuz rockets were supposed to be our remaining way of human space travel."
The entire state of space exploration has been in a strange state since the shuttles were retired earlier in the year, spending the time to make choices and to determine the future of NASA and the space program. Between the moon mission, the new rocket proposal, and the fate of the space station, the biggest question is, ‘What will come next?’ No one knows for sure what will happen in the coming months, but the space race certainly hasn’t ended. Not by a long shot.
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