John Glenn blasts Moonbase-to-Mars NASA roadmap

[Rick]

Famed US astronaut and politician John Glenn has said that that NASA's planned return to the Moon will be of no use to a future manned Mars mission.

"It seems to me the Moon is questionable as a way station," the former space ace and Senator told congressmen on Wednesday.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/08/01/john_glenn_says_moonbase_ploy_questionable/

[Rick]

Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins have urged NASA to scrub its lunar ambitions and set its sights on Mars, the BBC reports.

Speaking at an Apollo 11 reunion of the pair and Neil Armstrong at Washington DC's National Air and Space Museum, marking the 40th anniversary of the first Moon landing, Collins said: "I worry that the current emphasis on returning to the Moon will cause us to become ensnared in a technological briar patch, needlessly delaying for decades the exploration of Mars - a much more worthwhile destination."

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/07/20/mars_mission_call/

[Rick]

Two of the astronauts who took part in the first Moon landing 40 years ago have called for renewed efforts to send a manned mission to Mars.

At a rare public reunion of the Apollo 11 crew, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins said Mars instead of the Moon should be the focus of exploration.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8158519.stm

[Rick]

US rocket makers have suggested that plans for interplanetary exploration - imperilled by a forecast lack of funds following recent economic problems and a new administration in Washington - could be saved by the use of orbital "propellant depots" or space fuelling stations.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/08/11/ula_orbital_refuelling_plans/

[Rick]

A panel appointed to recommend a way ahead for the US space programme following major funding cuts has rejected the idea of ignoring the Moon and sending astronauts straight to Mars. Trimming its shortlist of plans from seven to four, the Augustine panel has also stated that serious human space exploration is not possible without more funds than are currently allocated.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/08/13/augustine_interim/

[Rick]

NASA's human spaceflight program appears headed on an "unsustainable trajectory" under its current budget, according to a committee charged with reviewing the US space program for the Obama administration.

While NASA has big plans to retire the Shuttle Program in 2011, de-orbit the ISS in 2016, and begin a fresh round of lunar surface exploration, there simply isn't enough money to go around. "It is perpetuating the perilous practice of pursing goals that do not match allocated resources," the Review of US Human Flight Plans Committee report stated.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/09/08/us_human_space_flight_plans_committee_report_summary/