2010 will prove to be a pivotal year for NASA. It is scheduled to be the final year the space shuttles will be in service, yet the replacement is not yet complete. And in this age of budget cutbacks, and worry about where tax dollars are headed, the work of NASA is under constant scrutiny.
What 2010 Holds
NASA has 5 missions planned for 2010, with the final mission concluding in September. Not only will this signify the conclusion to NASA's 2010 campaign, but also bring to conclusion the 29 years of Space Shuttle service.
- The first Space Shuttle mission of 2010 will be a delivery mission to the International Space Station (ISS). This will be the final major contribution to the structure of the ISS by the United States. The new node, known as Tranquility, will provide additional living quarters for crew members.
- The second mission of 2010 will be another return to the ISS. This time, crew members will install a rack that will house "experiments" to test regular every day functions like exercise and look out the window. Believe it or not, much work involves the astronauts looking out the windows of the ISS in some way shape or form.
- The third mission of 2010 will also be the third to the ISS and will deliver the last module, bringing the basic construction of the ISS to completion. This will be the first Russian made ISS module to be delivered to the ISS by the Shuttle.
- The fourth mission of 2010 will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) to space. The AMS is an experiment designed to detect cosmic rays, a growing area of science that probes some of the burning questions of our Universe.
- The final shuttle mission of 2010, and the last scheduled mission for the Space Shuttles, will rendezvous one last time with the ISS to deliver spare parts. Even though nothing will be installed during the mission, the delivery of parts will be key to the continued operation of the ISS. Since the Shuttles will not return, and the scheduled replacement, the Constellation Program is not ready for launch, there will be a gap in NASA's ability to deliver crucial large-scale components. So this final mission is the world's last chance for a while to easily deliver these types of components for some time.
The Future of NASA
2010 will bring a close to the era of the space shuttle, but it will also be a pivotal year for the next evolution of manned space flight. Former President Bush, along with NASA officials, set lofty goals for our nation's manned space program. The cornerstone of these aspirations was a return trip to the Moon by 2020 and the first ever manned mission to the Red Planet.
As part of this plan a replacement for the aging space shuttle would need to be put into place. Now, even if the space shuttles were to remain around, they could not be used for such missions. They lack the ability to successfully land on a foreign world, and then launch themselves back to Earth. A system like that used in the Apollo Moon missions would need to be adopted.
The development of such a system would allow NASA to simultaneously meet several requirements. First of all, the United States will have continued commitments to the ISS, and the Orion Crew Module will allow NASA to meet those.
There is also the problem of large payloads, such as satellites and space telescopes. The Ares Rocket, which is part of the Constellation Program, will give NASA the flexibility to launch payloads of various sizes economically. Of course, there are also the long term goals of returning to the Moon, as well as landing astronauts on the Moon.
However, President Obama is currently reconsidering NASA's priorities. Rather than take on a project as large as the Constellation Program, some argue that it is more cost effective to upgrade the basic architecture of the Apollo module. Such a system would allow us to meet our short term goals and obligations, but would require NASA to create a second system to meet our long term manned space flight goals.
By the end of 2010 the direction our nations takes in manned space flight should become clear. Personally, I believe the initial capitol investment of the Constellation Program is worth it. Both because it will allow us to accomplish our long-term goals sooner, but it should also realize a significant return on our investment. Over the next 12 months we will find out.
