You can say that again, if you’re a follower of the space program and astrophysics.
OK, first up – the final flight of the Shuttle. I’ve already given my reminisces of the Shuttle program below, but given that Atlantis is currently on-orbit, it’s making me somewhat nostalgic. I missed the launch on Friday afternoon as I was in transit and out of internet range at the time, which annoyed me. Looking at images of Pad 39-A after launch though is incredibly sobering – when will the next time be when we see a launch vehicle sitting on top of it? At least post-Skylab and ASTP, the last occasion when the Pad 39 complex lay idle, there was the promise of the Shuttle. This time round, not so much of a guarantee that we’ll ever see them used again. Yes, NASA is planning a new Space Launch System from 2016/2017 onwards, but for those of us who have seen programs founder such as SEI, X33 and the VSE again and again, it doesn’t leave one with much hope that hardware will ever make it to the pad. The difference this time round is that there is poor support for future programs at the top end politically, both in the White House and amazingly, at the top end of NASA – appalling leadership has given the impression of a space agency adrift. It’s heartbreaking – and especially as NASA faces a budgetary onslaught with the benefit of political protection for its core programs. If – and that’s a big if – we ever see astronauts fly on a NASA vehicle, it’ll be nearer the 2020 mark. Question is – to where? No money for the Moon, Mars – it’s a program without direction, or even a purpose. A prime case for cancellation if ever I heard one. The NASA of Apollo is of course long gone – that died one cold morning in January 1986 – but the way things are going, NASA of today will follow very shortly. And indeed, it’s heartbreaking.
The second bit of news is the Appropriations Bill from the House of Representatives regarding NASA’s budget – the headline item being the proposed cancellation of the James Webb Space Telescope. Of course, in the Tea Party Republican dominated House, a troubled and massively over-budget program like JWST was always going to be in trouble, being firmly in the sights of the budget slashers. JWST has had a troubled history to say the least – costs and technical issues were massively underestimated by NASA and the contractors, leading to at least a 4-fold cost overrun and a launch slip from 2013 to, at the moment, 2018 – really poor management exacerbated the problems. Now, as an astrophysicist, I think JWST is/will be a fantastic instrument – however, I’m not the one writing the cheques. Now, it should be mentioned that the House bill is just the first step – JWST has significant support in the Senate, and both the House and Senate need to both agree before the Appropriations can be signed into law, so the battle has only just begun. However, given that the Astrophysics Decadal Review was basically “we can only afford JWST”, the loss of JWST would make the next 2 decades or so extremely barren for astrophysics research. Fundamental research in all areas is under attack in the US, JWST being the prime case at the moment – a crazy situation, almost as if the US is deliberately trying to make itself into a second class nation in terms of research capabilities, all of which is due to political fundamentalism.
On all levels, it’s a week to scratch your head and wonder how we got to the position we’re in and to question our priorities. Then again, that’s obvious. Adult Swim put it best – ‘NASA’s budget = $19 billion. The cost of air conditioning in tents in Iraq and Afghanistan = $20 billion. That’s why we’re not going to Mars”
