The Hill News

Yesterday, Washington, D.C., was abuzz with Space Shuttle fever. People rushed outside just to catch a glimpse of Shuttle Discovery’s last fight, this time from the Kennedy Space Center to its final resting place at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. After the excitement of the day’s events died down, we are reminded that the Discovery flyover was more a funeral procession than a celebration. NASA has no domestic replacements ready to fly. I believe, however, that this is actually a great opportunity for progress. We can advance America’s preeminent role in space exploration and discovery if we are willing to rebuild NASA’s space fleet.

Poor planning has resulted in the crown jewel of NASA’s human spaceflight history, the Space Shuttle, being relegated to museums. President Obama cancelled Constellation, which was going to serve as the next program for human spaceflight. 

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