In regard to whether or not we can afford a vigorous manned spaceflight program, the economics may soon change. It appears that we are on the cusp of achieving economically viable commercial spaceflight. Some of this is discussed in my “Human Space Flight Committee” article. Something I didn’t discuss but which seems promising is the prospect of commercial space tourism, thanks to the Scaled Composite Corporation (now part of Grumman Aircraft) and Virgin Atlantic.

If even some of this happens, we will be able to afford manned, I should say crewed, space exploration without spending the entire earnings of the next generation.

Best,
Chip

Right now, science, including unmanned robotic missions, gets a little less than 1/3 of NASA’s budget, that is around 5 billion dollars out of 18 billion. Even so, the Human Space Flight Committee Report (see the link at the end of my post) concludes that a sensible manned space flight program cannot be implemented without an additional 3 billion dollars for NASA’s manned program. As a nation, we can afford to spend this, even now. However, it is a good question whether or not we SHOULD spend the additional money.

Personally, I’m agnostic on this issue, but there are some fascinating unmanned missions I would like to see flown. One special favorite of mine is a proposed carefully designed probe to be sent out as the early Pioneer spacecraft were, to test the unexplained orbital deviations of the Pioneer craft from the predictions of Newtonian gravity (and also Einsteinian gravity). What’s happening is that the Pioneer space craft are slowing down just a little bit more rapidly than theory predicts, and it is as though gravity gets ever so slightly stronger than it should at great distances. This “Pioneer anomaly” fits in with a theory which explains the anomalously rapid rotation of the outer parts of galaxies. But the slowdown could also be due to more mundane effects, such as slight outgassing of residual propellants. If we actually were able to test current theories of gravity at great distances and find them wanting, it would be an earthshaking discovery.

Best,
Chip

There is now a link to my article on the Human Space Flight Committee Report.

Thanks,
Chip

Thanks for helping us focus on this important topic. Both manned and unmanned spaceflight have been such important parts of our adult life experience although they certainly have been receding in recent years. Sadly, it is hard to imagine how an energetic manned program can be financed given the nation’s soaring debt and critical domestic and international challenges. For now, it appears that unmanned scientific missions must be the focus of our vision and need to explore. The successes of the Mars Rovers, several interplanetary missions and Hubble have been breathtaking and deserving of more recognition. Hubble, of course, needed the Space Shuttle astronauts to do the maintenance repairs.

My three years working for NBA News on NASA programs in the 60’s were an early highlight of my career and a time that I still treasure. The idea that this was 45 years ago certainly catches my attention.

Al