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May 1, 2009 03:12 PM | 8
The space shuttle, the iconic orbiter that has been at the core of NASA's manned spaceflight program for decades, is headed into retirement next year, a shutdown process that will likely mean thousands of job losses. The formal phaseout process resumed today after a temporary hold initiated last year to give the incoming president time to reconsider the shuttle's fate. But the Obama administration has not intervened, and NASA announced that about 160 pink slips will be handed out today with many more to come over the next few months.
"Between [Friday] and the end of September, we will reduce the program by about 900 people," program manager John Shannon said at a news conference yesterday, as reported by the Orlando Sentinel. "They are primarily manufacturing-team members. We have delivered the last pieces of hardware that those team members produce, and we don't keep them on the rolls." According to the Sentinel, the initial layoffs will come mostly from the ranks of contractors who build the shuttle's fuel tanks and rocket boosters; those projects are headed by Lockheed Martin and ATK.
While manufacturing jobs taper off, those working in shuttle operations at Kennedy Space Center will mostly be spared as launches continue through mid-2010, according to Florida Today, "but the center faces the loss of an estimated 3,500 jobs once shuttle stop flying." The shuttle program has eight remaining flights, including the scheduled launch May 11 of a servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
Photo of space shuttle Atlantis on the launch pad at Kennedy: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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NASA,
space shuttle,
retirement,
constellation,
spaceflight
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8 Comments
Add CommentIt is sad, but it is that old truth creeping in. The end of the Shuttle Program is past due. We can not keep a program based on old technology, especially knowing what consequences of catastrophic equipment or systems failure are. I hope those displaced are able to find new employment soon.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe problem with retiring the shuttle is that we don't have anything to replace it.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHere's what I find sad, though. When I was born, there was no such thing as manned space flight, and by the time I was ten astronauts had walked on the moon. But the college students in my classes today have seen no advancement in space flight during their lifetime.
I know that space flight is expensive, and I won't argue with those who say that the economic return from all that money lies somewhere between dubious and nonexistent. But it's still sad.
--Dave
Folks, we have no one to blame but ourselves for such an incredible lack of planning for the future. Now we will be beholden to foreign entities for the continuation of our access to the ISS. As a country we made choices that have led us to this unfortunate predicament. I hope we all find the bed comfortable, because we made it.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWe should not be disapointed with NASA's plans, ...............the other space program, with the huge black budget, is alive and well. We have gone places and done things most people have only dreamed about, years from now, when they declassify some of these programs we will be shocked at what we as a people have done.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisi want to know why they don't park it in space, as a part of the space station...it could provide both auxiliary boost if other systems fail, and be a ready-made escape vehicle in an emergency..in the alternative you could put it in permanent orbit around the moon, or Mars,,,
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAttached to the space station, it would seem you could also build in a capability to fly to other spots in low orbit..
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIf we permanently "park" the shuttle in space... how will that final 'parking' crew return to Earth?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt is a hugh mistake to cancel the space shuttle program. Our technological leadership in the world is due to our space program. We must have the deep pockets of the federal government to fund the long term accomplishments and set backs when pushing the envelop for the benefit of mankind.
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