Mr. President,
I deeply appreciate your commitment to our nation, but I feel you are making a terrible mistake with our nation's space program. I will be the first to agree with you that the Constellation program was failed from the start, and must be changed. G. W. Bush's plan to achieve manned missions to the Moon and Mars were ill-conceived and ill-funded. I understand the decision you must make; whether to boost funding on a program that is already behind schedule, or to cut it completely. I agree that the program must be cut, and I support your decision in that regard.
I have been to NASA’s website, and I read Charlie Bolden’s Statement from Feb. 1. I also went line by line through NASA’s planned 2011 budget. I agree with the majority of your decisions and goals for NASA. I think that it is time for the private sector to have a chance to excel at providing access to low Earth orbit (LEO). However, I must warn you that this is a VERY dangerous undertaking. I understand that NASA will be working to provide standards based on the highly successful and safe Soyuz launch vehicle. These standards may very well be sufficient to produce a completely safe launch vehicle. The problem is this; launching humans into space is inherently risky. Astronauts understand this risk, and will understand the risks associated with early manned flights of privately built launch vehicles. I fear the American people may not fully understand these risks. The people of this nation will undoubtedly react differently to a failure brought upon a private company. One failure that causes a loss of life has the potential of completely bringing down a company. The losses of the Challenger and Columbia space shuttles were seen by the American people as a great tragedy. But the reaction of the people was not to blatantly attack NASA. This was mainly because of the sense of great loss we saw in the faces and in the voices of the many NASA employees that worked closely with the crew. I seriously doubt the people of this nation and the media would treat the private sector the same way.
With the risks present in the private sector, it is necessary for NASA to develop its own launch vehicles. Especially a platform capable of lifting humans beyond LEO. Part of NASA’s 2011 budget includes funding technology research towards the development of a heavy lift launch vehicle. But funding research is not enough. America needs to start the development of a heavy lift launch vehicle in order to enable the capability to return astronauts to the Moon or Mars within a reasonable time. Solely funding research for this endeavor is spinning the wheels of progress. If you really want this done, fund a plan to develop a platform. I realize the potential research has to offer, but I also realize the wasted effort that comes with the potential. Presidents come and go, but NASA will remain; having to change its direction every 4-8 years. This provides endless difficulties for research institutions, having to switch directions at the drop of a ballot.
You also underestimate the amount of awe and inspiration manned space exploration provides. America is quickly falling behind in technological advancements while other nations are producing vastly more scientists and engineers. America needs to be inspired. Inspiration has great power and an enormous motivating effect for children and adults alike. I understand the economy is in a hard place right now, and the budget across the board is tight, but you should NOT forget the power and capacity that NASA has to reach out and captivate the minds of the American people.
I, and many others, feel that by enacting this budget, you are dooming the manned space program to demise. This becomes almost personal to me because I have dreamed of becoming an astronaut since childhood. This inspiration has propelled me into the field of aerospace engineering where I will graduate with my masters in May and plan to go on to get my PhD this fall. I can’t begin to describe the disheartenment I felt when I first learned of your new direction. By enacting this plan, you will be crushing the dreams of countless American citizens, and I strongly encourage you to reconsider.
Thank you for your time,
Steve Mance
