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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2009
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Obama Will Face Shuttle Dilemma

NASA to transition team: We have a problem

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(Newser) – America's aging space shuttle fleet will pose some tough questions for Barack Obama, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Bush administration has recommended the shuttle be mothballed by 2010. To avoid leaving a potentially crippling 5-year gap in America's manned space flight program, Obama's NASA team will need to decide whether to extend the shuttle’s life or speed up production of its replacement.

Bush's plan calls for the US to use Russian launches for transportation to the International Space Station while the shuttle's Orion successor is developed, but Obama has said he wants to reduce reliance on Russia. NASA chief Michael Griffin has reportedly clashed with transition team members, and the friction is expected to increase if the team decides to use funds earmarked for Orion to keep the shuttle flying longer.

A model of the Orion Crew Space Exploration Vehicle, right, the next-generation human spacecraft, is displayed during a ceremony at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.
A model of the Orion Crew Space Exploration Vehicle, right, the next-generation human spacecraft, is displayed during a ceremony at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.   (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)
The Space Shuttle Endeavour, on its modified 747 carrier aircraft, takes off on the first leg of its trip Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2008, from Edwards Air force base in Edwards, Calif.
The Space Shuttle Endeavour, on its modified 747 carrier aircraft, takes off on the first leg of its trip Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2008, from Edwards Air force base in Edwards, Calif.   (AP Photo/NASA - Tom Tschida)
A worker puts star tracker covers in the nose of the space shuttle Endeavour as it is readied to be mounted aboard a NASA 747 for its return trip to Florida, Friday, Dec. 5, 2008.
A worker puts star tracker covers in the nose of the space shuttle Endeavour as it is readied to be mounted aboard a NASA 747 for its return trip to Florida, Friday, Dec. 5, 2008.   (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
The space shuttle Endeavour sits on launch pad 39-A at sunset Monday March 10, 2008 at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.
The space shuttle Endeavour sits on launch pad 39-A at sunset Monday March 10, 2008 at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.   (AP Photo/Mark Kaska)
Space shuttle Endeavour stands ready for launch at pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Friday, Nov. 14, 2008.
Space shuttle Endeavour stands ready for launch at pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Friday, Nov. 14, 2008.   (AP Photo/John Raoux)
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Shannonals
Dec 19, 08 1:12 PM CST
The economy is is ruin, so why are people still talking about going out into space? Reply
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