Good one Mike. The return to the moon "vision" always seemed like a ruse. They've found a way to conn everyone into following them while they: cut the Shuttle program, cut a lot of scientific missions, and funnel that diverted money into the private sector for a goal that was never meant to be met. They are basically disassembling NASA.

I'm all for bringing some tar, feathers, pitchforks and flaming torches to D.C. in order to assist in removing Dr. Spock from office. Then he can go to prison for fraud against the American taxpayers. His version of implementing the VSE is bankrupt. He is taking a prime opportunity to return to the Moon and is squandering it. Congratulations, I just hope it's not too late.

Instead of giving Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae bail out money, here's an idea, Increase NASA's budget to 25 billion per year and put somebody in charge who knows what the hell they are doing, because this clown sure as heck doesn't.

Where NASA Headquarters looses it's cover about Shuttle versus Ares I and blaming OMB is in that nobody made NASA choose the Ares I design. Anybody who has worked here for more then 5 years let alone 20+ years should know we are NOT going to get some large injection of money from Congress. Starting a vehicle from scratch (Which is exactly what Ares has become) will be way more expensive then you think. Thus, NASA Headquarters and Constellation should have put a higher value on a new vehicle that evolved from Shuttle. They sold Constellation as that idea, but it’s migrated so far away they couldn’t defend it as using anything significant from the Shuttle Program.

Ares I could easily be a 4 segment Solid (Not recoverable – saving the weight/cost of parachutes and blah blah blah) with an SSME upper stage. NASA management would argue that operational cost would be too high in the future, but if you spend billions of dollars in 2008 – 2015 to save a few hundred million in 2015 – 2025. Only a federal agency thinks that makes economic sense… I’m NOT trying to push that vehicle in any way, my point is NASA trade studies these ideas and consistently puts WAY to much emphasis on operational cost 10 yrs out while under estimating development cost TODAY. So we now have a vehicle that is too expensive for us to build and keeps slipping schedule, but once we get it done it will save us TONS of money in 2015 or 2020 or whenever it's finished.

Keep drinking that Koolaide......

I've listened as long as I can to this diatribe about having no options but to retire the Shuttle soon because the safety risks associated with its continued operation are too high. Let's set the record straight. The Shuttle Orbiter ain't broke! The ET is broke! I know because I was at Michoud during the return to flight effort,I saw what happened (or didn't happen), and wrote a report that made the papers about the lack of adequate repair and rework that resulted. Several hundred million dollars was wasted during that 'possum hunt. Rather than fix the ET and return to flight with a safe system, the thought was that "It only has to make it a few more years and it isn't worth the cost and schedule impacts of making the necessary fixes." This was a calculated decision that forced the retirement of a venerable space system that could well carry NASA into the next generation of exploration. If you look at the options that the Shuttle had when it was originally designed, you can find an option that fits the needs of the next generation of spacecraft; given upgrades to the onboard systems. B-52, T-38, and many other airframes are still flying because they are founded on a good design. So it is with the Shuttle Orbiter. Don't say the Orbiter isn't safe to fly and must be put out to pasture. A decision regarding the ET rework made four years ago and the subsequent shut down of vendor manufacturing lines spelled the doom of a system that should still be the backbone for the next generation of space hardware.

So let me get this straight: the very man who, for years, has been actively - and vocally - pushing to shut Shuttle down, is now righteously indignant that the program is shutting down?

Unbelievable.

I wonder if he now regrets all those disparaging remarks towards Shuttle that he made over the years.

This was no 'jihad'. There was no struggle involved. The Administrations - both Presidential and Agency - very quickly, effectively and efficiently crippled this program.

Pat yourself on the back, Mike. You got exactly what you wanted.