NASA Space Shuttle's Last Flight Tentatively Scheduled

So, we (the United States of America) are going to depend on Russia to help keep American astronauts connected and our interests secure with the International Space Station. Does this sound wrong to anyone but me? Budgeting is tough for most folks; I can't imagine the headache NASA endures. Pressure from the government doesn't help matters. A great deal of money is needed for each shuttle launch but weigh that against our interests in the International Space Station and it's miniscule.

The final Space Shuttle mission has been tentatively scheduled for May 31, 2010. The Orion spacecraft currently in development is slated to make its first sortie to the Space Station in 2014. Four Years? Four years we'll be dependent on Russia to protect our interests.

Besides the fact we'll be Earth-bound, except for missions with Russia, the U.S. economy will suffer just as it did after the Apollo program was terminated. According to NASA, between 5,700 and 6,400 jobs are expected to be lost. Of course, no definite estimates can be made for at least another year. On the bright side, the employment issue will turn around as the manned space program increases in momentum. That is, if the next president supports such an endeavor.

While we aren't flying back and forth to the space station (or Hubble) and performing our own research and experiments with manned space flight, Russia will likely boost their economy. More demand on their manned space flight program will increase employment opportunities.

The Boston Globe reported Russian president Dmitry Medvedev as saying, "Russia has become stronger and is capable of assuming greater responsibility for solving problems on both a regional and global scale." What usually happens when Russia gains a bit of confidence? Consider this... a few days after the Czech Republic signed a formal agreement for deployment of a radar system with the United States, their (Czech Republic's) oil supplies from Russia suddenly dipped.

How long will they cooperate with us? When will they exploit the control they will possess? Do we really want to be subject to the whims of other countries?

I see where the government is coming from on the budget issue, but decommissioning the shuttles before another mode of space travel is completed doesn't seem a wise decision. Reduction of scheduled missions seems reasonable and would keep the United States from being completely dependent on other nations.

Let's not even discuss the subject of decreasing our commitment to the International Space Station in 2015. How dumb can politicians be? Don't answer that. We'll just hope they see reason before it's too late.