NASA budget: Florida fights back

The imminent halt to the shuttle flights continues to rock the state of Florida where the Kennedy Space Centre is located, launch site for NASA spacecraft. Entrepreneurs and elected representatives have expressed their fears for the local economy many times (see this Enjoy Space article). However, after Barack Obama's space plan announcement, which foresees an abandonment of a return to the moon and the Constellation programme, the dispute has moved up a notch and both Florida senators and 22 Congress representatives (Democrats and Republicans), have signed a joint letter addressed to the White House. In this, they highlight the negative impact of NASA's new direction on the Sunshine State and consider that it is unwise to become dependent on Russia to send American astronauts to the Station in the future.

Article from the Orlando Sentinel

Published 5 March 2010

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