Foreign Nations Push Into Space as US Pulls Back

Amid economic woes and waning support for government investment in science, the US has suspended its human spaceflight program indefinitely. Former astronauts and NASA supporters are bitter about NASA losing its competitive edge. The pullback could give China, Russia, India, Iran and other nations – there are more than 50 national space programs in all – a chance to catch up. The US is counting on private industry to deliver its astronauts to the international space station; until then, the US will depend on Russians for rides, and Russia will charge NASA $63 million per astronaut, reports the Los Angeles Times. NASA still plans deep-space exploration and landing a human on an asteroid. US Congress targeted the agency with cuts, but funding for NASA’s program is estimated to triple China’s. Commenting on public enthusiasm differences, W.J. Hennigan and Ralph Vartabedian note that while Americans took shuttle flights and the international station for granted, Chinese missions attract live coverage and front-page headlines. – YaleGlobal