NASA is perhaps the brightest beacon of hope that our species has for a better tomorrow. Throughout it's history NASA has exceeded every mandate ever set: NASA put the first American in space, landed a dozen men on the moon, and has since become a catalyst for our technological age. Recognizing the history of exceptionalism embodied at NASA President Bush called upon the might of American engineering and ingenuity by ordering NASA to return to the moon, and then Mars. This type of proclamation has been issued before by almost every president since Kennedy - there is however a glaring difference: NASA is actually going to do it. The risks entailed in this endeavor are as enormous as bleeding edge innovation and success always have been. Given NASA's rich history of exploration, one can expect them to be up for the challenge and they have made every effort to show this.
*The Ares I and V would be used in conjunction to deploy the manned capsule (Orion) and the Lunar Descent Stage with Lunar Orbit Insertion engines in Earth orbit to dock before escape to the Moon.
*The Ares IV would be used as either an emergency lifeboat for immediate and direct launch of another Orion capsule to the moon, or so that the docking of the Lunar Descent Module and Orion module could occur in orbit around the Moon rather than around Earth.
*The Ares I's second stage uses a simplified version of the J-2 rocket engine used on the original Apollo Saturn V (don't fix it if it ain't broke).
The mission has been dubbed Project Constellation. It will consist of two launch vehicles - separate vehicles for human and general payload - and has returned to proven rocket design from before the Space Shuttle program. It would be incorrect to define this new system as merely an extension and evolution of the Apollo program. While the systems may cosmetically appear similar to those of Von Braun they are vastly more capable - they are designed to take us to the moon, build a permanent base on it's surface, and put the first humans on Mars. Our Representatives in congress have cut--instead of increase--the budget by over 400 million in budget proposals this year. It appears our Congressmen do not see NASA as deserving of funding. While our congress spends many billions dollars on pork-barrel projects the men and women at NASA struggle to keep the lights on at the home of progress. The courageous men and women at NASA cannot build such spacecraft and continue it's mission on a shoestring budget.
Many say the War on Terror is taking money which would otherwise be allocated to programs at home and abroad. This is at best inaccurate - this country has more than enough income to pay for the operation of the Federal government. The issue here is a complete lack of foresight and honor on the part of our lawmakers. They simply cannot prioritize the budget and preform their duty to the citizenry of this great country. This budgetary issue is resultant of a complete failure of proper governance.
The NASA of today and tomorrow is more than putting people and large ornate pieces of metal and plastic into orbit - it is our very hope and only possibility for existence.
Official Page: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/main/index.html
Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Constellation
~Jake
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