Substantial job cuts after the space shuttle retirement
Apr 3rd, 2008 by RedPepper
More than 8,000 NASA contractor jobs in the nation’s manned space program may possibly be eliminated after the space shuttle program is shut down in 2010.
The number of civil servants is expected to remain approximately the same, but dramatic job cuts are likely among private contractors as NASA transitions to the Constellation program programmed to begin flights in 2015, program which is developing the next-generation vehicle and rockets to go to the moon and later to Mars.
NASA agreed job losses could vary depending on who’s occupying the White House next year and their support for space exploration.
NASA budgetary problems are also affecting unmanned missions. For instance, MSL heat shield design problems (the MSL is a 3rd-generation Mars rover) could push the scheduled late 2009 launch date to sometime in 2011. This is because the design of a new heat shield will add a substantial amount to the nearly $2 billion already budgeted for the mission.
Carl Giwa,
Oxford, Oxon.