NASA To Continue Funding Canceled Ares Project Until March

wooferhound passes along this quote from the Orlando Sentinel: "Thanks to congressional inaction, NASA must continue to fund its defunct Ares I rocket program until March — a requirement that will cost the agency nearly $500 million at a time when NASA is struggling with the expensive task of replacing the space shuttle. About one-third of that money — $165 million — will go to Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, which has a $2 billion contract to build the solid-rocket first stage for the Ares I, the rocket that was supposed to fill the shuttle's role of transporting astronauts to the International Space Station. ... The odd scenario, in which NASA is throwing money at a canceled rocket program but can't fund a modernization program, is because of several twists in the legislative process that started a year ago and came to a head this month. At the root of the problem is a 70-word sentence inserted into the 2010 budget — by lawmakers seeking to protect Ares I jobs in their home states — that bars NASA from shutting down the program until Congress passed a new budget a year later. That should have happened before the Oct. 1 start of the federal fiscal year. But Congress never passed a 2011 budget and instead voted this month to extend the 2010 budget until March — so NASA still must abide by the 2010 language."

Re:cvs blame or git-blame?

[0xdeadbeef]

The language that keeps Constellation going was inserted into the 2010 budget last year by U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, an Alabama Republican who sought to protect the program and Ares jobs at Marshall Space Flight Center in his home state.

Here [orlandosentinel.com], you fucking retard. Yes, that is TFA.

Re:cvs blame or git-blame?

[gad_zuki!]

It was Republican Richard Shelby bringing the pork back home. You know a member of the party of *snicker* fiscal responsbility:

The language that keeps Constellation going was inserted into the 2010 budget last year by [corrupt] U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, an Alabama Republican who sought to protect the program and Ares jobs at Marshall Space Flight Center in his home state.

His office confirmed that the language was still in effect but did not respond to e-mails seeking details.

http://www.truthistreason.net/thanks-to-congress-inaction-500-million-goes-to-defunct-rocket-program-lockheed-martin [truthistreason.net]

Re:NASA modernization program?

[Jah-Wren Ryel]

There was a recent study that showed that less than one-third of American millionaires inherited their wealth. How have the other two-thirds achieved this status by "luck"?

Yes very much by luck. Being born into wealth gives people all kinds of opportunities that the average-born do not have. I should know since I grew up in exactly that kind of environment and I am one of those millionaires who did not inherit as I haven't taken a dime from my parents since college. I know plenty of people who are smarter and harder working than I am but just didn't have the good fortune of making the right connections. Plus, I say your numbers are skewed. My numbers [americanprogress.org] say that being born into the top quintile of wealth gives one a 22% chance of ending up in the top 5% - that leaves practically nothing for the other 80% of the population.