Congress Holds the Purse Strings

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The debate is by no means over – it just will shift venues.  Congress holds the purse strings – and the Constellation program has some very powerful supporters on both sides of the building and both sides of the aisle. One of them Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama – home of the Marshall Spaceflight Center.  He blasted the Obama Administration – saying: Congress “cannot and will not sit back and watch the reckless abandonment of sound principles, a proven track record, a steady path to success, and the destruction of our human space flight program.  Constellation is the only path forward that maintains America’s leadership in space.”

Well, that’s a taste of the debate to come. We also caught up with the only current member of Congress who has flown in space  – Senator Bill Nelson of Florida.