Already it seems like no one is happy with the budget that eventually made its way through Congress this week. Well, you can certainly add me to the list of malcontents.

Not only does NASA have to deal with at least one Presidential candidate (Barack Obama) who wants to end US manned spaceflight, but the omnibus bill will also prevent NASA from getting the money they need to choose a civilian-built spacecraft to service the Space Station between the time that the Shuttle is retired and Orion comes online. Obama is insane for saying that US should “delay” their return for the Moon, but cutting funding for NASA’s idea for filling in the space-gap might be even worse.

Do you think Obama’s space “policy” or NASA’s diminishing funds will come up in the Senate investigations sure to come in 2011 when the US will have to depend on the Russians to send astronauts to our own space station?

One person who apparently missed the entire budget process was Dave Weldon, who has an idea that while smart, will probably never happen:

Rep. Dave Weldon (R-Fla.) unveiled legislation Dec. 17 aimed at keeping the U.S. space shuttle fleet flying beyond its planned 2010 retirement.

The plan calls for giving NASA $3.7 billion designed to make up for past funding shortfalls that he said jeopardize continued operation of the shuttle and timely development of its planned replacement, the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle and Ares I rocket.

The new system currently is expected to make its debut in March 2015, some four and a half years after NASA plans to fly the shuttle for the last time.

Weldon’s legislation, which he plans to introduce in Congress in coming days, would close the gap in U.S. human spaceflights by authorizing “such sums as may be necessary” to fly the space shuttle twice a year between 2010 and 2015.

“Such sums as may be necessary”… I wonder how many bills have that wording in them.

First of all, I think it’s worthwhile to point out why the Space Shuttle is being retired. The Columbia Review Board concluded that the Space Shuttle was intended to make space travel routine, safe and cost-effect. Thanks to certain design flaws… most of which came about because Congress dictated the design, rather than letting NASA choose the one that would work the best… the Space Shuttle is inherently dangerous and expensive. So, the Review Board concluded, if you are going to devote time, energy, money and even human lives to spaceflight, it should be for a worthwhile goal. The Space Shuttle as it exists cannot do that… so President Bush decided to go back to the Moon.

The article goes on to say that 2010 was an arbitrary date. It was not, 2010 was the earliest that NASA felt that they could complete the International Space Station. The only reason that the Shuttle was grounded immediately is because the US had to finish the station before they could move on from the shuttle. Yes, it would be nice to have access to the station for however long the astronaut corps is grounded, but that doesn’t change the fact that the shuttle needs to be grounded before NASA can move on.

But back to Weldon’s proposal…

NASA simply doesn’t have the money to have to programs going at the same time like that. If you’re idealistic like Weldon and think that they can get it, consider the fact that a bipartisan group of Senators tried to add $1 billion to NASA’s budget for one year, and it was one of the first things removed from the budget before it even left the Senate. Weldon wants to add $3.7 billion, to right a few old wrongs as far as NASA’s budget shortfalls the past few years. His heart is in the right place, but I don’t think people realize just how serious this situation is.

Sadly, a Chinese flag may be on the Moon before they do.