NASA estimates 3,000 to 4,000 shuttle job losses

By MARCIA DUNN , AP Aerospace Writer, General Science / Other

(AP) -- NASA told a Senate panel on Monday that it anticipates losing 3,000 to 4,000 jobs at its launching site once the space shuttles stop flying in two more years, about half the cutback initially reported.

Content from The Associated Press expires 15 days after original publication date. For more information about The Associated Press, please visit www.ap.org .

ť Next Article in General Science - Other: Salmonella can ride water into tomatoes

would you recommend this story?

User Rating

2 vote(s) so far; rank not shown

not at all
1
2
3
4
5
highly

Leave a Comment or

Flag

Posted by dbren 06/23/08 17:58

Not rated yet.

I remember watching the Apollo 11 landing as a 10 year old. At the time, I thought I'd live to see people on Mars (in fact, we were told it would happen in the 1980s). Now I'll be happy if I can live to see people back on the Moon. Nobody seems to give a damn about space anymore. What a waste of a civilization, when it stops expanding its horizons.

Flag

Posted by nilbud 06/23/08 20:52

Not rated yet.

Yeah but now we have pringles what else is there?

Flag

Posted by superhuman 06/24/08 12:45

Not rated yet.

So far human civilization is nowhere near ready to expand into space. Yes we could spend truly astronomical amounts to go to Mars or a couple other places in the Solar System but beyond the national pride boost from sticking the flag there the real scientific, humanitarian or economic benefits would be negligible compared to what can be achieved with a fraction of those funds here on Earth.

Flag

Posted by Paradox 06/28/08 05:24

Not rated yet.

Humans are definitely ready for space colonization. It is the only way to insure the survival of the human race, should the earth suffer some catastrophic event.
As far as the economics, THAT is just like any other thing produced by man. On conception, an item is more expensive to produce, but as techniques improve, the price of items generally comes down.
Space has so far been the domain of governments, which as we all know spend 100$ on a 10$ item. In the commercial sector, with time, space travel could become as cheap as taking a vacation here on earth.
Have you ever considered what the population of earth will be in 100 years? In 1900 the population was 1.6 billion. 2008 world population is over 6 billion. In a rough estimate, in 50 years there will be 9 billion.
Maybe man shouldn't have invested in the laser because it was so expensive.
Some spinoffs from space exploration include:
cordless tools(which I use daily)
satellite dishes(so you can watch all those movies)
infrared thermometers(so you don't have to stick that piece of glass you know where)
smoke detectors
joystick controller for your video games

hmmm. yeh, maybe we should just forget about all these neat little things and give up on space.