NASA, Pols Cringe at Space Station Costs

Washington standoff delays funding, key nomination

By Wesley Oliver, Newser Staff

Posted Apr 11, 2009 3:56 PM CDT

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NASA, Pols Cringe at Space Station Costs — In this image provided by NASA Astronaut Richard Arnold participates in the mission's first scheduled spacewalk to connect the S6 truss segment to the International Space Station Thursday March 19, 2009. The blackness of space and Earth's horizon provide the backdrop for the scene. On Saturday afternoon,... (AP Photo/NASA)

After years of wrangling, the US and other operators of the International Space Station have resolved to keep the facility operating through 2020, but the 5-year extension deal is creating new challenges, the Wall Street Journal reports. Washington will need to fork out at least $10 billion, which could cut into NASA’s $18 billion budget for moon exploration projects.

No one in Washington wants to take political heat for turning out the lights on the popular space station. Muddying matters, disputes between Congress and the White House have stalled the nomination of a new NASA administrator and could delay moon landings. Still, other nations are eager to keep up the ISS, and NASA expects Russia to pitch in by sending US astronauts to the station for the next few years.
(More NASA stories.)

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