1200 NASA Rocket Scientists Unemployed

Its a sad day at the Kennedy Space Center. Over 1200 United Space Alliance workers were laid off this morning in the ongoing move to slowly phase out the space shuttle program. It is expected by the end of 2010 that over 7000 scientists will be unemployed.

In 2005 former President George Bush enacted the 2005 NASA Authorization Act with the goal of developing a sustained human presence on the Moon and further exploration of Mars. Other goals included to finish the International Space Station, implement a robotic program, to develop and fly the Orion Exploration Vehicle, and to operate the Space Shuttle until 2010.

Earlier this year President Obama nixed the Bush Constellation program citing that it was over budget and behind schedule. Instead, Obama wanted to lean towards funding commercial exploration. The vision would be to fund private companies to build rocket ships and in turn have the government lease services from them.

Since 1970 NASA's fiscal year budget in relation to the Federal Budget has been on the decline.

This week President Obama's own NASA Authorization Act of 2010 was detailed and passed by Congress for 2011 to 2014. The yearly fiscal budget allocates the following funds:

2011: $19 billion
2012: $19.45 billion
2013: $19.96 billion

The 2010 NASA Act would continue funding on parts of the Constellation project by building the Orion spacecraft and the Ares rocket to launch it with the purpose of sending a manned mission to the Moon and to Mars. Also, a final launch of the Space Shuttle will be made in the middle of 2011.