The Planetary Society of Japan : Column

This is the website of "The Planetary Society of Japan"

YM COLUMN

February 10, 2010

Budget Message by President Obama

President Obama made an announcement of the budget message. As far as NASA is concerned, it was announced of budget increase by six billion dollars for coming five years from fiscal year 2011. Incremental budget for NASA is quite noteworthy, while the other sectors are frozen at the current level; the most noticeable specialty is that Obama administration set out strategic direction toward depending upon the rockets that will be commercially developed for manned flight by private sectors.

“Constellation program” constituted from Ares I for manned flight, Ares V for payloads and manned spaceship Orion was proposed for cancellation, which means the administration chose “Flexible Path” presented in Augustine Report. In my personal opinion, it seems to me that they selected a realistic and steady path rather than aggressive way of “Constellation” that aims at straight from Moon to Mars. By this way they will carry on exploration program of solar system rich in more variety than before as is seen in the latest announcement of the extension of Cassini mission of Saturn exploration.

In 1980’s America was beginning to appear conspicuously shattered. In US congress Dr. Freeman Dyson gave testimony to say, “It is stupid to pursue only large scaled project. We must learn after Japanese way of space science that steadily advances step by step however small it may be.” US then applauded Japan, “Small, but quick is beautiful.” In those years the US was far from sense of victory even despite collapse of USSR and declaration of “America at the zenith” by Francis Fukuyama, however, the US came back to life thanks to information-communication technology innovation in 1990’s; and then finally met the end of monetary capitalism accrued from abhorrent 9.11 terrorism.

President Obama could be safely said to have drastically changed the course from multiple policy of carrying on war with one hand and seeking after peace in the field of space with the other. He set the policy on “energy and environments including nuclear weapon” as encountering the serious problems of mankind; domestically, he brought public attention to the social problem of unemployment. He emphasized the expansion and maintenance of facilities at Kennedy Space Center accompanied with the policy of expediting commercial rockets in order to avoid “blank of job”, which will be most probably brought by retirement of shuttle.

President Obama’s political sense, changing drastically from East-West confrontation in 20th century to the most critical issue of mankind today even including use of space for this purpose, seems to me so multilayered sesitivity as never seen in any President before Obama. What do you think? Although I can’t say this for certain, we, mankind, may be entering a new era with Obama. Such a feeling, I have.

Proposals made by President Obama as related to space are as follows:

To depend upon commercial rockets (except Soyuz) for access to International Space Station (ISS)
To extend ISS operation at least to 2020 from 2015 as previously scheduled
To invest 3.1 billion dollars for coming five years in developing rockets to carry heavy payloads; along the way so doing, to develop new type of technological program to carry out manned exploration program of solar system
To commence robotic exploration program toward new targets, which may lead to manned exploration of solar system
To continue Mars exploration and robotic space exploration including The James Webb Space Telescope; to secure initial budget for Europa exploration mission
To continue co-operation with Earth Observation program to monitor global warming and to accelerate the efforts for universal understanding of the matter
To strengthen international tie up with space advanced countries in order to carry out ambitious space missions both of robotic and manned

And now, I wonder how this US space strategy will affect that of Japan. I will discuss the matter next week, because I think next week will never be too late as judged from slow reaction of Japanese government as to space policy as a whole.

I welcome your comments on this column to the following E-mail address.
matogawa@planetary.or.jp

(Translated by The Planetary Society of Japan)

Archive for
Japanese text

Archive
2010

February
3
January
6 13 20 27p

Archive
2009

December
2 9 16 23p
November
4 11 18 25 25p
October
7 14 21 28p
September
1 9 16 23 30p
August
5 12 19 26p
July
1 9 15 22 29p
June
3 10 17 24p
May
6 13 20 27p
April
1 8 15 22 29p
March
4 11 18 25 25p
February
4 11 18 25p
January
7 14 21 28p

Archive
2008

December
3 10 17 26p
November
5 12 19 26p
October
1 8 15 22 29p
September
3 10 17 26 26p
August
6 13 20 27
July
2 9 16 23 30
June
5 11 18 25p
May
7 14 22 28p 29
April
2 9 16 23 30p
March
5 12 19 27p
February
6 14 20 27 29p
January
9 16 23 30p

Archive
2007

December
6 13 21 26p
November
8 14 21 28p
October
3 10 17 24 31p
September
5 13 19 26p
August
6 8 15 23 30p
July
4 11 19 26 26p
June
6 14 20 29p
May
2 9 16 24 30p
April
4 11 18 27p
March
7 14 22 29p
February
1 7 15 22 28p
January
10 17 24 31p

Archive
2006

December
6 13 20 27 27p
November
1 9 15 22 29 29p
October
6 13 18 25p
September
6 13 20 27 30p
August
2 9 16 23 30　
July
5 6p 12 19 26 28p
June
7 15 21
May
3 10 17 24 28 31p
April
5p 12 19 26 27p
March
1 8 15 22 29
February
1 8 15 19 22 25p
January
11 18 23 24 25p

Archive
2005

December
2 8 14 21 31p
November
2 9 12 14 16 18 21 23 24 24p 27 30
October
5 12 19 26 27p
Semtember
7 14 21 28p
August
3p 3 10 17 24 31p
July
6 13 20 27
June
1 8 15 22 29
May
4 11 19 25
April
6 13 20 27
March
2 9 16 24 31
February
2 9 16 23
January
5 12 19 26

Archive
2004

December
1 8 15 22
November
3 10 17 24
October
6 13 20 27
September
1 8 15 22 29
August
4 11 18 25
July
7 14 21 28
June
2 9 16 23 30
May
5 12 20 26
April
7 14 21 28
March
3 10 17 24 31 February
4 11 18 25
January
7 14 21 28

2003

2002

2001