White House report says NASA on an 'unsustainable trajectory'

The U.S. space program is on an "unsustainable trajectory," an Obama administration report said Thursday.

A report prepared by the White House's "Augustine Commission" on the future of NASA and space exploration raised serious questions about the U.S. program, and said that human exploration beyond orbiting the earth is "not viable under the FY 2010 budget guideline."

The U.S. human spaceflight program appears to be on an unsustainable trajectory," the commission wrote in its report to the president, released Thursday. "It is perpetuating the perilous practice of pursuing goals that do not match allocated resources."

The commission said that the U.S. faces a key decision about its long-term goals in for the space program, largely between the status quo and a more ambitious and better-funded exploration agenda, but recommended a more expansive mission.

"The Committee concludes that the ultimate goal of human exploration is to chart a path for human expansion into the solar system," they wrote. "This is an ambitious goal, but one worthy of U.S. leadership in concert with a broad range of international partners."

Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), a former astronaut, said that President Barack Obama had assured him that the program would continue to receive support.

“He’s assured me that NASA will get enough money to do what it does best: go explore the heavens,” Nelson said in a statement.

Rep. Parker Griffith (D-Ala.), who represents NASA's Huntsville, Ala. facility, meanwhile criticized the report for a lack of vision.

"The report released today by the Augustine Commission lacks the ambition and drive that first put our astronauts in space, beat the Russians to the moon, and is synonymous with the American space program," he said.

The top Democrats on the House committees overseeing the space program also noted the tough choices ahead.

"Thus, the president has a clear and important decision to make, and I want to work with him to craft a productive path forward for the nation," said Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.).

"I have no doubt that the president will see the inspirational, geopolitical, scientific, technological, and myriad other benefits of a revitalized commitment to our nation’s space program, and I look forward to working with him to usher in a grand new era of exploration and science," said Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.).

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