Beginning the Constellation program meant transferring people that were working Space Shuttle and/or ISS to Constellation. The latter all already worked for NASA on the Space Shuttle and ISS programs. There is a very limited pool of people that have expertise in space flight operations, and even an even smaller pool for human spaceflight operations. The Space Shuttle was essential for completing the ISS, but would not be helpful for the new program (called Constellation) that would take us out of low Earth orbit. The Space Shuttle program was expensive to operate, and maintaining the twenty-plus year old Orbiters was getting more costly. NASA had to take money from multiple programs, but the assumption was that the bulk would come from the Space Shuttle program budget. If you have a fixed budget, and your boss assigns you new work to complete, you have to give something up. Read that text carefully and you'll notice that it essentially says “ we’re not going to give you the money needed to do this, so you'll have to take the money from existing projects.” Future funding decisions will be guided by the progress we make in achieving our goals.” This increase, along with refocusing of our space agency, is a solid beginning to meet the challenges and the goals we set today. I will call upon Congress to increase NASA's budget by roughly a billion dollars, spread out over the next five years. Most of the funding we need for the new endeavors will come from reallocating $11 billion within that budget.
NASA's current five-year budget is $86 billion.
“Achieving these goals requires a long-term commitment. In that same speech he outlined the plan that would develop a new Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), return us to the Moon, and take us to Mars. In 2010, the Space Shuttle - after nearly 30 years of duty - will be retired from service…" The Shuttle's chief purpose over the next several years will be to help finish assembly of the International Space Station. “…we will return the Space Shuttle to flight as soon as possible, consistent with safety concerns and the recommendations of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board.
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