Richard Shelby is watching out for his NASA center. (AP Photo)

 

Eric Berger has a new editorial at the Houston Chronicle. Congress is stalling commercial crew merely to generate pork. Space is a new industry, capable of providing jobs to thousands of Americans. But it is being hobbled by Congress. Crucial money that could be given to American companies is funneled off to Russia. Further, the Space Launch System, or SLS, is only a pork barrel project, slated to send money to key states with a launch date years in the future. Meanwhile new, commercial companies like SpaceX can launch now.

You may like Bolden, or dislike him. You may like his boss, President Obama, or you may hate him. You may like NASA’s human exploration plan, or you may have questions about its viability.

But you should know this for a fact: Commercial crew, a program allowing SpaceX and Boeing to develop spacecraft and rockets to put U.S. astronauts into orbit, deserves full funding.

Read the entire post here.