Tough Decision Looms on Space Shuttle's Fate

A Rare Twin Shuttle Deployment, that ultimately became a juggling act when the Hubble Servicing Mission was indefinitely postponed, two months ago

Wall Street Journal Editorial, December 17: By ANDY PASZTOR

President-elect Barack Obama's NASA transition team faces a tough early choice between extending the life of the aging space shuttle and accelerating its replacement.

Bush Administration plans call for grounding the shuttle by 2010 for budget and safety reasons. But congressional and industry critics worry that the expected five-year gap before the shuttle's replacement is prepared to blast off would lead to a crippling loss of program expertise and sap political support for manned space flights.

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