14 DAY TRIAL // During former US President George W. Bush's Administration, the United States adhered to a bold plan for sending back humans to the Moon within our lifetimes. Dubbed Project Constellation, the initiative was to include two new rockets (ARES I and ARES V), a space capsule (the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle), a lander (Altair) and an Earth-Departure Stage (EDS). But the plan was marked for cancellation earlier this year, when President Barack Obama proposed to Congress that the 5-year, $10-billion effort be stopped, and more money placed into privately-owned space companies.
As part of these efforts, the top manager for Constellation at the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas, Heff Hanley, has been fired. He was moved to another position within the space agency's facility. According to NASA officials, his job will now be to successfully retain “as many of JSC's human space flight core competencies as possible during the Constellation transition and [space shuttle] phase out,” said two days ago Lynnette Madison, a NASA spokeswoman. Hanley is now the JSC associate director for strategic capabilities, she adds. The vacant position will for now be filled by the former Project Constellation deputy program manager Dale Thomas.
“I've been advised by [headquarters] that my services as [Constellation program manager] are no longer required, effective immediately. Dale Thomas will be Acting PM until something more formal is issued from [NASA Exploration Systems Mission Directorate],” Hanley wrote in a May 26 email to his senior staff. As the top official was receiving his notice, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden was testifying in front of a House Science and Technology Committee. When asked about Hanley's sacking, he replied, “That is probably correct. It is not an action that I took. It was an action taken by the Exploration Mission Directorate head Doug Cooke and the Johnson Space Center Director Mike Coats. I have been in consultation with them about that. My understanding is that they were to get together with him this morning.”
NASA cannot easily give up Project Constellation. A Congressional decision dating from 2008 states that the agency cannot make contract modifications, closures, or new openings, without the Congress giving it the go-ahead beforehand. This safeguard was set in place to prevent this type of situations, analysts say. This comes in handy for opponents of the planned changes to America's space exploration policy who say that the new plans are without direction. They add that the proposal would weaken America's leadership in space, and that it would also threaten the country's nation security. A number of senators and representatives fiercely oppose the new plans, Space reports.