Wide Angle: NASA's Mid-Life Crisis

NASA's bad budgeting, waning youth interest and overdue missions are just a taste of the space agency's troubles
 

Space Agency In Transition

nasa space shuttle launch pad future orion ares
The space shuttle's days numbered and there's no spacecraft immediately ready to take its place -- and that's just one of many challenges in NASA's future. Never mind its struggles with budget, public outreach or sticking to a schedule. Credit: NASA
 

Just beyond NASA's 50th birthday, the space agency's future is more uncertain than ever before.

Construction of NASA's next-generation moon ship is under way, but some believe it may never leave the ground (along with a handful of planetary missions).
Even with an extra $1 billion of stimulus money under its belt, NASA struggles to keep its budget under control.
And now the space agency is struggling to court the next generation of scientists and engineers into its ranks.

In this Wide Angle we look under NASA's hood for a glimpse at how it might reinvent itself in the face of so much adversity.

  • News: NASA Reaching Out to Youth, One Tweet at a Time
    Nearly 40 years after the first moon mission, NASA struggles to excite the next generation of space explorers.

  • Top 10: Toughest Moments for NASA
    NASA prides itself on pushing the frontiers of humankind -- but things haven't always been peachy-keen. Check out these 10 tough times for the space agency.

  • Opinion: NASA's 'Mad Money'
    Wildly over-budget and facing a gap in off-Earth access, what should an aging space agency to do with an extra $1 billion?

  • Interview: In NASA's Future: Manned Asteroid Landings?
    NASA's moon-bound Constellation spaceship hardware could also take astronauts to asteroids. We chat with an expert about why.

  • Slide Show: NASA's Next 50 Years
    The agency's budget may be a bunch of red ink and its spacecraft's futures uncertain, but NASA can still dream. Browse their biggest ideas here.

  • Video: Top 5 NASA Videos
    Discovery News rolls through their top five favorite out-of-this world NASA video moments.

Got something to say? E-mail your questions, comments or concerns to discoveryspace@discovery.com.

MORE WIDE ANGLES
 
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Visit our other Wide Angles running on Discovery Earth and Discovery Tech:


Discovery Earth: Climate Tipping Points
Is there still time to avert a climate catastrophe? Have we already tipped too far? Find out in this Wide Angle.

Discovery Tech: Green Energy
From what's going on in the lab to what's being installed in the field and how everyone can benefit.


 

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