So, you know, the manned space program or, I should say, piloted space program, some problems.
Manned space travel has been one of the greatest triumphs in the history of the United States.
For the past two years, Russia has asked NASA to help with a manned space flight to Mars.
"What we're asking (SpaceX officials) to do is amazing, " William Gerstenmaier, head of NASA's manned space-flight efforts, told reporters recently.
Despite the warm words of the nation's leaders, America's manned space-flight programme has been becalmed in Earth orbit for decades.
It is extremely hard for UK citizens to get into orbit because the government does not fund manned space activity.
Until NASA can garner the vocal support of the American public again our manned space program will be lethargic and uninspiring.
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NASA's had problems, unfortunately quite a few problems, with the manned space program, but the unmanned program continues to go gangbusters.
But to give up manned space flight entirely would be a mistake.
In his interview two weeks ago, Mr. Musk recalled that William Gerstenmaier, NASA's top manned space official, raised questions about whether additional testing was necessary.
But still, accepting that space flight is very risky, do you think that NASA has become maybe too risk averse for effective manned space exploration?
But it has been the pride of the Soviet, and later the Russian, manned space programme, because the Americans have never managed to emulate it.
The problem with the manned space programme is not so much that it is an expensive waste of money as that it lacks a serious goal.
For the first time since China began its manned space flights, the authorities have allowed foreign journalists (albeit only a handful of them) to witness the launch.
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China this morning successfully launched its second manned space flight.
Burt points out that nearly 50 years after the original manned space flights, it was more expensive and less safe to launch humans to space than during the very first year.
The problem NASA has faced is that since the Eagle landed on the moon and Apollo 11 returned safely to the earth the American people lost interest in our manned space program.
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President Obama appointed the Augustine committee in May to gather information from space agency officials, scientists, the aerospace industry and from Congress about the best future course for US manned space flight.
Now we're going to develop a permanently manned space station and new opportunities for free enterprise, because in the next decade Americans and our friends around the world will be living and working together in space.
President Obama declined to keep the shuttles going, canceled the planned replacement platform for manned space flight and thereby condemned this country for the foreseeable future to reliance on Russian and perhaps, in due course, Chinese rockets to deliver our astronauts to the space station.
Next up, things get a bit animated with Packing for Mars author Mary Roach, who will discuss the grosser side of manned space travel, while professional prognosticator (and sometimes rock musician) John Roderick kicks off his new reoccurring segment by explaining how space exploration helps him get out of bed in the morning.
The manned international space station would have funding cutbacks under the proposed budget.
Right now, NASA is dependent on Russia for manned flights to the International Space Station until a new manned program is completed.
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Moscow (CNN) -- The Russian space agency on Monday postponed the launch of a new manned mission to the International Space Station due to last week's accident in which an unmanned cargo craft was lost, the state news agency RIA Novosti reported.
Europe is looking to play a significant role in America's plans for the manned exploration of deep space.
On June 16, China sent three astronauts into space on its first manned docking mission, a significant step towards its plan to build a Chinese space station in 2020.
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Many sceptics will undoubtedly question why any country would choose to invest in future space exploration, including a manned mission to Mars, while there are so many unsolved problems on our planet, from HIV to malaria to poverty.
With no manned government rockets ready to go, US space programs could be outsourced to private companies who have no means to profit off such costly endeavors.
Some space experts have said that any manned Mars mission using existing rockets probably would need to have a capsule dock with some type of booster in orbit.
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