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Space

A turning point for space exploration

10 February 2010

Commentary: NASA moon plan was an illusion, wrapped in denial

IN THE almost half century since Yuri Gagarin orbited the Earth, human space flight has been the preserve of state agencies – first Russian and American, and more recently Chinese too. That could be set to change, as the US charts a new course for its space agency, NASA.

The White House wants to scrap NASA’s Constellation programme, which has been developing two new rockets to deliver astronauts to the moon and take over the task of ferrying people to the International Space Station after the space shuttles retire. President Barack Obama’s proposed budget, which will implement…

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