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Photo: NASA
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by Alan McBride
CAPE CANAVERAL, FLA. -- The president's new plan for the manned space program has brought sharp attacks from parts of Congress and has divided supporters of the space program.
Some said that his decision to cancel the Constellation program has ended manned space flight for this country.
The White House said the president is visiting the Kennedy Space Center April 15 to discuss his plans in a move some compare to stirring a hornet's nest.
The head of the Space Coast Economic Development Commission, however, does not share that view.
According to Linda Weatherman, the visit is a good sign.
"I would imagine that, when he comes here, he's probably going to present opportunities for the state that haven't been conveyed; that we haven't been aware of," she said.
Weatherman said those opportunities may well exist within the larger NASA budget the president has proposed, and she contends that this could mean a larger share of work that is not traditional for the Kennedy Space Center and surrounding areas.
For decades, the area has been known as the nation's premiere facility for the launch of manned and unmanned rockets, but that's where the reputation ends.
Weatherman said this is an opportunity for Cape aerospace industries to demonstrate their capacity for industries that include design, fabrication, and construction of new launch vehicles.
She said that kind of know-how, which is resident to the space coast represents fertile ground for expansion in the 21st Century, in both government and private-sector operations.
Weatherman said a telling point here is the fact that the president is coming to the space coast, and nowhere else, to discuss the future plans for manned flight with space officials.
"He's not going to any other state that also has a lot of workers that are going to lose their jobs," she said. "I think this is an encouraging message."
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