Fox News
Expand
Browse All Video
Watch Live

You're watching...

Future of manned space flight

Details

  • Description

    All-Star panel weighs in

  • Duration 4:53
  • Date

Clips

Also in this playlist...

Special Report

Auto-advance: ON

Auto-advance
View All

Transcript

This transcript is automatically generated

She's always had issues with our budget we've always had financial issues.

But we've always had the ability to continue to do big things.

And that should not constrain us tonight to -- they.

Shuttle program him.

I'm glad this I was coming here I think.

People fifty years from now hundred years now.

What comes -- -- days for Sony and see the real.

-- -- Well this is this side over Washington DC today.

27 years of service the shuttle discovery flying back to.

Dulles airport -- a permanent display at the Smithsonian air and space museum annex there ending it's life.

Lot of people were out about looking at it was quite a -- over the nation's capital today.

What does it mean what does it isn't a metaphor for the end of manned space -- in the US we're back with the panel.

-- When releases its at least a temporary and I caught a glimpse of it.

It was a profoundly.

Exciting but also profoundly sad moment.

I mean after all isn't is there a better symbol of will do and delivered American decline.

In the fact they -- watching.

They spacecraft and we're thrilled but in fact.

Is headed to his death to an interment to an end involvement.

Like the Lenin and Red Square this is not a a ship that's gonna go look in the arrogant I saw -- once I saw -- -- ten years ago and most thrilling events have ever seen.

-- three miles away a free safety.

And the sound and the -- -- separation hits you after twenty seconds.

But what what what I think is that is that -- the -- it's so depressing here.

Is that we were so far ahead in space in the shuttle itself was probably.

Not the best machine was okay for its time but it was -- efficient and dangerous.

The problem is not the cancellation of the shuttle.

It's the fact that we canceled the follow up.

And we now have to bend the Russians as a way to get into space.

We left the Russians in the dust that ten years ago in the race to the moon Obama speaks of America and not doing great things.

Well the manned space program was of great accomplishment.

And it's now in decline and disintegrating he spends his money -- windmill is an analogy but he drains out of panache and what's happening.

Is this high tech stuff he promotes as the future innovation all of these scientists are leaving.

They're leaving space ending up in other places.

It will take decades to reconstitute it's a very sad ending thrilling as it was to see in the air today.

Maybe there was.

A live report on affiliate here covering this today and this is what what they said talking to a little child who is.

Dressed up as a master not to do you wanna be an -- not when you grow up.

The general said yes and reporters who -- you know what we have a real live astronaut right over here come on over this is doctor Anna Fisher she actually.

Flew on discovery and -- did any advice for -- and expiring astronaut she said.

Study Russian.

Everyone laughed and then the reporter says study Russian or perhaps Chinese but I you can see your -- and sadness and some these people's voices.

I and I agree with what Charles -- but I think that this is a relic from another time it was over forty years only 210 million dollars of chicken scratch now.

It would never -- been started in this political climate in this fiscal reality.

We can no longer afford to dominate in something like -- and space exploration.

And and and it is true Charles is right this this post a shuttle program is for us to leave the land that -- Two more visits and -- into Mars there is no next step there's no path to Mars to.

I agree with AB -- and I understand why -- was saddened today.

But like Lyndon in Red Square.

There will be other iterations of manned space flight they just won't be from the government I think we're seeing about a shift right now -- necessary shift in my view when you're talking about.

The fact that we.

We have the kind of deficits that we have we have the -- that we have yes it's just a fraction of that -- you're talking about programs that may have once while once been worthwhile.

No longer being able to be paid for by the taxpayers by borrowing from the Chinese to to fund these kinds of projects.

And I think we're seeing a shift from the private sector that started several years ago and will continue to I think a pace.

In the future to a on -- terms I know and they're both wrong.

Another -- will be humans in space.

But for the next two decades are going to be Russian -- the Chinese will be on the moon walking in the footprints that we laid and we abandoned.

That is it for the panel mistakes him.

Load More