With the global economy caught in the gravity of the financial crisis, it’s sad that programs like the Constellation Project will have a long wait before anything truly gets off the ground.

NASA’s Constellation Project is set up to finish the International Space Station, retire the Shuttle Fleet and build a whole new fleet of space vehicles which will take us back to the Moon, then Mars and then the places beyond.

But with Congressional limitations and funding cutbacks due to the financial crisis, as well as being stuck with a complicated and restrictive “go as you pay” finance structure it’s unlikely we’ll be seeing any groundbreaking manned space flights in the naughties.

This image represents a fleeting memory of a childhood dream to see man explore our planets and then the stars beyond and it’s one of the few things as a child I looked up to America for.

The universe is a big place and we’re yet to make it out of our solar system but without programs like the Constellation Project, man may never ever get to make another giant leap.

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