NASA Studying Cost Of Rushing New Space Shuttle, Maintaining Old One

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - To maintain the NASA's aging shuttle, now almost 30 years old, beyond 2010, the space agency would have to spend $3 billion annually, said NASA Administrator Michael Griffin.

Aside from the high maintenance cost, NASA runs the risk of an air accident. A new spaceship, the capsule Orion which will sit atop new rocket Ares I, is being prepared but will not be ready for launch until March 2015, based on current timetables. To hasten its construction, NASA needs another $3 billion over the next two years, Griffin said.

Extending the life of the old space shuttle or expediting a new one will be in the hands of the next president and Congress. Griffin said NASA is about to finish a study on how much will it cost to extend its space shuttle program, which will be released this month.

Meanwhile, NASA and the National Science Foundation announced Thursday the successful launch of a newly designed super pressure balloon prototype which will lead to a new era of high-altitude scientific research. The balloon will bring large scientific experiments near space for 100 days or more.

The balloon, measuring 7 million cubic foot, is the largest single-cell, fully-sealed balloon flown. At the end of the development period, NASA will come up with a 22 million cubic foot balloon which could carry a one-ton instrument up to 110,000 feet. That would be three to four times the altitude passenger planes reach.