Few noticed manned access to space discarded

- “The retirement of the Space Shuttle this past year vindicated T.S. Elliot’s pronouncement about the nature of the end of the world. The U.S. workhorses that ferried Station pieces and crew to low Earth orbit await their museum berths.“

- “Few noticed or understood that without a replacement, the country’s capability for humans to access space had been discarded.“

- “As 2011 closes out, construction and assembly of the International Space Station is complete – it is a unique Earth-orbiting platform for ongoing scientific research, accessible for the price of a ride on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft”

- “After being kicked long and hard by the Congress, NASA finally decided that they should probably go ahead and build a new launch vehicle. Despite some initial foot-dragging (and the conspicuously ignored presence of an obvious and inexpensive alternative)”