Obama, Giffords to Attend Shuttle Launch

Wall Street Journal reports:

Space shuttle Endeavour's scheduled launch Friday recalls sunny spectacles that marked NASA's former glory. But the sense of excitement surrounding the event masks the uncertain future of America's manned exploration program.

The launch is expected to be witnessed by a huge crowd, including President Barack Obama and Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, the Arizona congresswoman wounded in an assassination attempt whose husband, Mark Kelly, commands Endeavour.

Lawmakers, contractors and leaders of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration continue to squabble over how to divvy up shrinking space budgets. And with the final shuttle countdown expected this summer, no consensus has emerged on how to meet the administration's goals of exploring an asteroid around 2025, and eventually sending astronauts to Mars.

"NASA's fundamental problem is a lack of clear-cut direction and goals," said Scott Pace, a former senior NASA official who now teaches at George Washington University. "The current path is a very risky one, and time is quickly running out to correct course."

Almost two years have passed since Mr. Obama roiled Congress and the aerospace industry by seeking to privatize many of NASA's core functions. Both critics and supporters of the agency worry it's embroiled in nagging political battles and increasingly seems out of touch with the deficit-conscious mindset of voters.

Rep. Giffords, a Democrat, was an outspoken opponent of Mr. Obama's commercial-space initiative before she was critically wounded in January in a Tucson shooting that killed six people and wounded 13. As head of a House subcommittee with jurisdiction over NASA, she argued that relying on untested commercial alternatives jeopardized U.S. space dominance, especially in manned flight. During one early hearing on the White House proposals, she said U.S. human space flight could be "on hold for the foreseeable future."

Rep. Giffords riled the White House by championing a bipartisan compromise intended to further restrict spending on commercial-space ventures. But the effort fell apart when House leaders accepted a Senate package more favorable to the Obama administration. Before she was hurt in the shooting, Rep. Giffords talked about pursuing the fight and prodding NASA to make good on past commitments to traditional manned projects.

Some officials now hope the personal drama surrounding Rep. Giffords and Mr. Kelly will rekindle public ardor for the agency's mission. But NASA leaders also must walk a fine line to avoid exploiting her appearance: With a gunshot wound to the head, she speaks haltingly and has pronounced weakness on the right side of her body.