Why the Space Launch System will not be cancelled

[Sax Man Aeronautics]

The SLS would be up and running now if it weren't for NASA being underfunded.

[NASAFanboy]

The SLS is receiving more funding than asked for by Bolden.

Congress likes the SLS.

[merlinux]

I am quite skeptical in the future of any of NASA 's program. Financial future is grim and I can see the congress cut on government space exploration as a pattern set to continue. NASA will give way to all those commercial ventures and will eventually become just an astronaut training center IMHO. I hope I am wrong

[merlinux]

Meh, the SLS is kind of like my last hope.

Canceling it would mean me fleeing to China to work in the CNSA, going rogue, or plastering my brains over the wall.

Defunding NASA would mean my brains plastered over a wall/me hijacked nuclear submarines and nuking everything.

Even if Congress does not support ARM, the future is bright for the SLS. If it was repurposed for lunar missions, newer, cheaper and more efficient versions of the SLS will likely be designed, as NASA renews a push for lunar missions. Many House Candidates (Posey) are supporting doing whatever it takes to create the first US Moonbase by 2022. Others, such as the Democrats simply want NASA to get to Mars by 2030 with the SLS, no matter what way.

By 2024, when the 46th POTUS is in, the SLS would've flown its first manned missions....making it too late to cancel without significant congressional support and a PR disaster.

The problem is that even if some guys in congress "want" something it doesn't mean it will be done. Only a few weeks ago there was no consensus on how to spend the 'budget' (I should say loan). We, kerbalkind and humankind, all want to go to mars or back to the moon, but whether the government will pay for it is a totally different matter.

[NASAFanboy]

From what I heard, most of the POTUS candidates come from states actively involved in space exploration.

That's a plus.

[Nephf]

It won't be cancelled if only because they need a congurenz to Falcon Heavy.

[NASAFanboy]

It won't be cancelled if only because they need a congurenz to Falcon Heavy.

It's not just that.

Congress is funding the SLS. Hell, the President doesn't want the SLS.

But both parties and candidates support it, and want more funds allocated to the project.