I wasn't aware this was it for the space program!?! Thanks for the heads up, I will try and watch it!
It's not it for the space program, it's it for the shuttle program.
It's true that the shuttle has far-outlived its technological lifespan (and in fact was used far in excess of its original design mandate), however the US Government has also killed the programs that were supposed to develop the replacement technology. That's not something you can easily recover from. It will be a MINIMUM of ten years to ramp back up enough to have Americans in space again, without relying on the Russians or the Chinese. And that 10-year clock doesn't start ticking until Congress re-finances the project.As much as I LOVE the shuttle, it's an aging technology and it's time for us, the US, to come up with something better. What I fear is this will be used as an excuse to throttle back the space program in general.
The US Space Program has better return on investment than the military without as much death and desctruction.