My first day of work (February 1st) at my new job in Denver, Colorado wasn’t quite as bad as the title may indicate, but definitely wasn’t as cheerful as I would have hoped.  During my interviews for the position in November, I asked several times concerning the possible cancellation of Orion (the program that I am working on) and was told that it is very unlikely that program would be canceled.

A tech blog started a rumor on the night before my first day (Sunday, January 31st) that stated the proposed Presidential budget that would be released the following day would not include any funding for Constellation.  No funding = cancellation.  Constellation consists of the following parts: Aries = rocket, Orion = capsule (where the astronauts live) and cargo, and Gemini = moon lander.

A wise friend of mine once said, “Rumors are usually true in the corporate world.”  Low and behold, the rumor was entirely correct.  President Obama’s proposed budget does not include any funding for these NASA programs.  Instead, his budget redirects NASA in a “bold new direction.”

I strongly disagree with this new direction for many reasons…one major reason is that I will be looking for a job in August if the budget is passed in its current form.  However, I think it is unlikely that the president will get his wish completely granted.  What will probably happen is that the rocket and moon lander will be canceled, but Orion will be spared…therefore my job would be spared as well.  I am hopeful this will happen, but not so much that I haven’t updated my resume.