It doesn't exactly inspire confidence when people like Buzz Aldrin seriously question the proposed Shuttle replacement (Constellation)...<br><br>http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/wires?id=119539716&c=y<br><br>NASA Legend Buzz Aldrin Voices Concerns About Moon Rocket<br>July 25, 2008<br>The Orlando Sentinel<br>By Robert Block and Mark K. Matthews, The Orlando Sentinel, Fla.<br><br>Jul. 25--CAPE CANAVERAL<br><br>Just four years after President Bush announced his vision to send astronauts back to the moon and then on to Mars, legendary astronaut Buzz Aldrin is leading an effort to re-examine the whole idea -- in particular, NASA's choice of rockets for the mission.<br><br>It is the latest sign that NASA's Constellation program -- intended to replace the space shuttle after 2010 -- is in trouble.<br><br>Concerned by reports that the Ares rockets and Orion crew capsule are beset by cost overruns, schedule delays and complex technical woes, Aldrin says he wants to create a panel of experts to make sure that Constellation is the right way to go.<br><br>"We need to stick with the mission but rethink some of the ways we implement it," said Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon. "It doesn't pay to stick with a bad idea."<br><br>Aldrin has won some backers, including a prominent Washington think tank and the backers of an alternate rocket design created by moonlighting NASA employees.<br><br><br>More at above link.<br>