NASA, Strapped For Cash, Puts Kennedy Space Center Up For Rent

Looking for an awesome place to throw a party? Look no further than a space shuttle launch pad at Kennedy Space Center.

Part of the iconic NASA facility based in Cape Canaveral, Florida is going up for rent, the Washington Post reports. The spaces available include two mobile launch platforms, one of the world’s longest runways and a "slightly used" space shuttle launchpad. The reason? The spaces are both too expensive to maintain and too expensive to tear down, Robert Cabana, the space center's director, told WaPo.

The plan to put up the space center for rent comes as NASA is coping with huge budget cuts. President Obama's proposed 2013 budget plan for NASA would cut the agency's planetary sciences division by 20 percent, according to the Los Angeles Times. In addition, programs that send high-tech robots to explore the solar system are also getting hard hit.

But NASA isn't the first government agency to cope with budget woes by selling un- or under-used property. In September, Obama proposed selling government property like underused airstrips and islands to raise revenue and close the budget gap, according to The New York Times.

WaPo also reported in March that the Obama administration planned to sell federal buildings including office towers and courthouses to get rid of underused properties that the government no longer needs. Though the sale would ultimately bring in $15 billion over three years, Jeff Zients, Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget, described the plan at the time as a slow and painful process, according to CBS News.

During the height of the recession, one state used what some might call an extreme sale of government property to raise revenue. Arizona legislators considered selling the state House and Senate buildings to close budget gaps, according to a July 2009 report from the Arizona Republic.

Selling or renting underused government property seems like a popular plan, but it may not be an effective strategy for substantially reducing the deficit, according to a July report from the Congressional Budget Office.

Comments

[Vinkaye]

09:13 AM on 02/23/2012

If only Caroline could take back that endorsement... a disgrace that she granted President Obama the Kennedy family "name"! This has been one of the most distressing turn of events since President Obama was elected, to me, as a Democrat. This President, from day one, did not see the value in the Space Program and/or NASA. Then he wants to claim that his Administration is putting an emphasis on education, particularly math and science. How do we inspire young scientists by telling them they will be able to purchase a ride with the Russians or Chinese? This is another example of how America has lost sight of future greatness. Do we simply want to try and hold the most cash? Be the worldwide leader in banking profits? We could be leading the world in science and math... but nah, we'd rather rent out our future for financial gain. Oh yeah, and true end game of a space program is scientific discovery that improves life for man, and heals the environment..... the President could have challenged us all to create a new future. Instead, he'd rather hang a "For Rent" sign!

[SwiftJonathan]

01:25 AM on 02/24/2012

You do know that the NASA budget under Obama was way higher than ever under Bush, right? And that Bush cancelled the Shuttle because it had killed 14 astronauts?

No? Just what kind of "democrat" are you?

:-)

[vallesula]

08:34 AM on 02/23/2012

By the LQQKS of things, ever since them Aliens, with bases on the moon, told Neil Armstrong to bring back a message telling humans to get off the moon, stay off and don't come back, NASA has been knocked out of business.

[hman570]

05:41 AM on 02/23/2012

I think that the Capital Building should be put up for rent. It seems that little goes on there and they have a great spa that the taxpayers keep for the politicians that we are not allowed to even see the inside of? It is a sad country we have turned into GREED runs rampit thru our Great Country while the politicians and special interest own our politicians get what ever they want and keep all the money to split between themsleves and the pliticians they own. With Russia and China running away with the space program America will be left in the dark. Shame we keep borrowing money to give to the rest of the world and froget about America and it Great People.

[Robert 999]

05:35 AM on 02/23/2012

Republicans want budget cuts and this is another example what happens when Grover demands no tax increases on the 1% and his pledge signers follow orders.

[Vinkaye]

09:04 AM on 02/23/2012

What is President Obama's role in this?

[GustavoRejivik]

10:45 PM on 02/23/2012

20% for NaSA nowhow abouts the EPA or Departments of Edukashun??

... lets cut the least productive part of Government, not the most ..

[nuclearkid]

04:02 AM on 02/23/2012

thanks noobama. now you know wher you can go.

[Robert 999]

05:37 AM on 02/23/2012

Congress produces budgets not the President.

[ThinkCreeps]

07:50 AM on 02/23/2012

There's not much point keeping hold of a huge pointless infrastructure if someone, presumably Stratolaunch, can rent the runway.

[SwiftJonathan]

01:25 AM on 02/23/2012

On May 25, 1961, when Kennedy spoke those magical words, the marginal federal income tax rate of the US was ... 90%.

On the very day you increase the marginal federal income tax rate from the current 35% to 90%, again, and make sure that the rich can't cop out, you can fly to the Moon once, again, and even take Mars into your sights.

Good luck with that.

[Lane Campbell]

12:01 AM on 02/23/2012

What a waste ... we build the Saturn V, use it to launch us to the moon, then trash all the tooling that was used to build it. Now this. Pray the private sector can pick up and run with some of this...

[maternatura]

12:24 AM on 02/23/2012

Not to mention the team of brilliant scientists and technicians that we've disbanded and laid off. What a loss!

[SwiftJonathan]

01:18 AM on 02/23/2012

Replacing the Saturn V with the Shuttle was a mistake. It was not a mistake to get rid of the Shuttle.

[maternatura]

01:41 PM on 02/23/2012

No argument from me about retiring the old shuttle as long as we had a newer, better model to replace it. Until then I think it is a mistake that has cost us dearly.

[Lane Campbell]

11:38 PM on 02/23/2012

The mistake was not so much in getting rid of it, but in shilly-shallying about in the funding doldrums with no coherent plan or development track for its replacement. The process should have begun as early as 1995, and could have ... if not for the broken-down funding & management processes...

[Copeland Sean]

11:33 PM on 02/22/2012

So the stimulus (aprox. 700+billion) is okay, but nasa(17-18+billion) is way too expensive?

[SwiftJonathan]

01:19 AM on 02/23/2012

They both serve different purposes. What an insight!

[TheAnitQuasar]

11:16 PM on 02/22/2012

What sad days we are living in.

[ae12wrangell]

11:13 PM on 02/22/2012

NASA; President Kennedy had the right idea, and we followed through on it. But after landing Apollo XI on the Moon, was it needed to land 5 other LM's on the Moon, not to mention 10 harrowing days for Apollo XIII? Then the Space Program takes a nap, sort of, until The Enterprise is tested in the late 70's. After that was the Columbia, and a few other Shuttles. Now, you ask 'why are we(NASA) bankrupt, or close to it? Well, you did not know when to call it quit's.
Face it. We are not going back to the Moon. We are not going to Mars. And, if Mars is still on the menu, for God's Sake, remove it. You'd have to first stop at the Moon, for a refill.

We came, we saw, we conquered, we left! The end. Leave it that way.

And, I have been following the Space Program since mid-Mercury

[maternatura]

11:18 PM on 02/22/2012

The world has benefitted greatly from our space program. For one, if we had had the space program, we wouldn't be writing to each other on these small computers.

[ae12wrangell]

11:57 PM on 02/22/2012

Really? Why?

[jmchladek]

11:36 PM on 02/22/2012

Gee, 0.5% of the annual budget funded NASA shuttles flying and now the government can't afford that? At the height of the Apollo program it was 1.7%, which is a TINY amount compared to what is spent by other government agencies and WE WENT TO THE MOON ON THAT! Over the past 50 years of going into space, the moon and Earth orbit for long term got us innovations in MANY things nobody thinks of. Sure, we have the microchip, digital computers, telescommunications. But we also got scratch resistant coatings on glasses and computer screens, flexon frames for glasses, fire resistant clothing and materials, improved insulation products for people and houses as well as improvements in many other goods and services. So because of those spinoffs alone, I say yes, 6 LMs on the moon, 30 years of shuttle flights, 17 lives lost on missions (Apollo 1, STS-51L, STS-107), a station that has more of an open goal than a set one WAS and still IS worth it.

Why let those people die in vain because our country is too fickle to want to continue space travel? If for NOTHING else, a healthy NASA with decent funding and a good goal gets a kid interested in staying in school to learn math and science, that alone gives us an investment in our future. This country can do ANYTHING when we put our mind to it. We just need to let those elected officials in Washington DC know that.

[maternatura]

11:54 PM on 02/22/2012

Extremely well said. Thank you. I am honored to be your first fan.

[ae12wrangell]

12:02 AM on 02/23/2012

Why don't we put aside the Space Program - say until we have close to a balanced budget - then, continue from there. But, what NASA should do is have it's OWN appropriation's committee, as to what get's funded, what does not, and what goes up, etc.

Yes, I know. If that were to happen, it'd still eat into my wallet - can't live With Uncle Sam; Can't live without him

[themechanicsix]

10:57 PM on 02/22/2012

Yep cut NASA budget so we can give to people who don't wanna work. The Fed gets more votes that way.

[maternatura]

12:04 AM on 02/23/2012

It's not that most don't want to work. There are just not enough jobs.

[Chef Gregory]

10:51 PM on 02/22/2012

Our forebearers used to take two months to cross the Atlantic. These were intrepid people who sacrificed much for a new life. Our astronauts are cut from the same cloth. They have a vision for our future and the technologies that have developed our future came from intrepid thinking and courage even if some have sacrificed their lives for this vision. Its the price we pay as explorers and its so worth it. We cannot cut short this evolution of genius for the sake of our futures and for the possible surival of our entire species. Let us not cut the dollars simply for the sake of our present finanical situation. Keep the torch lit, and stoke the fires of hope to still be the guiding light for a world seemingly walking into the darkness. As a nation of amazing inventors, this is the hour of our greatest challenge. Send the message to all to keep this age of enlightenment on a strong course so that we may give our future the success it deserves for those who will need it that much more as challenges become that much more complex. Always hope, always dream, always explore. The Universe becons to us all.

[Calypsis4]

10:48 PM on 02/22/2012

Big cuts to Mars Mission? Oh, that just breaks my heart.Now they aren't going to find the little green men after all!

[maternatura]

10:27 PM on 02/22/2012

Since 1492 the soul of America is a curious, adventurous, striving nation ever reaching for the next frontier. This is one agency that should be well funded if we want to remain the world power we see ourselves to be. We need to be exploring always on the cutting edge of science.

[SwiftJonathan]

10:49 PM on 02/22/2012

And I thought we were... so what's the problem? Is anybody else roving Mars right now (or has, ever)? Is anybody else flying to Pluto?

[maternatura]

11:00 PM on 02/22/2012

Just 'cause Gustav jumps off a cliff doesn't mean Johnny and Jania America should. Likewise, just because other countries aren't exploring, doesn't mean we shouldn't. And actually, China is getting into the space business and Russia has been doing long-term human experimentation to find out how humans might withstand a long trip to Mars and back.

Cutting funding to NASA is really backwards thinking. John Glenn is absolutely right about this.

[michaelwg]

10:14 PM on 02/22/2012

NASA, which holds over 6,000 patents, the most cost effective agency in government, whose technologies have translated into private sector growth & new industry... is about to have a yard sale. That's pretty bad investing on the government's part.
But hey, why invest in Tech R&D when you can keep running a failed War on Drugs for billions each year?? Priorities I guess.

[maternatura]

10:21 PM on 02/22/2012

I agree. Underfunding NASA is false economy at it's worst. A huge loss for our country.

[maternatura]

11:23 PM on 02/22/2012

I'd even go farther. In addition to more space exploration we should also be hugely broadening our understanding of our oceans and waterways. We have yet to plumb the true depths of three quarters of our planet.

[GOODDOC1]

02:21 AM on 02/23/2012

Read a copy of JFK's inaugural address. There's a great part in it about how we should be doing just that: "Together let us explore the stars, eradicate disease, tap the oceans' depths, and encourage the arts and commerce". The "together" he was talking about was the entire world, not just the US.