NASA's Ed Mango in CO to guide companies' space efforts
By Ann Schrader, The Denver PostWith the space shuttle fleet retired, it is up to private spacecraft to ferry astronauts to the international space station and other low-Earth-orbit destinations.
It's Ed Mango's job at NASA to help companies — such as Sierra Nevada Space Systems of Louisville and United Launch Alliance of Centennial — make those spacecraft and the rockets to launch them.
The goal, said Mango, who manages NASA's commercial crew program, "is to develop the best concepts" in collaboration with private companies with an eye on flying by 2017. The only way to the space station until then is to rely on the Russians at $63 million per seat, raising concerns about the loss of U.S. leadership in space.
Mango is in Colorado this week to develop a plan with his team that will guide partnerships with private companies over the next year. On Thursday, he plans to visit Sierra Nevada to get an update on the reusable Dream Chaser space plane.
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