Congress OKs plan for NASA

Congress approved a plan for NASA extending the space shuttle program for a year and backing President Obama's plan to use commercial carriers to transport astronauts into near-Earth space. The bill, passed by the House this week and by the Senate lasts month, dismantles the Constellation Program, which sought to return astronauts to the moon, and extends the life of the International Space Station to 2020. At Stennis Space Center, Miss., where propulsion systems are tested and certified, center director Patrick Scheuermann said he's confident Stennis will be fully utilized for future space exploration. (Source: Multiple, including AP via the Sun Herald, WLOX-TV, 09/30/10)