User:MadeYourReadThis/American human spaceflight gap

The American human spaceflight gap refers to the period of time between the end of the Space shuttle program, planned for the summer of 2011, and the next Americanhuman space flight program.

Bush era vision
George W. Bush's vision for NASA's Human Spaceflight program was based around a focus on new rockets and new exploration goals with an end to the shuttle program in 2010 and an end to U.S. involvement in the International Space Station by 2015. Development began on the Aries-1X intended for for transportation of astronauts and cargo to the ISS and was based largely around existing shuttle components such as solid rocket boosters.

ISS
Continued manning of the International Space Station is planned through for at east 9 years beyond the point where shuttles can ferry humans and supplies. During the gap, NASA will utilize the Russian Soyuz spacecraft, launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to get American astronauts to station.