Acting Marshall Space Flight Center Director Robert Lightfoot told the independent review panel, meeting in Huntsville today about NASA's future, that money to extend the International Space Station's life, work with other nations and develop improved rockets should be the nation's main priorities for space exploration.
"I worry about a program that if not fully funded and is kind of a dream, then we get in a mode that it is just a dream and we can get into a mode where it will fail," Lightfoot said.
The space station is key to learning how to exist in space and how to build the planned Ares rockets that will support future extended human missions in space, like trips to the moon or Mars, Lightfoot said.
NASA's current plan is to leave the station by 2016.
The Augustine Commission, named for its chairman aerospace leader Norman Augustine, continues the public meeting until 4 p.m. today.