Cape Canaveral, FL - The achievements at Kennedy Space Center have been spectacular from launching the first man on the moon, Neal Armstrong to International Space Station (ISS) now orbiting the earth. However, as the space shuttle program winds down, Florida’s Space Coast is faced with enormous layoffs.
How many Space Shuttle launches are left? There are four remaining Space Shuttle launches from Cape Canaveral.
Space Coast Workers Face Higher Unemployment
According to the NASA, nearly 7k workers will loose their jobs when the last shuttle mission flies. Add the additional 2k lost from the cancelation of the Constellation program for moon launches, and the Space Coast stands to loose 9k high paying positions.
Nevertheless, that’s just the beginning, the Brevard Economic Development Commission estimates there will be 23k total jobs lost in tourism, local services and related industries in Brevard County alone. The economic devastation caused by the ending the space shuttle program will be hardest on Cape Canaveral, Titusville, Cocoa Beach and Melbourne. Surrounding counties are sure to feel the pinch as well as many space workers commute from as far as 100 miles away for high paying space jobs, reports go as high as 32k workers in Central Florida.
Support for Extending the Shuttle Mission
While many hope to extend the space shuttle flights, the supply lines have been eliminated and restarting them would cost the US taxpayer big money. At a time when congress being raked over the coals for excessive spending, justifying the cost will be tough.
Possible Extra Shuttle Launch
There’s a possible fifth launch as Atlantis will be readied on the pad for a potential rescue mission in case there is a mishap with STS-133, the last scheduled mission, and the crew could be rescued.
There’s a push among some to fly the Atlantis since the vehicle will be ready to fly anyway, but one has to ask; who would rescue the rescuers?