OPINION: Obama's proposal is a sad new chapter for NASA

Saswato R. Das writes about science and technology. He received a graduate degree in astronomy and astrophysics from Stony Brook University.

How do you think the legions of Apple fans would react if Steve Jobs announced that the next generation of iPhones will be outsourced to different manufacturers, so that the company can focus on software design and new devices?

President Barack Obama is proposing something analogous for NASA, America's beloved space agency.

If Obama and his aides have their way, NASA will farm out rocket development for manned space flights - a task at which the agency excels - to commercial companies. Instead, NASA would focus on space missions and climate science.

That means NASA astronauts will be stuck hailing rides in commercial space taxis - a sorry state of affairs, if Congress allows it to become true, for the space agency that won the race to the moon.

Some of the changes in the new NASA budget unveiled last week, like the cancellation of the previous administration's Constellation program meant to return humans to the moon by 2020, were expected. But the complete abandonment of rocket development for manned space flight shocked most NASA followers.

NASA is an American icon. Created in 1958 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in response to the Soviet launch of Sputnik 1, NASA was marked in its youth by competition and macho-posturing. With the backdrop of the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union vied for supremacy in space exploration.

Having lost to the Soviet Union in launching the first satellite, the United States, under President John F. Kennedy, took on the challenge to be first to set foot on the moon. The USSR was equally determined.

The two superpowers raced not only to prove technological supremacy, but to capture the hearts and minds of the world. Money flowed into NASA; at its peak, NASA's budget equaled almost 1 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product.

Win our hearts, NASA did. On July 20, 1969, the United States won the race, with the world looking on. NASA landed astronauts on the moon five more times - a feat unrivaled by any other space agency.

NASA's efforts led to continuous technological discoveries that touched all our lives, including air-cushioned sneakers, safer runways, blankets that keep marathon runners and accident victims warm, better sunglasses and improved solar panels.

In recent years, a third of NASA's budget was spent on scientific missions, while the rest was dedicated to manned efforts - the space shuttle and the International Space Station, both of which have grossly overrun initial cost projections. Most scientists know that more valuable knowledge results from the scientific missions, like the Mars probes and the lunar crater and observation satellite, which recently found water on the moon. There will be more of them under Obama's proposal, which makes scientists happy. Yet the manned missions are very much part of NASA's history, and the taxpaying public has always been supportive.

If the Obama administration has its way, NASA will hand rocket development over to private companies like Space Exploration Technologies Corp., a startup, which has yet to launch its first space-faring rocket capable of sending humans into orbit.

NASA has built up decades of experience in manned spaceflight, experience that these private companies lack. What will happen to space travel if they can't deliver?

One of the most important attributes of a nationalized manned space program is its ability to inspire countless adolescents who will go on to careers in science. Many of my friends and I were inspired to study science because of NASA's feats when we were growing up. Obama came to power on a platform that inspired hope, and he knows how important hope can be, particularly to young people.

Doing away with NASA's storied manned space program and not putting forward a specific timeline for human space travel will kill much of the inspiration and awe that have come to be associated with NASA's endeavors. It would be a shame if NASA's brand lost its shine.