Some eye longer shuttle program

The space shuttle could continue to fly beyond its scheduled 2010 retirement date, a move that would help keep hundreds of people working at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. But the price tag of such an extension would be $2 billion per year, according to a report released this week. And it would also impact the Constellation program. (Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune, 11/05/08)