Fears of decline at NASA after shuttle program
Space agency faces a brain drain that threatens to undermine future plans
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John Raoux
AP
Space shuttle Atlantis is seen on Pad 39A being prepared to support the lifting of the payload canister, left, for eventual transfer into the shuttle's payload bay at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Friday, June 17, 2011. During its STS-135 mission, Atlantis will carry its payload, the multi-purpose logistics module Raffaello, filled with a variety of spare parts and supplies for the International Space Station.
(AP Photo/John Raoux)By William J. Broad
The New York Times
Updated 7/3/2011 6:55:03 PM ET
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