Hear, hear!

The latest astronaut (of about twenty) to speak out.  John Glenn to NASA: Keep shuttles flying.  

 A few choice quotes: 

"The U.S. for the first time since the beginning of the Space Age will have no way to launch anyone into space - starting next January.

"Our astronauts will have to be launched in Russian spacecraft, from a Russian base in Kazakhstan, to go to ... International Space Station.

"Starting at the end of this year, and probably for the next five to ten years, the launches of U.S. astronauts into space will be viewed in classrooms and homes in America only through the courtesy of Russian TV.

"For the 'world's greatest spacefaring nation,' that is hard to accept."

     and

"We'll spend almost as much buying our astronauts seats on Russia's Soyuz as we would to keep the shuttles flying," Glenn said. "The cost of continuing shuttle is really very tiny compared to the $100 billion investment we've made in the station, and keeping shuttle flying, we'll have the biggest spaceship ever to carry seven [astronauts] and tons of cargo."

       and

"We're putting ourselves in line for a single-point failure ending the whole manned space program, and I don't think we should be putting ourselves into that position."