Obama's space program hailed by Nobel laureates

30 signees, including 14 distinguished Nobel Prize winners, have written an open letter in support of President Obama's plans for the nation's space program, and criticizing the proposal being reviewed in the House of Representatives.

The letter was signed by former astronauts and senior NASA officials, in addition to the Nobel laureates, who have awards in fields ranging from medicine to physics in their ranks.

The letter comes at a time when NASA is trying to create more than 2,000 jobs by developing a "heavy-lift" rocket, a rocket large and strong enough to carry human space explorers beyond the orbit of the Earth.

"A one-year increase in technology, commercial, robotic, and university investments will not be sufficient to reverse years of neglect," reads the letter. "We must avoid a repeat of the situation between 2005 and 2009 where, despite initial promises, funds had to be transferred from other areas of NASA activity, and especially from investments in research and technology, to the Constellation Program because Constellation had a level of ambition that exceeded its allocated funding."

In his 2011 budget request, Obama asked to cancel funding for the Constellation program, which he said was "over budget, behind schedule, and lacking in innovation." Instead, he is asking for funds to be put towards commercial companies to take astronauts to the International Space Station and to develop new technologies such as the "heavy-lift" rocket.

"President Obama's new strategy revitalizes and expands our investments in technology, commercial spaceflight, student research, and robotic exploration precursors," reads the letter. "These are the key elements of the President's new plan for NASA that must be retained in any consensus solution reached by Congress and the White House."