NASA decides not to put astronauts on the first launch of its very delayed new rocket
Sticking with Plan A
By Sarah Fecht 2 hours ago
Astronauts will not fly on the first launch of NASA's upcoming megarocket, the space agency announced on Friday.
Up until a few months ago, NASA planned on the Space Launch System taking off with an empty crew capsule for its maiden launch, with crewed missions to follow a few years later. Then, in February, the space agency started looking into the possibility of putting astronauts on the SLS's first flight. Popular Science and others noted at the time that such a move might add to the safety risks of the launch, as well as the costs and delays.
http://www.popsci.com/nasa-decides-not-to-fly-astronauts-on-SLS
