UK Considers Created an Astronaut Corps

With private companies such as Virgin Galactic getting into the space game and the United States aiming for the moon, the UK government is launching a formal review to decide whether to create a British astronaut corps.

British officials launched the review because of concerns the country could lose out in the next phase of space exploration.

Officials also unveiled plans for a new European Space Agency facility in Harwell, Oxfordshire, which will focus on climate change, robotic space exploration and applications.

In an editorial, the Financial Times says that Britain should focus on these areas instead of an expensive if flashy astronaut program. Astronomer Royal Martin Rees weighs in with similar sentiments in The Times of London.