Concerns about a five-year gap in U.S. manned launches, workforce retention and worsening relations with Russia are forcing NASA to study a continuation of shuttle missions to 2015, instead of killing the program in 2010. NASA Administrator Mike Griffin tells CBS News he is "not optimistic" about the U.S. Congress providing exemptions to Russia for additional U.S. use of Soyuz vehicles to service the International Space Station and he "believes U.S. astronauts may have to leave the outpost for at least part of 2012." Griffin also says he is not optimistic about shuttle extension options and that, even if approved, would only postpone rather than erase a major gap in U.S. manned launch operations.
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