Harrison Schmitt, the man who walked on the moon for several days, is not very happy with the changes that President Obama is proposing for the NASA space exploration programs. The astronaut, who managed to take up a place in Apollo 17, is also a former US Senator, and someone who is astonished at the plans that have been put forward by Mr. Obama.

"It's bad for the country. This administration really does not believe in American exceptionalism", Mr. Schmitt said.

The bitter words of Mr. Schmitt are just a part of a full-blown criticism that is being thrown towards the Administration's new plans for NASA, under which the Constellation program would be curbed. The program was sketched during the Bush Administration, and aims at putting astronauts back on the moon by the time 2020 rolls in.

The 2011 budget of Mr. Obama would erase the Constellation's rocket and crew capsule, put in over a billion Dollars into some new technologies and space programs and outsource the task of taking about astronauts to low-Earth orbit to private companies.

The new plans, however, have not been received very positively and much opposition of the same has come in via many different mediums, including a letter of protest from the entire Congressional delegation from Florida, Democrats and Republicans, op-eds, space blogs and criticism from the aerospace community.