In a sign of cautiousness in uncertain times, the U.S. Navy has ordered most of its officers to refrain from volunteering for the nation's astronaut training program.
According to a report in The New York Times, the Navy has advised its astronaut corps applicants from several specialties that they will no longer be considered for nomination to the elite space-flight school.
The move comes, ironically, as the U.S. celebrates the 50th anniversary of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
It also marks a retreat from an historic embrace of the American space exploration program that began with the Navy's participation in the Mercury Seven project, begun 49 years ago, in which three of the first astronauts, Scott Carpenter, Wally Schirra, and Alan Shepard, were naval officers.
Shepard was America's first astronaut to fly into space, in 1961.
In the Times article, Navy officials said the reason for the new restriction lies in a desire by the service to ensure that its mission critical officers are retained in traditional combat roles during time of war.
Vice Admiral J. C. Harvey Jr. last month wrote a memo saying that applications for Navy nominations to the space program from 10 specialties would not be accepted "due to critical inventory shortfalls and/or priority global war on terrorism skill set requirements," according to the Times. The specialties specifically mentioned include special forces, combat engineers, and academics, among others. Navy aviators, however, are not among the specialties affected.
Over the past 15 years, the Navy has nominated as many as 211 and as few as 105 candidates per year for consideration by NASA, though groups from earlier years numbered as low as 34. This year, the service allowed 5 applications to be submitted originally, but that number was expanded to 50 after reconsideration by Adm. Wright.
William M. Shepherd (Capt. USN-Ret.), who served as the first commander aboard the International Space Station, told the Times he was concerned whether the decision marked a shift in America's attitude toward space travel.
"This is the first tick of the needle," he noted. "Our commitment to doing this might be changing. This is important beyond the Navy, beyond NASA."
Officials from the Air Force, Army and Marine Corps told the Times their services were not restricting astronaut training applications.
It may be only a small course correction by the Navy (for the best of reasons), but it definitely has the outward appearance of a sea change for a military branch that has long taken pride in the helmsmanship of its officers voyaging to the ocean of space.
