May 12, 2010
Colorado Public Radio

It appears a NASA program that involves workers at Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Jefferson County will NOT be terminated.  Lockheed is developing the Orion crew capsule for the 100 billion-dollar Constellation program – last year President Obama said it would be canceled. Colorado Congressman Ed Perlmutter told constituents during a telephone town hall last night that he's gotten word from the White House the program will be restructured:

PERLMUTTER ON SPACE PROGRAM TRANSCRIPT(:17)

“It will play a different role within the man space flight program but I think it's very good news for residents of the metro area, we will retain many engineering, science, types of jobs in the metro area,” stated Perlmutter. 

Click here to listen to audio clip.

Colorado lawmakers who've been asking NASA to keep the program say canceling the capsule would cost about a thousand direct jobs in Colorado and hundreds of indirect jobs. President Obama is expected to speak about his plans for the space program tomorrow.