Artist's impression of Ares I launch

Stifled by legislative bottlenecks, NASA will be forced to continue an already defunct rocket program until March, costing the agency half a billion dollars while adding more hurdles to the imminent task of replacing the space shuttle.

Constellation is the umbrella program that includes the Ares I, the rocket NASA has been building to replace the space shuttle as means of transport to and from the International Space Station, as well as other spacecraft that would have been capable of performing a variety of missions. President Obama cancelled Constellation last year, but thanks to congressional delays and inaction, the program simply won't die -- and it's costing big bucks.

A large portion of the estimated $500,000,000 NASA will spend on the canceled rocket in the next few months -- $165 million of it -- will be paid to Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, toward the development of a solid-rocket first stage for the Ares I the rocket. However, with the cancellation of the Constellation program as part of the President’s new NASA plan, signed into law in October, there are doubts that the technology will ever be used, reported the Orlando Sentinel.

It’s the frustrating result of an ongoing political battle that stretched throughout this year. With the potential cancellation of Constellation looming, lawmakers inserted clauses into NASA’s 2010 budget to protect Ares I jobs in their home states, effectively preventing NASA from shutting down the program pending a new budget from Congress.

This was expected to happen prior to the beginning of the fiscal year on October 1, but Congress instead extended the current budget until March. This inaction leaves NASA obligated to keep Ares I alive -- despite the program’s cancellation.                                 Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/