Does NASA have anything to replace the shuttle program after they ground them in 2010?

Answer 1

They call it Constellation.
It is a new Orion capsule on a new Ares rocket.
But it won't really replace the shuttle. It will not have a cargo bay, so it will not be able to carry up parts to add on to the space station and cannot bring back large cargo from space. The G loads on launch and landing will be much higher, making the ride too rough for some kinds of delicate science experiments. It will have no wings, so it cannot make a gentle controlled landing on a runway. The rocket will not be reusable, although they say the capsule will be. All in all it seems like a big step back to me. But it IS supposed to be able to go to the Moon, which is something the shuttle cannot do. That is definitely good.

Answer 2

The shuttle which is essentially a man-rated orbital (dump) truck won't be really replaced with another system, instead, NASA has settled on a more realistic architecture in which payloads and people are separated. This not only allows for much heavier payloads than the shuttle can carry but also increases the safety of the crew, which now can have launch abort systems and MUCH improved heat shield architectures for re-entry than those that are being used on the shuttle.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuttle-Derived_Launch_Vehicle

So while a lot of people (see above) see the new Saturn I/Saturn V type launchers as a backwards step, from an engineering point of view we are simply undoing a giant boondoggle (the manned cargo launch concept) that held the exploration of space back for thirty years or more.

I am, by the way, not a big fan of the Ares designs. They look awkward and came mostly out of the need to keep the current shuttle contractors happy AND save the money and time that a complete re-design of a family of launch vehicles would have needed. On the other hand, the shuttle components, all by themselves, have proven to be very reliable and it would be a crime to throw all of that technological base away.

The proof, as they say, will be in the pudding. As soon as I see an Ares V launch bring 100 metric tones into orbit at a reasonable price per kg, I will cheer. Until then, I will look at the whole thing sceptically and hope that the current NASA administration knows what the hell they are doing.

Answer 3

I think it will under go a big change,
and not as we know it.