NASA leaders are considering a complete turnaround and keeping the space shuttle flying until 2015.

That could preserve some 3,500 to 4,000 jobs at the Kennedy Space Center. At present the shuttle is schedule to be retired in two years.

At that time, NASA would turn its attention to building a new spacecraft that would fly to the moon and back. The first launch of that ship would be 2015.

That would mean for 5 years, the United States would have no way to put its own astronauts in space. NASA also would dismantle the workforce, and thousands would be out of work.

Presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama both have called for continuing the shuttle beyond 2010. In response, NASA administrator Michael D. Griffin has asked shuttle managers and NASA to come up with a plan to do so.

This plan is for discussion purposes only, because only the president can decide with money from congress to continue the shuttle beyond 2010.

NASA leaders have said recently that it would be difficult or next to impossible to continue shuttle flights beyond 2010, even with a blank checkbook. This is because NASA has already begun dismantling the infrastructure for shuttle flights, such as the factory that builds shuttle fuel tanks.