Which would be embarrassing at the best of times, but with public-spending cuts looming and NASA's budget flat for the foreseeable future, it is causing real strains.

在这最佳时期将会是尴尬的，但是随着公共花费削减正隐隐约约呈现并且对NASA未来的预期并不景气，它正造成真的担忧。