ESA boss tires of being dragged around by NASA mood swings

European Space Agency (ESA) Director General Josef Aschbacher has taken a swipe at NASA and US policy, while calling for autonomy in human spaceflight via an opinion post titled "Are we pilots or are we passengers?" The May 18 post is emblematic of the hand-wringing within ESA over the last few years as NASA has lurched from plan to plan amid fluctuating priorities and funding. Aschbacher, it appears, has had enough. "Europe has become too exposed to decisions beyond its control," he said.