Last Flight

[Carolina Husker]

Right... because the exploration of space, our next frontier, and next logical step in evolution as a species and for life on this planet, is a useless wasteful sentimental venture.

What were we thinking?

Agreed.

[blackcatgrowl]

Never knew you were such a big fan of government stimulus spending.

Since when is a 30+ year exploration program considered "Stimulus"? Was the Shuttle program "stimulus" during the 90's boom too?

Of course, I realize the misconstruing of definition and terminology mis-appliction is a predictable response to a logical discussion for your people CWG, so I don't really expect any sense here.

[blackcatgrowl]

Nasa fuging sucks.

I hope they privatize space exploration and we are hanging out in whorehouse on Mars by the time I am 70.

Yeah, except private enterprise isn't going to be anything more than low orbit hops and slingshots around the moon in the forseeable future.

Business plans don't typically work when your goal revolves around an unknown profit potential.

Example: Why spend hundreds of billions going to mars and maintaining a human presence there, when you don't know if there is anything you can profit from by going there, or when it's drastically cheaper to obtain the same material on earth without going into space?

Hell, they are tearing down whole mountains for gold these days. You think they'll bother with prospecting Mars unless we run out of materials here?

No, they won't. The potential of human space flight will only be realized through the goal of exploration. That vision is going to have to come from society and our government. Not a promise of wealth.

[mmmbeans]

nasas budget is slightly more than .5% of the total budget.

we'll balance that budget yet! lawlz.

[PanthaSan]

Smokescreen.

We've never been to the moon and all that "spacewalk" stuff is filmed in a studio at Area 51.

Well, that is if Area 51 existed....

[cookinwithgas]

Hmm, lets see. A giant government department that gets it's money based on political connections, that spends 30+ years running a machine that never even came close to achieving the cost and service goals set for it, filled with lifelong government employees and the main reason people are pissed is that tax money is going to the Russians instead of those freeloading gubmint employees and their pension plans.

And I LOVE the space program and think its worth every penny.

[blackcatgrowl]

Hmm, lets see. A giant government department that gets it's money based on political connections, that spends 30+ years running a machine that never even came close to achieving the cost and service goals set for it, filled with lifelong government employees and the main reason people are pissed is that tax money is going to the Russians instead of those freeloading gubmint employees and their pension plans.

And I LOVE the space program and think its worth every penny.

So rather than fix the department and weed out over-expenditures and clean up waste, or transition it to a new directive like the now defunct Constellation Program, we're just going to cancel everything and abandon the program to private enterprise which has neither the resources or funds, or possibly the experience to do what NASA can do right now. And while Private Companies TRY and get ramped up, we're going to give that money to the Russians.

Again... Brilliant...

If you "LOVE" the space program, you should be critical of the current Administration's handling of it. Because it has been terrible.

[mmmbeans]

THE RUSSIANS~!!!!a

[cookinwithgas]

So rather than fix the department and weed out over-expenditures and clean up waste, or transition it to a new directive like the now defunct Constellation Program, we're just going to cancel everything and abandon the program to private enterprise which has neither the resources or funds, or possibly the experience to do what NASA can do right now. And while Private Companies TRY and get ramped up, we're going to give that money to the Russians.

Again... Brilliant...

If you "LOVE" the space program, you should be critical of the current Administration's handling of it. Because it has been terrible.

You really don't understand what's happening do you. If your viewpoint was valid, we'd all be riding on Government Airlines instead of USAir or Delta today.

And nothing is being "abandoned". NASA is going to work on exploration, the private sector is going to work on exploitation now that low earth orbit's been pretty well figured out.

I got to see SpaceShipOne get into space for the first time live. I would not discount these peoples abilities. SpaceX seems to be doing OK so far as well but they do have a ways to go.

As far as the "administrations handling of it" I am not sure what you mean. The Shuttle program had been slated for end of life far before Obama was elected. We've already lost two of them.

[Carolina Husker]

nasas budget is slightly more than .5% of the total budget.

we'll balance that budget yet! lawlz.

I'm also in favor of slashing defense spending.

[blackcatgrowl]

You really don't understand what's happening do you. If your viewpoint was valid, we'd all be riding on Government Airlines instead of USAir or Delta today.

And nothing is being "abandoned". NASA is going to work on exploration, the private sector is going to work on exploitation now that low earth orbit's been pretty well figured out.

I got to see SpaceShipOne get into space for the first time live. I would not discount these peoples abilities. SpaceX seems to be doing OK so far as well but they do have a ways to go.

As far as the "administrations handling of it" I am not sure what you mean. The Shuttle program had been slated for end of life far before Obama was elected. We've already lost two of them.

You obviously don't have all the facts or are ignoring them. Probably the later.

1. Yes, the Shuttle was planned for retirement. However, the Constellation Program was to replace it, and already would have been in preparation for a 2012 sub-orbital test phase around this time. None of that is going to happen now.

2. NASA has said that it is "unsure" when private space capabilities will be able to perform mission needs for future explorations. There is currently no set timeline for any Mars landing, and all Moon based explorations have been completely discontinued.

3. SpaceshipOne, as interesting as it is, will only be a commercial sub-orbital hop. It's an elaborate rocket ride with Microgravity effects. It BARELY gets into space (112KM, 100KM being the technical edge of space) This isn't even up to speed with stuff NASA has been doing since 1962 (full orbits).

4. The Administration cancelling of the Constellation Program was unprecidented in the fact it is the first time a U.S. President cancelled a major space initiative.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/02/science/02nasa.html

“We are proposing canceling the program, not delaying it,” Peter Orszag, director of the Office of Management and Budget, said Sunday

So, yes, we are "Abandoning" Moon exploration.

The reasons for cancelling it are purely political, as NASA's budget is still funded at almost the full amount it was slotted to have under the previous program plans.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budget_of_NASA

But now, for the first time in over 50 years, NASA will not be building rockets. A bunch of Americans will not be employed to support NASA. All that money will go into the hands of another Government.

That is what I would call a mishandling of our space program. Funding it to fund other countries.

[thefuzz]

Good.

Keep slashing.

[cookinwithgas]

From your link:

Dr. Logsdon said the officials said NASA would evolve into a role more akin to the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, which preceded NASA. The committee did not manufacturer aircraft, but performed aeronautical research that was adopted by aircraft manufacturers.

“The assumption is that there are technological breakthroughs out there ready to be discovered and exploited,” Dr. Logsdon said. “I’m impressed and a little surprised how large the investment in new technology is planned to be. It does represent a shift away from developing systems to developing technologies before developing systems.”

Governments natural role here - funding emerging technology research private companies cannot do for the advancement of the nation.

[cookinwithgas]