Posted on 02/24/2017 9:00:55 AM PST by Hostage
Oxygen is a byproduct of life, not a requirement for early forms of it. Nitrogen is a mostly inert gas that also wasn’t necessary for very early forms. One of the big problems with terraforming Mars, by the way, is that it’s nitrogen poor. It might support simple micro bacteria but not plants. CO2 and water is necessary for photosynthesis, of course. A flammable atmosphere would probably contain alkanes (like Titan) in addition to oxygen. A single meteor would set it on fire, making it no longer flammable again.
I worked on JWST....it was frustrating because we knew the budget and schedule was phony. We also knew that Webb was taking monies away from important research that needed to be done
Part of the problem with such programs that you might not be aware of is budget consistency.
Many times program managers will pad a budget and inflate a budget because they are expecting budget cuts. Their practice is a means of ensuring their program survives.
The JWST appears to have been a victim of erratic budgeting and scheduling as other programs vied for priority in budgeting. Telescopes would likely be the first to put on a backburner.
Let’s see how the new administration sets practice standards. Maybe we will see some welcome changes.
The goals and prescription were changed twice.... when orogram objectives change ur is hard to maintain schedule. Program creep always affects budget
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.