[Spiff]

We could not keep the water out of New Orleans, and we have been working at that since the republic was created.

Simple - keep Democrats out of the space program.

Pull the financial leash tighter on NASA and let them innovate given the technology they have and are familiar with.

We're going somewhere we already went 3 decades ago using tech that we came up with 3 decades ago. Wow?

The first nation that constructs a space elevator will own space. Period. Commercially, scientifically, and militarily. There is no way for anyone to catch up at that point. Maybe we need another Sputnik to get us moving.

[mmercier]

>> The first nation that constructs a space elevator will own space. Period. Commercially, scientifically, and militarily. There is no way for anyone to catch up at that point. Maybe we need another Sputnik to get us moving.

You may well be correct, I am just looking at the next decade of $5.00/gallon gasoline, rats up to our armpits misappropriating the trillions of dollars via vast federal outlays, and the physical reality of what we have to work with at NASA.

Aside; are you named after the spaceman spiff that I have been a fan of for decades... If so, use your transmogrifier on the Senate, and we can build the space ladder in a year...