Posted on 02/16/2008 8:27:01 AM PST by jmcenanly
LONDON - Britain is rethinking its decision to stay out of the manned space race, the country's science minister said Thursday as the government outlined plans to build an international space research facility.
Science Minister Ian Pearson said it was time to reconsider Britain's 1986 decision not to invest in a manned space flight program, predicting the world is going to witness "a new international wave of new space exploration in the next 10 to 20 years.''
"What we want to do is review the situation to make sure the U.K. does not get left behind,'' he told British Broadcasting Corp. radio.
Pearson added that a review examining Britain's manned spaceflight options would come out either this year or next. In the short term, Britain is likely to remain focused on robotic space exploration, he said.
Pearson was speaking to mark the launch of Britain's civil space strategy, which includes a plan to build a research park in Harwell, a town near Oxford and about 65 miles west of London.
Britain's space industry, which contributes some $13.7 billion to the country's economy annually, is lobbying for a more assertive space program.
The country's previous space endeavors, including the ill-fated attempt to land the Beagle 2 probe on Mars in 2003, have been carried out in conjunction with the European Space Agency or NASA.
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
It would be nice to have them as a trustworthy partner.
Good, now all they need is a spaceship ... and a skylab.
Regards
I wonder how they figure that. $13.7 is a bit more than NASA's annual budget.
Yes. Okay. What you need to rethink is the decision to have a near nonexistent Navy and an armed forces the size of the Pennsylvania Boy Scouts.
With all due respect to my English friends.
check out spacedev’s dream chaser www.spacedev.com
Better make sure they incorporate Muslim foot baths in the design.
Britain can’t even afford to maintain it’s own military. How on earth does it plan to support a new manned space program?
Actually, although you are 100% correct about the disgraceful treatment of the British armed forces by govts, esp your beloved Tony Blair, the BAF stands at a personnel strength of 429,500 (195,900 regular force, 191,300 regular reserve, and 42,300 volunteer reserve).
Ground control to Major Tom.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_space_programme
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Launchpad/6133/index.html
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Launchpad/6133/hotol.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6268313.stm
Britain Rethinks Manned Space Flight....
by 2020...thye plan on blasting the first f’n muzzie into space!!!!!
the plans ~ muhammed on the moon & jihad on jupiter
Thought they were already there: “Space 1999” and “UFO”.
What gives you reason to think that a governemnt official is trustworthy?
It can, it’s just the government’s spending priorities are screwed up....
I'm afraid Britain is already behind; permanently.
You can't have a vigorous space presence and a societal "utopia" simultaneously.
That can never happen.
Beat me to it.
They are are dead in the water.
Just like their navy "fleet" they just slashed in half from a paltry 44 ships to 22...because they "couldn't afford it."
Sheesh.
They will now have to sing, "rule Brittania, Brittania rules nowhere...especially not up THERE."
Their private sector can do it once England dumps the 1967 UN Outer Space Treaty.
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