Rick Perry Accuses Obama Of Leaving Astronauts To 'Hitchhike Into Space'

ABC News ^ | July 21, 2011 | The Note, Michael Falcone

[Cincinatus' Wife]

As America bids farewell to the space shuttle era on Thursday, likely presidential candidate Rick Perry appears none too pleased with the Obama administration, accusing the president of “leaving American astronauts with no alternative but to hitchhike into space.”

In a sharply worded statement issued by the governor of Texas -- the state is home to the Johnson Space Center -- Perry charges that the Obama Administration “continues to lead federal agencies and programs astray, this time forcing NASA away from its original purpose of space exploration, and ignoring its groundbreaking past and enormous future potential.”

[Cincinatus' Wife]

You make a good point, but it’s not like Obama’s predessessor exactly ‘tore up the galaxy’ working on a successor to the shuttle in the eight years he was in office

NASA/Griffin picked the Constellation architecture.

[af_vet_rr]

We used to be a nation of pioneers, but now we are a nation of settlers.

And why wasn't Perry making a big fuss like this back when it was clear Obama was trying to cripple NASA? There's a lot of NASA-related government and contract jobs in Texas, and Perry wasn't nearly as loud about this in the past.

[WayneS]

My only point is the Barack Obama is not the only culpable politician in the loss of our space capabilities.

[NC28203]

>>>"Perry charges that the Obama Administration “continues to lead federal agencies and programs astray, this time forcing NASA away from its original purpose of space exploration, and ignoring its groundbreaking past and enormous future potential.”

How much exploring of space was completed by these shuttles missions delivering supplies to the ISS? What groundbreaking advances have resulted from the shuttle program in the past tewnty years?

I would argue that in the past two decades the unmanned missions (Mars rovers, Cassini, Hubble) have done a considerably better job of exploring space and at a much lower cost in terms of dollars and lives.

[af_vet_rr]

On the other hand, Project Constellation was estimated to cost $230 billion.

And how did that happen? I remember when George W. Bush was making his pitch for the Moon and Mars and there was all this talk of going back to the capsule, but then the costs got crazy. I know the answer is that Congress probably got their hands on things and asked that it be built in 33 different states.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

On the other hand, Project Constellation was estimated to cost $230 billion. With the current debt issues, how is adding another program for NASA to mismanage is helpful? It was also the House, not Obama, who cancelled the James Webb Telescope for being grossly over budget at $6.5 billion.

Constellation could have been implemented, if given thought. It was easier for Obama to have the committee kill it with the "unaffordable" poison pill.

Webb has fed people for many years and now the waiter has brought the bill.

I didn't hear so many from that table getting too upset when those at the lunar return table were being evicted.

Obama has successfully pitted all NASA groups against each other and counted on the hate-NASA crowd to do the rest -- and like vultures they flocked in for their feed.

[magna carta]

you naughty boy you...

[McGruff]

the governor of Texas — the state is home to the Johnson Space Center

I guess he still likes bacon.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

.....forcing NASA away from its original purpose of space exploration, and ignoring its groundbreaking past and enormous future potential.”

Perry is absolutely correct!

And that means people and machines beyond low Earth orbit -- on the moon -- using resources.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

I guess he still likes bacon.

Yes. Yes. Yes. That must be bacon you're typing on.

[NC28203]

>>>Perry is absolutely correct! And that means people and machines beyond low Earth orbit -- on the moon -- using resources.

But then it is not Obama that is "forcing NATO away from its original purpose", since this appears to have been US policy for the past 40 years. We haven't put people beyond low Earth orbit since 1972.

[Opinionated Blowhard]

At a practical level this means nothing but its pretty shrewd politically and does make a good sound bite. Perry will be a good candidate.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

But then it is not Obama that is "forcing NATO away from its original purpose", since this appears to have been US policy for the past 40 years. We haven't put people beyond low Earth orbit since 1972.

NASA could use some of your "rocket fuel" to launch from Earth's gravity well. Which by the way was the purpose of the Vision for Space Exploration -- learn to use off-Earth resources, as lifting mass from Earth COSTS -- including and especially all the fuel it takes.

[AngelesCrestHighway]

“As America bids farewell to the space shuttle era”.....

Bullcrap!......You don’t bid farwell to something that is ongoing! Space exploration is not just shut down because some damn dimwit in the white house says so! FUBO!

[AngelesCrestHighway]

“As America bids farewell to the space shuttle era”.....

Bullcrap!......You don’t bid farwell to something that is ongoing! Space exploration is not just shut down because some damn dimwit in the white house says so! FUBO!

[Cincinatus' Wife]

....Perry will be a good candidate.

Bump!

[Notary Sojac]

The crony capitalism of Elon Musk of SpaceX smells.

Give it a rest, please.

Billions appropriated for the useless "Senate Launch System" with its colossal pork-to-payload ratio, and you have the nerve to accuse SpaceX of crony capitalism??

[Cincinatus' Wife]

It isn’t going to rest NS.

It’s a big sore thumb and a lot of people know it.

[lormand]

Spam-0-rama for circular firing squad types like yourself.

[abcc2011]

Slick politicians like Rick Perry says what you want to hear when they're in campaign mode. Then after they're in office the mask comes off.