I don’t like listening to the discussions because it upsets me how behind our program got these past few presidential administrations. We should be way ahead of China/Russia by now. I’m sure astronauts from every country are good and lovely people, but it’s sad that governments with such anti-American sentiments have that much pull in space.
it upsets me how behind our program got these past few presidential administrations
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More than the past few - the US program went off the rails back near the beginning with the cancellation of Project Orion in 1964, which began in 1958 (Government interagency infighting, NASA Apollo conflict, perceived treaty obligations, lack of political leadership. ...the first time in modern history that a major expansion of human technology has been suppressed for political reasons. - Freeman Dyson.) Their motto was Mars by 1965, Saturn by 1970.
We would have explored the entire solar system by now as well as some of the nearby stars. but as you can see from the latest turns in the present or recent programs there has again been a massive failure of political will; until that changes, if ever, space will be for other nations - not the US.
There are many on FR who demonstrate this failure of will, who consider space exploration a waste of money, money they claim we do not have which can be better used for feeding the poor, curing the sick and so forth ad nauseam.
There are a number of youtube videos on the subject in case you are interested in learning what we lost.