Posted on 10/12/2006 7:05:01 AM PDT by Fitzcarraldo
Trouble on the International Space Station could mean changes for the next space shuttle mission.
Astronauts aboard Discovery could find themselves on a repair mission, WESH 2 News reported.
That's because part of the space station's maneuvering system is not working. Mission Controllers shut down one of the station's four stabilizers. They keep the station correctly oriented in space.
So on Discovery's scheduled December mission, astronauts may have to toss out their assembly plans and make repairs instead.
"Astronaut Piers Sellers"
That's a priceless space-station!
Not anymore.
Oh, that's Peter Sellers, my bad.
Through a means of propulsion that the greenie-weenies in Congress will never agree to today. What's more, the fuel-to-thrust ratio was ridiculously impractical. What's more, the cost of going up was high and the success factor was not promising. And let's face it: NASA gets violently bagged on for double-digit million-dollar failures. What do you think would happen if they engaged in a multi-trillion dollar failure?
for that matter von Braun had a plan to do it in 1952.
And it still took another 17 years just to make it to the moon.
Do us all a favor, never get a job with our government.
LLS
"Do us all a favor, never get a job with our government. "
And your point is...?
Given your indirect response, I'm wondering if you do work for the government?
OR we go to Mars (using the Mars Direct method) and stick a base there. Quite doable, and a snip at 35 Billion.
We just need some source of profit (tourism!) to interest private industry in the utilisation of space. We'ld better keep Govt out of it as much as possible.
We don't know if there's ice on the Moon. NASA now wants $2 billion just to answer that question.
My advice is to ignore the fact that the Moon even exists.
I agree.
Yes.
Hey, CMG-3 failed!
That's not my gyroscope.
If I recall, the nuclear fission upper stages would only operate in space where the fuel-to-thrust ration would not be a problem. Conventional boosters would have delivered the nuclear stages to orbit.
And it still took another 17 years just to make it to the moon.
I read somewhere German scientists had a plan to send an astronaut into space during World War II, I'll try to find the reference.
You do...
For at least (almost) 5 months of the year...
We all do...
As for a comment on your original post...
I think you'd fit in real nice at NASA...Or not...
No, I just have friends working hard on real science at NASA. I meant no disrespect, it's just that people that know the reality, know how important the ISS is.
LLS
We should always be asking if the experiments and observations can be performed for less $$$.
To a point... but you can't do space on the cheap.
LLS
"...people that know the reality, know how important the ISS is. "
Yes, I'd imagine if you're working on it, it's important, to you. What is it we get from the ISS? In my experience, 2 technology companies can seldom work effectively together. Now we're talking about multiple COUNTRIES and countless companies trying to work on one project?
Aside from the obvious issues of integration, what is it that a continued presence in orbit, on this scale, provides us that we couldn't do simpler, and cheaper on our own?
It DID make millionaires of a lot of Russian gangsters. Isn't that what the Left is all about? Spreading the wealth around?
Let's take what we've learned with the shuttle and ISS, apply it to a self-sufficient Mars base/colony and cut our loses. Skip the moon, it adds nothing to the Mars goal except cost.
I imagine the europeans brought all their socialist baggage and middlemen with them to this project. I thought President Bush ended our part in this program?
"Mr. Scott, get those d@mned cmg's back on line"
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