Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.
Posted on 06/13/2010 9:18:32 PM PDT by Mad Dawgg
Nasa has begun to wind down construction of the rockets and spacecraft that were to have taken astronauts back to the Moon — effectively dismantling the US human spaceflight programme despite a congressional ban on its doing so.
Legislators have accused President Obama’s Administration of contriving to slip the termination of the Constellation programme through the back door to avoid a battle on Capitol Hill.
Constellation aimed to build upon what was arguably America’s greatest technological achievement, the first lunar landing of 1969, by launching new expeditions to the Moon and to Mars and worlds beyond. Mr Obama proposed in February that it should be scrapped because it was “over budget, behind schedule and lacking in innovation”, but he has met opposition in Congress, which has yet to approve his plan.The head of Nasa, Major-General Charlie Bolden — an Obama appointee — has now written to aerospace contractors telling them to cut back immediately on Constellation-related projects costing almost $1 billion (£690 million), to comply with regulations requiring them to budget for possible contract termination costs.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
Not going to bother.
Yeah, ‘anything’ certainly doesn’t include military.
Well, I have seen FReeper posts back during the last administration about the military spending for Iraq and Afghanistan and that we should be outta there and not waste our money on the ragheads, because they'll never be anything more than ragheads ... :-)
I don't think they're talking about eliminating the military, but they were sure talking about eliminating all the expenses that have to do with Iraq and Afghanistan.
As for me, I supported going in there and overthrowing Hussein and driving out the Taliban -- but I was not for letting Islam continue in a newly formed government that just allowed Islam to take over once again, with a new set of Islamic terrorists so that they can do the same thing all over again, in another few years.
I would have been for eliminating Islam as a dominant religion and for eliminating it totally from the government -- not allowing any part of Sharia law to take hold at all, anywhere.
However, it looks like we will have spent all this money over in Iraq and Afghanistan and we'll give away the huge mineral find in Afghanistan along with all the oil we decided not to control over in Iraq ... letting other countries step in and take control over oil production and development there. That should have been off-limits to everyone except American companies and for American interests.
It would have been better to have gone in there, bombed them into the stone age -- and left them in the stone age -- and then left ... that would have made a better point ... and cost a whole lot less.
BUT, we are talking about the NASA program, and I would much rather spend it on going to the moon, setting up some infrastructure for the U.S. and then going to Mars. That's a lot better money spent than on the ragheads.
Most Freepers are very PRO-NASA. Your the only one I see saying something negative about it.
LOL ... you haven't been reading very many threads about the space program over the years, then have you? ... :-)
You can start here on this thread and go down and see those who are already coming here and posting exactly what you say that most FReepers don't agree with. For all I know, it's the other way around ... most FReepers don't support NASA ... And ummm..., do you want me to give you the Post #'s for those who are negative about NASA? :-)
And that's really funny what you're saying about me since I've said what I would do in Post #30 ... :-)
But, if I were to have something to say about it, I would have already been working diligently on the next generation of whatever "replacement" there can be for the shuttle program, then develop a base on the moon and prepare for that being a jump-off point for missions to Mars.
If you are going to do that why not just pour all those resources into a direct trip to Mars and back?
There's more chance for success when you take intermediate steps and develop more robust technology from the experience gained. And we would be building an "infrastructure" for more jumping off points and for gaining that experience a whole lot quicker than figuring things out from a "base" on earth.
You're talking like it's just the point of "getting there" (to Mars) and that's all there is to it. It's not. It's about building experience and technology and infrastructure, where you keep on going from there.
We might have technology but I don’t think we have it developed well enough yet to consider a manned trip to Mars. Going back to the Moon I guess, but what is the use right now?
It's about gaining that experience that we don't have right now to make that trip to Mars. There's got to be a lot more advancement to be able to get to Mars. The Moon is that intermediate step and that's what is needed for the experience and infrastructure in the meantime.
Get used to this one over-riding fact of our future: We’re broke. Utterly and completely broke. Serious cost-cutting is coming, because the alternative will be a devaluation of the US dollar that will destabilize the world.
I'm told that you are a small but vocal minority here. Also that this is "moonbattery" (what you're talking about) ... and that most FReepers are Pro-NASA ...
So..., I guess that means I should ignore you ... LOL ...
The reason Private enterprise hasn't got into space travel is that there is no destination. Government will need to make the destination on the moon first becasue no government on earth will allow a private corp to establish a colony on another planet and no Corp is going to go to that expense to have it wrested away from them by government thugs once they get the job done.
Sorry but you can't change that one...
They'll have no choice. The lunar colony will be a fait accompli. Any attempt to destroy or otherwise interfere with the colony will be an act of war.
Note: I don't think the first lunar colony will be a U.S. effort. Our nation has been spiritually emasculated. I expect the Indians or the Brazilians or some similar country will be the first to stake a claim — some country where there are still real men left.
The moon is the first stop on our journey to other planets. It will be our testing grounds for building viable habitats on distant planets. And the only way anyone is going to get there and establish a Colony is if a Nation goes and establishes the first one.
That's an interesting opinion. Too bad you can't support it with facts.
All the NASA naysayers would have China or Russia or India be the ones to establish such. Just because President Obama has decided to quit doesn't mean the space race is over.
The space race was over in 1967, when the Soviets realized we were going to beat them to the Moon, and when Lyndon Johnson realized they had realized this. That's the year the follow-on Apollo missions and the remaining Saturn boosters were all cut from the budget. Since then, NASA has been nothing more than a means by which the aerospace industry has been kept afloat.
PROTIP: Always review the facts on a given subject before formulating an opinion and posting it online.
It just means China and Russia and India and others are grinning from ear to ear because the guy that is 100 laps in the lead has decided to not run anymore.
If they win, they deserve the prize. Anyway, I don't see China being a viable political entity for much longer.
Exploration and settlement of the moon are not legitimate functions of government. The government's job is to govern; it has a legitimate role only in financing infrastructure, not providing services.
The moon is not going to be settled by the Postal Service, which is what NASA is. Private investors on contract to the government will colonize space, just as they colonized America.
Yep and there is lots of infrastructure needed for a Moonbase, Space stations orbiting both points that allows trasfer of goods and supplies (just like our ports here on earth) and the infrastructure that will be needed on the Moon. Glad you agree!
PROTIP: Always review the facts on a given subject before formulating an opinion and posting it online.
So then the Soviets and China and India all have stopped their space programs?
Maybe you should review the facts first.
Whatever...bottom line is that there are plenty of bright inventions constsntly produced by the private sector. Zero need for NASA. We can have all of the space capabilities we need witth air force. And while you are busy degrading my character, or trying to, you did not address my pointt of...WE DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY!
Based upon your poorly-worded post, I’m guessing that your position is that space infrastructure should be owned by the federal government and operated by unionized federal employees. That is, after all, the NASA way.
If so, then I don’t agree. The federal government has the responsibility to finance national infrastructure (e.g. a port), but it should not provide the services (e.g. the ships) that make use of it.
Every airport in America that offers passenger service is financed by federal money. What you are saying by analogy is that these airports should all be served by one, government-owned federal airline. That idea is, frankly, stupid.
And while you are busy degrading my character, or trying to, you did not address my pointt of...WE DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY!
I was just commenting on someone else's evaluation ... not mine ... :-)
See Post #74 ...
Okay, no point to this debate because you do not seem willing to address the money issue. Guess you are too busy dreaming about colonizing other planets or the moon! Meanwhile humans can rarerly get their act totally together here on earth for heaven sakes.
Definitely stupid about as stupid as your understanding of my views.
One more time NASA hires private contractors and oversees the Infrastructure build. Oversees the space ports here on Earth the space stations and the one the Moon (Just like you said should be) And then private industry uses this infrastructure by building their own ships to make the Moon a destination and a place to expand. H3 is a promising source of energy a great place to try it out is supplying power to the Moon base.
NASA paying Contractors to build the Spaceway and infrastructure to the moon is no different than England and Spain financing the first Colonies in the New Land. Hell if they had followed your plan there wouldn't even be a United States Of America that went to the Moon the first time!
Further, if you have one entity design the infrastructure then you have a standard to work towards. For instance airlocks on ships. They will need to be standardized so ships can dock at the various space stations and with other ships. No standard would mean lots of problems.
Couldn’t disagree more.
Shuttle has not been a waste.
Yes it did not deliver on its original promises. It was no cheap and it is not as safe as we wanted it.
I guess a massive reuseable space plane having never been done before was too much to bite off.
But America used to take on such challenges once.
But the experience of flying this craft, learning to function, learning to build and repair, learning even from our tragedies are neccesary steps to go beyond.
We learn by doing. It can’t all be large accomplishments like Apollo. There are hard lessons to learn and hard boring work to do as well.
Sure, I wish the Saturn V had not been walked away from. But we have what we have.
And the spinoffs are there, the inspiration is there to kids. How many films show brave shuttle crews saving the day?
The Space Station is just recently being finished. We do not know it’s full legacy yet as many years of research aboard it remains to be done.
These endeavors most assuredly ARE demonstrable actions of our pioneering spirit.
Life is leaping of this earth. That is a fundamental force, life expands and transforms.
It’s part of a larger picture.
The nations that lead on the frontiers, dictate the course of human history.
“You have to keep pushing the frontier not just because it’s there, but because that’s how we find things that end up changing humanity,” -Paul Hill, Mission Control
Based upon your post, you agree with the President’s current plan, as I do.
You really do have a problem with reading Comprehension don't you?
Obama ended the moon program and instead is going to supposedly raise NASA's budget so they can pay people to get into earth orbit.
So were going to spend even more money paying private Contractors what NASA already does by using private contractors. But were still going nowhere.
You may agree with Obama but please don't lump me in with your mindset.
I actually want them to Go to the Moon and establish a Colony. So we can use the resources and knowledge we gain from the Moon to get to Mars.
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