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Posted on 07/22/2011 8:53:09 AM PDT by IbJensen
“There are in fact two things, science and opinion; the former begets knowledge, the latter ignorance.” Hippocrates (c460-c.377 BCE)
My heart bleeds today... It’s sad to see a giant, a champion in the world, the world superpower being brought down to her knees, brick by brick, by those who are supposed to nurture and protect her, by those who were supposed to bring improvements and make her stronger.
A few months ago, I had feared this would happen a few decades later. Little did I know how close this was and that it's happening right now, in front of our eyes, as Americans look on idly, impassively as if under the effect of an overdose of anesthesia.
However, as the month of July hits its final days, Americans not yet used to their new financial devastating situation have found the way to mentally and actually get into vacation mode regardless of the innermost crisis the country is undergoing.
July 21st, 2011, will remain a sad date in American History, but a glorious day in the personal political agenda of president Barack Hussein Obama who has succeeded in closing NASA’s Space Shuttle Program, a 30-year old chapter of American science advancement and progress in world History. And at the same time, he has stopped altogether the American era of human space exploration.
Thankfully, records showing these news are there to refresh our memories: “In a far-reaching restatement of goals for the nation’s space agency, NASA administrator Charles Bolden says President Obama has ordered him to pursue three new objectives: to “re-inspire children” to study science and math, to “expand our international relationships,” and to “reach out to the Muslim world.” Of those three goals, Bolden said in a recent interview with al-Jazeera, the mission to reach out to Muslims is “perhaps foremost,” because it will help Islamic nations “feel good” about their scientific accomplishments.” He then added that “better interaction with the Muslim world would ultimately advance space travel.” Really.
NASA’s Space Shuttle program, actually called Space Transportation System (STS) was the US government’s manned launch vehicle program from 1981 to 2011. A manned space vehicle has a human crew and possibly passengers, unlike robotic space probes or remotely-controlled satellites.
Speaking in terms of painstaking scientific progress, this decision is Obama’s stabbing in the back of NASA’s neck -thought some bullfighting terminology could be quite ad hoc in this case.
As the Atlantis crew returned from a 13-day trip after they had delivered supply and spare parts to the International Space Station to American astronauts who will continue to live there, but who will from now on, have to rely upon Russian spacecrafts and private companies for future transportation. In the words of Governor Perry of Texas, our astronauts are now good for “hitchhiking”.
Closing this high-level American scientific endeavor results also in roughly 4,000 of our top scientists, researchers, physicists, astronomers and others to become unemployed. I don’t know about you, but I feel it’s also a humiliating situation for the intellectual cream of the crop in our country.
Don’t be surprised if in the near future you might hear that Muslim governments are opening space center(s) and offering wonderfully paid jobs to our unemployed scientists. And I truly hope I am mistaken.
Masterful stroke coming from a leader who succeeded in being chosen as the highest ranking civil servant in America and who took the oath of office of the President of the Republic of the United States of America.
As a reminder, the text of the oath, as set down in Article II, Section 1, of the US Constitution, that reads:
"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
In direct contrast to Governor Perry’s concerns, Rep. Pete Olson, R-Sugar Land, presented a more optimistic approach to the final Atlantis’ landing, arguing that this “chapter is by no means the end of human space flight,” he said, and continued: “It is the beginning of the next generation of scientists, engineers and unforeseen discoveries.”
However, despite Congressman Olsen’s remarks, yesterday was the end of America’s 30-year chapter of science advancement and an almost incomparable progress that had placed America as the uncontested leader of the pack on Earth, in the record time of barely over 200-years since her birth.
Congressman Olson said he is committed to securing NASA with resources for the next generation of human space flight. But it’s obvious that in this, he does not see eye in eye with this president.
In yet another surreal moment, at a White House meeting with the press, press secretary Jay Carney said the president “has tremendous regard for the (space) program and for all the folks at NASA who participated in making it such a tremendous success. And he looks forward to NASA’s future and moving forward with space exploration in the future.” Sure. The fact is that he just closed it. Actions speak louder than words, after all.
In an interview, as shuttle ends, NASA Administrator said in an interview that he was “incredibly thrilled and ... especially happy for the employees... who have made this program possible for the last 30 years...” As we see, Charles Bolden’s tone has changed...
All that said, true to his word, Mr. Obama has now made sure to bring down America’s scientific advance as his quiet, untold, contribution so that “... it will help Islamic nations “feel good” about their [poor] scientific accomplishments.”
The question is simply when will Americans realize the damage this president is bringing to their nation, as he advances his liberal, progressive, socialist, pro-Muslim agenda?
I may be wrong.
But what if I am not?
The Shuttles and International Space Station (ISS) were not the final goals envisioned by NASA when the project was started. The original plan was for the The Shuttles and ISS to be used as a staging point to assemble vehicles for maned space travel further into space and an isolation chamber for humans returning from other worlds.
The Shuttles were never used to their full capacity. They were designed for many more flights than they actually saw.
And now, the ISS, instead of being an asset for future use as originally planned, is scheduled for burning on reentry in a few years.
It will be disruptive, but if private enterprise will be allowed to do what it’s best at, it is recoverable.
To be fair, the end of the Shuttle program was initiated by President Bush. But it was Obama who cancelled the replacement for the Shuttle.
We had a 5 to 6 year gap between the end of the Apollo era and the start of the Shuttle era, but we had the shuttle in development all that time. Now, we have nothing. Nothing for future manned space flight.
Every launch vehicle and item put in space by NASA was built by private contractors, lowest bid. Who did you have in mind to build this stuff at half the price???
Or, are you shooting off your mouth out of ignorance????
Re: But it was Obama who cancelled the replacement for the Shuttle.
Cancellation of the Shuttles replacement is what hurt. But wait that frees up more money to buy votes from the freeloaders.
I will concede, without arguement that your point is probably true that the shuttles were built, being as safe as possible at the lowest reasonable cost, because with most government beaureaucracies it isn’t the product that is the most costly part.
It is the administration.
It will be interesting how these freed up engineers and scientists help Virgin and the other space companies get into space.
Punish Republicans in Texas? Yep! But Obama is accomplishing much more than that. Take a look a NASA's facilities around the Country.
Obama taking out NASA is like a brain surgeon working with a shape knife. He's punishing the self sufficient, educated and skilled middle class Aerospace workers, Aerospace contractors, and Aerospace investors. These normally aren't 'Holder's People'. They are typically Republican even if living in a blue county or state.
The money saved can be 'invested' in the dimocrat voter base.
Thanks IbJensen.
I doubt he’s doing it to punish Republicans, though that’s not something he’d regret doing.
Oit is largely to have a slush fund to bribe their constituency.
Thanks for clearing that up.
R/Janey
A private company would never get the permits. This had to be a military operation, and remains one in spite of the half Witt notion that putting a civilian on the lunar lander changed any of that.
Almost everthing that started out military has eventually gone civilian, whether it be computers, preserved food, GPS or Tang.
We’re just at a point where civilian capabilities have developed where it no longer has to be exclusively military.
The Rogers Commission concluded:
More broadly, the report also considered the contributing causes of the accident. Most salient was the failure of both NASA and Morton Thiokol to respond adequately to the danger posed by the deficient joint design. However, rather than redesigning the joint, they came to define the problem as an acceptable flight risk. The report found that managers at Marshall had known about the flawed design since 1977, but never discussed the problem outside their reporting channels with Thiokol—a flagrant violation of NASA regulations. Even when it became more apparent how serious the flaw was, no one at Marshall considered grounding the shuttles until a fix could be implemented. On the contrary, Marshall managers went as far as to issue and waive six launch constraints related to the O-rings.[37] The report also strongly criticized the decision making process that led to the launch of Challenger, saying that it was seriously flawed.
U.S. House Committee hearings conclusion:
...the Committee feels that the underlying problem which led to the Challenger accident was not poor communication or underlying procedures as implied by the Rogers Commission conclusion. Rather, the fundamental problem was poor technical decision-making over a period of several years by top NASA and contractor personnel, who failed to act decisively to solve the increasingly serious anomalies in the Solid Rocket Booster joints.
Even though they disagreed on the detail of the cause of failure, both investigations pointed to administrative/management failures.
If you look into all spaceflight failures, you will find most result from administrative/management failures.
Project management, the allocation of resources and quality assurance, is probably the most critical part of large scale high tech projects.
Before trashing NASA, an organization with a proven record in all facets of getting the job done, one really needs to have an alternative in hand that is in fact producing a product. Plans, dreams, and good intentions don't put people in orbit and bring them back alive.
I’m not intending to trash NASA, but I think its existence was hindering private enterprise from growing in this area.
Like all beauraucracies, they never disband voluntarily, so its highly unlikely NASA would have reduced its role as corporations proved their capability.
I agree this may seem a step back, but I don’t think it is in the long-term.
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