For other space news go to: http://www.spacetoday.net
For a list of Private Space Companies: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_private_spaceflight_companies
Posted on 04/06/2010 5:47:06 PM PDT by NonZeroSum
During World War II in the Pacific, many native tribes were astounded by their first contact with an advanced technological civilization, when the Americans would come in, clear a strip in the jungle, set up a control tower and loud giant silver birds would appear from the sky bearing canned food, trinkets, fuel and other supplies. After the war, the Americans went away for the most part, but the memories remained. Many of the natives, changed forever by the experience, decided to replicate it. They cleared their own strips, built control towers of thatch and palm, and waited for the silver birds to come back, providing again the manna from the heavens. Unfortunately, many in the space community engage in similar thinking, with a nostalgia for Apollo, when we had a "real space program."
After President Bush's announcement of the Vision for Space Exploration a little over six years ago, the program got off to a good start under NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe and exploration chief Admiral Craig Steidle. But O'Keefe resigned, and was replaced by Mike Griffin, who canned Steidle, and then formed his own cargo cult, one that aimed to be an "Apollo on steroids," complete with a bigger rocket and crew and service module. He hoped, as the Pacific natives did, that by replicating the plans of the fathers of the space age, he could replicate their success as well.
But Apollo was a success only in terms of the fact that we beat the Soviets to the moon at the peak of the Cold War, which was the main reason it could justify the funding it received. (At one point, it was four percent of the federal budget.) In terms of providing an affordable and politically sustainable manned space program, it was an utter failure, as evidenced by the fact that we stopped doing it (and the decision to do so was, in fact, made in 1967, even before the first landing). In modeling his plans on this achievement, he has caused the new vision to fail as well. Because of both its slow pace, and its sixties approach, it was less Apollo on steroids than Apollo on Geritol.
[Read the rest at Popular Mechanics]
That remains to be seen.
Well, we know that Constellation was a disaster. The new direction appears to be much more promising. Did you even read the article?
‘The new direction appears to be much more promising. “
Which one is that, the one of surrender?
That is the essence: let's get going. In our somewhat restricted opinion we (and in this case "we" is the US) should have been on the Moon permanently years ago. It is NOT that difficult, nor, in the face of giving AIG/Goldman Sachs and George Soros a few hundred billion dollars, is it that expensive!
If Heinlein says Earth Orbit is halfway there, the Moon is further. Water apparently, gravity (of great use), soil basics, energy sources, and it is just NOT that far. Agreed that the single point heavy lift one-shot unit is not necessarily the way to do it, but more often then not the way to break out of the Dark Ages (that of the George Soros,' Nancy Pelosi's, and Barbara Boxer's female introverted socialistic view of the world) is to go do it.
A leader does NOT stand around and wait for fawning ego gratification and approval like Soros, Obama, and Janet Naplitano. These are truly sick human beings. A leader, which was once the United States, gets going.
(Incidentally that is exactly what GWB was saying, regardless of technical unfamiliarity, and of course his awful inability to communicate any deeper understanding of any issue).
Johnny Suntrade
How was it a disaster??
Nancy Pelosi’s husband is on the board of directors for Astrobotics.
Is NASA even constitutional? Living in Huntsville, AL this is probably heresy...but really should the federal government be funding NASA?
“The New NASA: A Path To Anywhere And Everywhere” But Going Nowhere.
Someone tell me when we conquer Ceres!
Ahem, L&C weren't the first there. Not even the first non-natives. The Russian, French and American private fur trappers were all over the NW long before L&C. They were able to talk to the natives in Spanish for a reason too. Spanish colonialists brought clergy and laypersons to teach the natives.
Throughout history, the government's role in exploration has been limited and often augmented by the private sector doing what the government can't or won't.
Why people think that space is the exception where socialism/statism is best is beyond me.
Of course I doubt Zero's intentions to actually empower the commercial space sector. I suspect it will just be typical Democrat crony capitalism, completely dependent on the government but with less oversight. Think ACORN in space.
What an ignorant question. To whom are we "surrendering" by choosing a more cost-effective means of opening up space?
Because it had no hope of achieving the stated goals at an affordable cost. Did you read the linked article?
Uh, I’m living it every day in Huntsville. I work at NASA.
A organization without a goal is just a bunch of people consuming money and time.
Obama has given us no goal.
Constellation/Ares had it’s shortcomings, but it was also generating some neat technoligies that could be used latter down the line. Right now, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of engineers sitting here and saying, “What do you want us to start working on now?”
There is no answer.
Rand Simberg’s blog is http://www.transterrestrial.com/
Personally, I like him or Bob Zubrin for head of NASA. Privatize, baby!
“What do you want us to start working on now?”
Ouch. As one who knows that self-employed is very close to unemployed, I can only offer you the encouragement that if you strike out on your own now, you will only see improvement from here (you’ll be retired before we elect another Carter).
No, Constellation/Ares was generating no technologies at all. The whole point was to avoid the generation of technologies. Mike Griffin just wanted to do Apollo over again, with no technical risk.
I'm sorry that the people in Huntsville don't know what to do now, but the taxpayers, and those who are interested in actual space progress should have a say, too.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.