[Man of the Right]

The concept that you need to have spam in a can for manned space flight is a legacy of Goddard and Von Braun. Space is of value only in relation to earth. What matters is low-earth and geosynchronous orbits. Launching satellites robotically is a mature technology, even with the '60s and '70s hardware and software they use.

For a society to progress, it has to be able to learn from facts. The shuttle was conceived by Von Braun. The premise was that you could dramatically reduce the cost of accessing space through reuseable boosters. The Shuttle Program disproved that premise. A decade and more ago, commercial interests and the DOD largely abandoned the Shuttle and returned to using disposable boosters. But no government program, however useless, can ever be terminated as long as a special interest lobbies for its continuance. So the Shuttle soldiers on as an anachronism. Now, we've lost two of the fleet of 5. NASA is killing more Americans than Al Qaeda. The best we can hope for, is that after all five crash, the program will end. Essentially, that's what happened to hydrogen dirigibles after the Hindenburg.

[Physicist]

NASA is killing more Americans than Al Qaeda.

Smoke what!?!

That's the sort of thing Ed Asner would say.

[Servant of the Nine]

Launching satellites robotically is a mature technology, even with the '60s and '70s hardware and software they use.

Yes, and when you have a mature technology you had best be experimenting with new technology before it becomes obsolete technology.

All the more reason to go forward with a new shuttle system and manned planetary missions.

So9

[Osage Orange]

You wrote:

"NASA is killing more Americans than Al Qaeda.

What??? I'm not sure how to respond to that statement. Do the numbers 911 not mean anything to you..Surely you aren't trying to make a joke? Gad man...in my eyes you aren't "Right" about this...you are very, very wrong.

The best we can hope for, is that after all five crash, the program will end. Essentially, that's what happened to hydrogen dirigibles after the Hindenburg. "

What the heck!?!?!?! "The best we can hope for...is for them to all crash"????? That's the BEST...that you can hope for????? Forgive me friend...but that's just plain sick.

[jjm2111]

Essentially, that's what happened to hydrogen dirigibles after the Hindenburg.

The only reason the Hindenburg has hydrogen in it in the first place is because the USA stopped selling helium to Nazi Germany.