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  Review of US Human Space Flight (Augustine) (Page 10)

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Author Topic:   Review of US Human Space Flight (Augustine)
Robert Pearlman
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posted 01-26-2010 04:03 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Mercury7:
...losing the moon.
Point of fact: we have not lost the Moon, at least not yet. It is premature to assume we have.

Mercury7
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posted 01-26-2010 06:27 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Mercury7     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
No bucks, no buck Rogers.

Robert Pearlman
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posted 01-26-2010 06:33 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
And yet, by your own account, we've spent "years of being excited about being promised the moon once more" -- those promises came without any substantial additional funding.

Delta7
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posted 01-26-2010 09:10 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Delta7   Click Here to Email Delta7     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I, for one, sent President Obama an e-mail letter in support of a vigorous human spaceflight program. I plan to do the same with my Senators and Congressman once he lays out his administration's goals. I'm still hoping against hope that he will pleasantly surprise us.

If exploration and human expansion were predicated on public support, America would still be a land of people living in tepees and wigwams among the roaming herds of buffalo. And we'd be communicating by means of written parchment, not the internet. There are some things you just do without waiting for consensus and approval.

Abandoning our lead in the quest for exploration and exploitation of the cosmos would be an epic mistake. We are in danger of becoming a once ambitious and innovative society now primarily concerned with paying for Viagra and botox treatments for an overweight and out of shape population more interested in who will win the next American Idol than sending people to the moon, Mars and beyond. Centuries from now, they'll be talking about the Fall of the American Empire, not the Roman one, and how other nations picked up the slack and forged ahead. I truly hope and pray it doesn't come to that.

We are at a critical juncture as a space faring nation. Let's hope and pray we don't blow it.

issman1
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posted 01-27-2010 02:05 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for issman1     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
One perceives less and less public support for government-funded human spaceflight.

I don't necessarily blame NASA for this decline. But it should have articulated the "why" argument much more than it has. Professor Stephen Hawking has the best argument for human expansion into the universe as an imperative: Survival.

I may be criticised for saying this, but current concerns of climate change and terrorism would never have been an issue if human colonies existed on our Moon or Mars.

Perhaps the bizarre theories of Richard C. Hoagland regarding lunar and Martian anomalies should have been seized upon by NASA as a pretext for astronauts being sent so far away and at great expense... Okay, now I'm stretching my point(!)

It's possible that the suborbtial space tourism offered by Virgin Galactic could become the chief mechanism for mass migration to space.

DChudwin
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posted 01-27-2010 06:59 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for DChudwin   Click Here to Email DChudwin     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The politics of space are an important part of the debate.

For years, polls have indicated that about 1/3 of the U.S. population are strongly pro-space, 1/3 are against space exploration, and the other 1/3 are fence-sitters. NASA has not always done a good job of explaining its mission and contributions to science and the U.S. economy.

The other factor is the job issue in key aerospace states such as Florida, Alabama, California and Maryland. Unfortunately, the senators and congressmen from these states tend to take a short-sighted approach as to what would help their constituents rather than what is best for the country.

Chances of a significant increase for NASA certainly have been eradicated by current concerns about the huge budget deficit. Most people don't realize that NASA takes up only about 0.6% of the U.S. budget -- a drop in the bucket.

I was hoping for some strong presidential leadership on space, but it looks unlikely. Did President Kennedy launch his plans with a budget release?

Robert Pearlman
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posted 01-27-2010 07:59 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
If you set aside the attention grabbing headline and first few paragraphs, which the article later somewhat contradicts, the Orlando Sentinel suggests the following for the NASA budget rollout...
...according to White House insiders, agency officials, industry executives and congressional sources familiar with Obama's long-awaited plans for the space agency, NASA will look at developing a new "heavy-lift" rocket that one day will take humans and robots to explore beyond low Earth orbit...

...the White House will direct NASA to concentrate on Earth-science projects -- principally, researching and monitoring climate change -- and on a new technology research and development program that will one day make human exploration of asteroids and the inner solar system possible.

There will also be funding for private companies to develop capsules and rockets that can be used as space taxis to take astronauts on fixed-price contracts to and from the International Space Station -- a major change in the way the agency has done business for the past 50 years.

The paper also reports that "in recent days, NASA has been soliciting concepts for a new heavy-lift rocket from major contractors, including Boeing Co., Lockheed Martin Corp. and Pratt & Whitney."
Officially, companies such as Boeing still support Constellation and its millions of dollars of contracts. Some believe that in a battle with Congress, Ares may survive.

"I would not say Ares is dead yet," said an executive with one major NASA contractor. "It's probably more accurate to say it's on life support. We have to wait to see how the coming battle ends."

issman1
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posted 01-27-2010 08:20 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for issman1     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
From this I deduce we are seeing history repeat itself after Apollo 17.

In the same way NASA's grandiose plans for a large space station leading to a Moonbase and an eventual flight to Mars by 1986 were nixed by Nixon, so the Vision for Space Exploration is being scaled back by Obama.

Can't say I'm surprised anymore as the writing's been the wall for a few months now. But will Obama reprieve Orion as Nixon reprieved the Space Shuttle?

cspg
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posted 01-27-2010 08:38 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for cspg   Click Here to Email cspg     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by issman1:
...so the Vision for Space Exploration is being scaled back by Obama.
Scaled back? The Vision wasn't even properly funded from day one...

issman1
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posted 01-27-2010 08:55 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for issman1     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Indeed. And I did point this fact out previously if you look.

It reminds me of something former US vice president Gore said in 1990, after the news emerged Hubble had an improperly grounded mirror. Gore said NASA had been trying to do "too much with too little".

And therein lies the problem. Insufficient funding and token support by one president after another has brought NASA to where it is today.

jimsz
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posted 01-27-2010 09:20 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for jimsz   Click Here to Email jimsz     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by issman1:
And therein lies the problem. Insufficient funding and token support by one president after another has brought NASA to where it is today.
Not that I am defending Gore, Obama or any other politician, NASA has to accept some blame here as well. They have done little to inspire confidence in their spending (they are after all a massive government bureaucracy) or excitement with their manned missions.

Flying a Star Wars and Toy Story toy into orbit is simply laughed at and looked upon as a waste of money.

NASA needs to present a clear and exciting vision not just up and down to low earth orbit with a 30 year rocket ferrying toilets and entertaining billionaires hoteling on the ISS.

issman1
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posted 01-27-2010 09:40 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for issman1     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
You're absolutely correct that NASA should share some of the blame.

It's not just the irreverence of toys being flown on billion-dollar shuttle missions, but the one with John Glenn, STS-95 back in 1998, is now seen as an expensive joyride. If the science had any merit, why wasn't there a follow-up study with another geriatric astronaut?

But I digress. Obama is the man in the White House, and it is in his mandate to make NASA relevant to jaded taxpayers.

Mercury7
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posted 01-27-2010 09:40 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Mercury7     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Still looks so dismal today... all the major news sources are taking the quote from the White House official and coming up with there own "moon mission is dead" headline.

The only ray of hope I have left is a comment from a friend who attended meetings yesterday and was actually excited.

But that may not have anything to do with the moon shot. I read one article that said the heavy lift rocket would be decades away.

kr4mula
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posted 01-27-2010 10:53 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for kr4mula   Click Here to Email kr4mula     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I'm very curious to see how they'll design a heavy-lift rocket to go beyond Earth orbit when no one seems to have said where exactly that will be or what it will do when it gets there. I mean, whatever spacecraft/rocket combination to leave orbit and get somewhere is going to be very different if its target is the moon, a L-point, an asteroid, Mars, Pluto, or wherever. So does this rocket need to lift tens of thousands of pounds, hundreds of thousands? Good luck with that. it sounds like Obama is trying to give NASA some busy work while he ignores it.

That said, with the shuttle in retirement and private companies going to the ISS, NASA should either have a lot of excess money to spend on something, or else they're in for a really big budget cut in the future.

Finally, I still can't get why the administration doesn't see funding NASA as a nice stimulus package, especially for the middle class. As the old saying goes, not a penny of NASA's budget is actually spent in space; it's all spent on Earth. Why not shovel a few billion more dollars to NASA to pay a legion of engineers (which this country needs), technicians, computer people, secretaries, machinists, factory workers, etc., to do something visible and uplifting, thus creating some real, lasting jobs instead of paying a construction company to repave a section of highway for a few months?

But maybe that's just me.

Robert Pearlman
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posted 01-27-2010 11:03 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by kr4mula:
I'm very curious to see how they'll design a heavy-lift rocket to go beyond Earth orbit when no one seems to have said where exactly that will be or what it will do when it gets there.
Just because it hasn't been said in the media yet (and that's not exactly true) doesn't mean that destinations aren't also part of what will be announced. Remember folks, until Feb. 1, you are reading just bits and pieces of a plan that NASA, by its own scheduling, will take at least two, if not three days of press briefings to explain.

Mercury7
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posted 01-27-2010 01:57 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Mercury7     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Good article that sums up how a lot of us feel right now.

Fra Mauro
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posted 01-27-2010 02:22 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Fra Mauro   Click Here to Email Fra Mauro     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Optimism in other decades with other Presidents never has gotten us anywhere. I think some of us here can't separate support for this President in other areas with the fact that he will go down as the man who killed man space exploration for the U.S.

Just like we study WWII as an event that passed (thankfully!), so will it be with NASA.

Robert Pearlman
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posted 01-27-2010 02:43 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The reactions thus far to "unnamed sources" and unattributed leaks underscores an observation made by Tom Stafford last July, which seems especially appropriate for today:
If the Internet had been there when Apollo went on, we would have had a very difficult time of completing Apollo. After the tragic fire and at other times, there were all different engineers and scientists who said we should do it 'this way' or it's unsafe but then we had good decision makers who made the decisions and we went ahead.

Today when that happens, they go to their computer and send an e-mail to the staffers on the Hill, the congressmen, the press, to you people, and so it shows up all over.

We didn't have that in Apollo. It would have been lots tougher in Apollo. Think about that.

328KF
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posted 01-27-2010 02:51 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for 328KF   Click Here to Email 328KF     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Great Obama Space Program Quotes
"When I was growing up, NASA united Americans to a common purpose and inspired the world with accomplishments we are still proud of. Today, NASA is an organization that impacts many facets of American life. I believe NASA needs an inspirational vision for the 21st Century. My vision will build on the great goals set forth in recent years, to maintain a robust program of human space exploration and ensure the fulfillment of NASA's mission. Together, we can ensure that NASA again reflects all that is best about our country and continue our nation's preeminence in space."

"I know it's still being reported that we were talking about delaying some aspects of the Constellation program to pay for our early education program. I told my staff we're going to find an entirely different offset, because we've got to make sure that the money that's going into NASA for basic research and development continues to go there. That has been a top priority for us."

And the timeless classic:
"I grew up in Hawaii, as many of you know, and I still recall sitting on my grandfather’s shoulders when those capsules would land in the middle of the Pacific"
I (and many others here) said when he got elected that it was painfully obvious that he had no real interest in the space program. These brief remarks, some aimed squarely at Florida voters, were what duped some into believing that Obama would be the guy who would bring NASA direction, clear goals beyond LEO, and the money to back it up.

Now we see the real agenda. With numerous appointee foul-ups, multi-billion dollar bank and insurance company bail-outs, a nearly DOA health care overhaul, and spiraling unemployment, this president hasn't had the time, let alone the interest, for considering the future of human space exploration.

While nothing is out officially, I don't think that reputable reporters are going to go out on a limb like this and report something that is absolutely false. The writing has been on the wall for a long time, and Obama has done nothing but send up "test balloons" since taking office. Some may sugar-coat what comes out of the budget, but the fact is that Obama is letting us down.

Griffin's unceremonious departure gave the "Ares haters" enough of a window to throw the shadow of doubt over the entire project, and then Obama appoints his commission to look at it. Now every time we look back and ask why the new lunar program was axed, the White House will always point to Augustine ("best and the brightest" remember?)

If ANY of this survives it will be because Congress refuses to reverse course, whether it be for a real vision or their own political self-interests doesn't really matter. I for one feel sorry for Charlie Bolden, who has a deep personal belief in what human space exploration is all about, and now has to be at the helm of an agency that is being told to "stay put."

Mr. President, it doesn't take committees, think tanks, political favors, or legislative maneuvering to keep America preeminent in space. It takes vision, leadership, and commitment. Some would say it takes action, not words, but one word from you would be all the action NASA needs:

"Go."

Mercury7
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posted 01-27-2010 03:02 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Mercury7     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Fox News has added the moon cancellation chatter to their news cast, however the Apple iPad is getting more coverage.

Mercury7
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posted 01-27-2010 03:12 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Mercury7     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I realize a lot of people are now in denial about what is slowly coming out but the bottom line is we have lost the moon, you can blame the beginning on Bush but Obama is responsible for the end. Sugar coating will be most of what goes on for the next week... they will say yeah, we are still going to the moon some time. It a sad day for America.

Robert Pearlman
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posted 01-27-2010 03:23 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I really don't understand the fait accompli attitude. The only thing different between yesterday and today is a single article with unnamed sources. I'm not saying that there aren't changes coming to NASA, but the doom and gloom being expressed is, as of right now, without merit in my opinion.

moorouge
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posted 01-27-2010 04:05 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for moorouge   Click Here to Email moorouge     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
This takes me back to the early 1960's. The Wiesner Report and his appointment as Scientific Advisor to JFK nearly spelt the end of manned spaceflight. Fortunately there was a Lyndon Johnson about then and America did go to the Moon. Does lightning strike twice .... !

Mercury7
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posted 01-27-2010 04:06 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Mercury7     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
My only glimmer of hope comes from a friend... It's all I got.
It's 2am and I still can't stop thinking about the conference I attended today, it was wonderful.
I have no idea if it's even related.

By the way, even if it is true there is still a chance Congress would fight back, kind of hard to imagine that battle unfolding with everything else that is going on. It is also hard for me to imagine the White House not having another unnamed source leaking if all of this were not true. Even Popular Mechanics is jumping on board this one.

Robert Pearlman
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posted 01-27-2010 04:34 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Popular Mechanics is only reporting that the Orlando Sentinel reported something; they haven't added anything new to support the Sentinel's sources.

Nor am I disputing the Sentinel's sources, but I am suggesting that it is being framed within a context that is incomplete.

Mercury7
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posted 01-27-2010 04:59 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Mercury7     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Not surprisingly members of Congress in districts this might affect are starting to chime in saying they are ready to fight.

I would hope it reaches a point that the major news organizations do a public opinion poll. I can't say how it would turn out but I cannot really think of anything else other than a 60/40 split that might make him reconsider. It depends on the question of course but I would think the majority of Americans support NASA and want us to remain leaders in space, which I believe requires us to go back to the moon and on to Mars.

Robert Pearlman
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posted 01-27-2010 07:15 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Space Politics: Reports: NASA to get extra funding, extend ISS, cancel Ares:
The Orlando Sentinel and Florida Today got some confirmation late today about the White House's plans for NASA. In a telecon, an unnamed NASA official and unnamed administration official, along with former astronaut and Augustine committee member Sally Ride, provided these details:
  • NASA would get an average of $1.3 billion a year in additional funding over the next five years;
  • The ISS would be extended to 2020;
  • A $6-billion program to develop commercial crew transportation would be started;
  • Money would be set aside for technology R&D programs and infrastructure upgrades at the Kennedy Space Center;
  • Ares 1 and 5 would be cancelled; and
  • There was no discussion of a replacement heavy-lift vehicle.
A quote from Sally Ride: "For NASA to be getting new money over the projections is to me is an indication of how seriously this administration takes NASA and our goal of future innovations in this country."
The Orlando Sentinel (linked above) adds:
But the NASA official stressed that the end of Ares I and Ares V rockets did not mean that the Obama administration was abandoning exploration and human spaceflight. Both officials said there would be "a very significant program," the most important part of which was the effort to develop private space taxis to take crew back and forth to the space station.

"We do believe it is time for American companies to come into this program," the NASA official said, pointing out that for decades private companies have been launching precious satellites into space. "The investment in that will be $6 billion over five years, this is serious, serious investment that we believe will reduce that gap [in human spaceflight] from what it would have been with the program of record between shuttle retirement and the Ares I and Orion [capsule] coming on line."

From Florida Today (also linked above):
All told, the budget would provide $100 billion to NASA over five years and create an estimated 1,700 jobs in Florida in the commercial space industry and 5,000 nationwide. Kennedy Space Center would receive hundreds of new jobs from unspecified improvements to its facilities, with a faster pace of launches to keep the workforce more engaged.

Mercury7
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posted 01-27-2010 07:28 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Mercury7     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Sounds like Sally Ride has been drinking the koolaid. No matter how you slice it this is bad news. To not even mention a replacement for Ares. My heart aches over this and pure and simple Obama lied to me to get my vote, this is not what he promised.

Robert Pearlman
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posted 01-27-2010 07:36 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Scott, it sounds like you can't see the forest for the trees.

First you say, "No bucks, no Buck Rodgers." Then shown the bucks, you focus on the lack of a mention (not the lack of a plan) for a heavy lift vehicle.

If carried forth (a big 'if' given Congress), this could be what's needed to give NASA the foundation to push outwards.

Mercury7
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posted 01-27-2010 07:47 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Mercury7     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Robert, as much as I admire your optimism, I can't bring myself to share it. The Orlando Sentinel pressed their source about a replacement vehicle and the question was dodged.

I will wait til Bolden speaks after the budget is released before passing final judgment on the new program but it is correct that this was a lie told to us in order to get our vote, Obama promised to support Constellation and a moon landing by 2020. That obviously has changed, what will the new date might be? I am back to not knowing if I will see it in my lifetime.

Time for the State of the Union. I hope you understand that I am so pissed because I was one of the ones deceived, unlike most people on this board I actually voted for the guy and believed him.

Robert Pearlman
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posted 01-27-2010 07:56 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
It wasn't the President that caused the return to the Moon to slip beyond 2020 as called for in the Vision for Space Exploration: it was the lack of funding before he took office. The Augustine Committee found that the soonest the program of record could put humans on the Moon was 2028, even with full funding moving forward.

In my opinion, Obama did not lie: he did support Constellation and a return to the Moon until the Augustine Committee said it wasn't feasible.

fireflyer21
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posted 01-27-2010 08:05 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for fireflyer21   Click Here to Email fireflyer21     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I think I'll just wait until an announcement is actually made before I pronounce anything dead or alive.

Mercury7
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posted 01-27-2010 08:06 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Mercury7     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I expected him to adapt, cancel Ares 1 and go full throttle with Ares V or Jupiter Direct or something different but that is not what is going on here. This is a mission change for NASA. You can not tell me we went to the moon in 10 years from scratch back in the 60's and cannot do the same today.

Robert Pearlman
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posted 01-27-2010 08:10 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
We have the technology, but the political conditions that enabled the Apollo program may never exist again: not only were were racing the Soviets, but we were fulfilling the legacy of a fallen president. Even Kennedy, before his passing, recognized that Apollo was going to be too expensive.

We need a new reason to go that resonates and commercial benefit fits that bill.

SpaceAholic
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posted 01-27-2010 08:25 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for SpaceAholic   Click Here to Email SpaceAholic     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
More critically - competent, national leadership is required...

Jay Chladek
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posted 01-27-2010 09:01 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Jay Chladek   Click Here to Email Jay Chladek     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The real power in Washington is not the President, but rather Congress. The President can introduce legislation and champion a cause, but Congress has to pass it into law. Of course, the President can also veto a bill as well, but that would be like pointing a bazooka at one's face. As such, if you feel strongly about this topic and live in the United States, then I urge you to start writing. And don't just send email, send it by snail mail as somebody will be more likely to read it rather then just hitting the "delete" key. Keep it civil by the way.

My biggest concerns for canceling Ares are that a lot of money has already been spent on it and switching to an alternative is going to mean ultimately more time and money spent on it before it flies (factor in inflation and it gets worse, especially if the economy stays bad). Okay, yes there is a possible commercial alternative to consider, but Falcon 9 has yet to fly and success is not guaranteed in either the short term or the long term. I would say whatever commercial firm goes the furthest with their own space hardware has to have a proven track record of flights before they are considered for launching astronauts. One reason is litigation. Government agencies can weather the storm of lawsuits and compensation, should (God forbid) there be another loss of an astronaut crew on a mission. The commercial side is in my opinion so embryonic at this stage that a major disaster could be very crippling financially if something were to happen and one of the potential causes might be a rushed through commercial contract.

My second concern is the erosion of the economy in Florida on the space coast caused by a long period of manned launch inactivity. Even with Ares 1 there is going to be a big hit in that area, but an even more lengthy delay could be worse. Engineers, workers and their families will be moving away for other jobs, resulting in a loss of tax income for the region. Those businesses that depend on tourism dollars (hotels and restaurants mainly) won't have as much income as a result. Sure, the big ones on the coast will likely survive with spring break and the races in Daytona, but I don't believe the smaller inland communities will do as well. Ares would amount to a stimulus package for the region (and other regions with contractors building parts) in my opinion. Put simply, Ares would keep more tax payers (and registered voters) employed.

Mercury7
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posted 01-27-2010 10:17 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Mercury7     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Jay, I don't know the details but I am pretty sure Congress has passed some legislation extending the umbrella of litigation protection to companies like Space X. Right now it is more on the scale of what would happen if a rocket veered off course into a populated area but I am sure that would be extended to protect them from most foreseen lawsuits. It is really the only way they could afford to operate. The government has similar agreements with utilities that operate nuclear power plants, etc.

Robert Pearlman
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From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 01-27-2010 10:21 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Even Keith Cowing of NASA Watch, who earlier on Wednesday was very critical of the rumors about NASA's future, sees reason for hope in the President's plan.
Not only is the push for commercial crew and cargo to the ISS going to expand, but that push for commercialization will cover all aspects of American human spaceflight - LEO and beyond, cargo and capsules, and even the development of HLVs - all with an agency budget increase of $5.9 Billion over the next 5 fiscal years. Stay tuned.

Lunatiki
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Posts: 237
From: Amarillo, TX, USA
Registered: Dec 2006

posted 01-27-2010 10:36 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Lunatiki     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I hope all you Obama voters are happy. There would be no better way to stimulate and unite this country than to start, and win, win BIG, the next space race. Obama has already seen to it that we are going to lose it. This is a sad day. Facts are facts, Obama has killed NASA as we know it, we won't be going to the moon, and no American will step foot on Mars in our life time. Hopefully a REAL savior to NASA will get elected in 2012. It's really the only hope for those who take space exploration seriously and know how important it is.

J.L
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Posts: 694
From: Bloomington, Illinois, USA
Registered: May 2005

posted 01-27-2010 10:48 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for J.L   Click Here to Email J.L     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
So, will the VAB eventually be turned into a huge museum?


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