Yeah let's go deeper into debt just so people can have jobs--no other good reason. Hey let's do Chairman Mao's idea instead: have everyone melt their pots & pans and then get jobs making pots & pans. Bush's multi-$trillion space program, esp. the humans-bring-back-rocks-from-Mars one, showed that Republicans are anything but fiscally conservative. It's all about making their buddies richer off the backs of future generations. The sooner the International Space Station burns up the better too. I'm okay with the rovers on Mars, but can we at least get some video and sound next time, for my grandchildren's money?
I'm OK with rovers too, but sending people into space is horrendously expensive. Let's do something we can be proud of, like give everyone free education to the graduate school level.
I'd love to see Armstrong cover that one. Free college, or moon program? Kind of hard to argue that the latter is more beneficial for the money.
Neil Armstrong blasts Obama Neil Armstrong (first man on the moon) and some of his fellow former astronauts have written a letter strongly critical of president Obama's plan to kill the US manned space program for the foreseeable future. I couldn't agree more. Here's the letter: "The United States entered into the challenge of space exploration under President Eisenhower’s first term, however, it was the Soviet Union who excelled in those early years," the letter begins."Under the bold vision of Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon, and with the overwhelming approval of the American people, we rapidly closed the gap in the final third of the 20th century, and became the world leader in space exploration. ... "When President Obama recently released his budget for NASA, he proposed a slight increase in total funding, substantial research and technology development, an extension of the International Space Station operation until 2020, long range planning for a new but undefined heavy lift rocket and significant funding for the development of commercial access to low earth orbit. "Although some of these proposals have merit, the accompanying decision to cancel the Constellation program, its Ares 1 and Ares V rockets, and the Orion spacecraft, is devastating. "America’s only path to low Earth orbit and the International Space Station will now be subject to an agreement with Russia to purchase space on their Soyuz (at a price of over 50 million dollars per seat with significant increases expected in the near future) until we have the capacity to provide transportation for ourselves. The availability of a commercial transport to orbit as envisioned in the President’s proposal cannot be predicted with any certainty, but is likely to take substantially longer and be more expensive than we would hope. "It appears that we will have wasted our current ten plus billion dollar investment in Constellation and, equally importantly, we will have lost the many years required to recreate the equivalent of what we will have discarded. For The United States, the leading space faring nation for nearly half a century, to be without carriage to low Earth orbit and with no human exploration capability to go beyond Earth orbit for an indeterminate time into the future, destines our nation to become one of second or even third rate stature. While the President's plan envisages humans traveling away from Earth and perhaps toward Mars at some time in the future, the lack of developed rockets and spacecraft will assure that ability will not be available for many years. Without the skill and experience that actual spacecraft operation provides, the USA is far too likely to be on a long downhill slide to mediocrity. America must decide if it wishes to remain a leader in space. If it does, we should institute a program which will give us the very best chance of achieving that goal. Neil Armstrong Commander, Apollo 11 James Lovell Commander, Apollo 13 Eugene Cernan Commander, Apollo 17http://www.politico.com/click/stories/1004/armstong_obama_hurting_space.html
Neil Armstrong is an Exemplary citizen. One of high honor in integrity, character and accomplishment- LONG before he ever set foot on the Moon. These men truly were legendary before Apollo. Apparently, that was not enough to stop their accomplishment. I have long found the Space Shuttle to be a waste. Puttering back and forth. It seems many agree with me, as it became ... dull. The original plan extended far beyond just a Space Shuttle. The Shuttle was just that, by the plan. A shuttle, nothing more. Starting with Nixon, over time, the plan was reduced and reduced further. Until the only thing that remained was the Shuttle itself. It was long overdue for retirement and for us to go BACK to what we had before. I'm beyond dissappointed.
What was suppose to be done? On the budget given Ares I would not be ready until 2020 at nominal and the Ares V by 2030, it was unfeasible! Congress both democrat and republican have underfunded NASA for the last 40 years. Its either increase NASA budget by 10-20 billion or don't even try anymore and see if the private sector can do better, considering congress and its habit of saying it will fund it but don't, Obama went with the latter "fuck it" option. No fucking shit Captain Obvious?!?! How predictable.
Everybody understands that the reasons behind putting men on the Moon were purely political and that America itself got bored with it's own accomplishments by the latter launches of the Apollo program. Going back to the Moon accomplishes nothing, especially with a rocket design like Ares, which is a lash up of spare parts and lacks innovation. If Obama succeeds with healthcare reform, and US taxpayers money instead makes a real difference to people's lives, surely, that _has_ to be better than fetching some more moon rocks, or planting another flag?
You know who's great at developing large scale, expensive projects in a cost effective way that benefits all Americans? The government. The biggest benefit of a new manned moon mission would be inspirational, not scientific or practical. How many trillions are we willing to spend to be inspired. Wouldn't we get better results if we just gave those trillions away to fund private scientific research? It seems to me the notion that manned spaceflight is required to keep America strong is very dated, very Cold War thinking, and the notion that killing the Constellation is the end for all time of American manned spaceflight is just silly. We're in the midst of a pretty bad economic situation. It's not the time to be planning big expensive vacations, especially given the government's piss poor record at spending money efficiently. In fact, kudos to the government for realizing that robots are somewhat more cost effective, as cost effectiveness is not something the government typically values.
It sucks, but this is what we've made It's a matter of priorities. I, too, am disappointed in the direction our space exploration has taken, but the reality is that we need to stop building rockets to blow people up on Earth in order to afford building rockets to send stuff into the cosmos.
Yeah. We either have to move forward or give up. If someone actually wanted to try colonization, or set up a permanent Moon base that could sustain itself primarily from in-situ materials, I'd be all for funding it. But if all we're going to do is more of the same......meh.... It's only inspiring if we do something that was previously impossible to us. Even Mars wouldn't do that, because we have no doubt of it being possible.
You think? Revisiting something for no practical reason, and wasting billions of dollars is 'inspirational'? America got bored of it's Moon program. It ended. <--- see that full stop?
Obama had no choice. Going back to the Moon would be an unmitigated disaster. We can barely stay outside the Earths orbit without a myriad of malfunctions and needed repairs. It would impossible to fake a Moon landing with todays technology. That's why any American breathing today will never see another alleged Moon mission. You can take that to the bank.
Robotic missions will be just fine for the near future. As those robotics advance headway will be made in insuring human space flight will be safer, cheaper and faster as time goes by. Once radiation has been delt with so that those venturing into space will be safe, then the speeds will also increase and they won't take as long as they do today. I'm fine with robotic missions in the short haul and prepairing for human space filght while doing so.
NASA could have sent the rovers to Arizona or New Mexico and got the same pictures, but for far less money.
If Obama proposed continuing funding for the program, how many Republicans would be on the floor of congress bashing him for big spending? All those people now complaining, should have been blasting george II and his merry band of Republicans a decade ago when they began their, "deficits don't matter" approach to the federal budget.
hey moron, the atmosphere on mars is 1% of the pressure of ours on earth, that means the amount of sound transmitted through the air is pitiful. And you know what, YOU do not know what your children want, I DO because in the end I will be the one paying for it when your all retired. So dont act like your speaking for the future generation. Most kids believe in the same ideas of space travel, namely, pro-space exploration, were fine with the costs.
Man, I have voted 27 times for Armstrong on the Dancing with the Stars and he still got voted off. I am so pissed!! As of his opinion about new moonwalks. How do the British say? Rubbish.... Humans have no business in space until they take care of things on Earth first...
