Re: Space funding (was Re: Hillary needs to quit)

"PV" <pv+usenet@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message 
news:TIidnRzG2I7hE2fanZ2dnUVZ_gOdnZ2d@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> John Schilling <schillin@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> writes:
>>>And you'd be right. Obama discussed delaying the Constellation Project 
>>>for
>>>five years, not shutting down NASA. *
>>
>>What did he say NASA was going to be doing during those five years
>>instead of Constellation?
>
> (groups trimmed, subject refocused)
>
> You seem to think this is a policy decision - it was a question he 
> answered
> at one interview. Among the other things he said about nasa is that it
has
> lost the ability to inspire. And I really, really agree with that.

When Nasa EXPLORES it will inspire. The Mars rovers did inspire--natch
they 
are on the chopping block.

> What would NASA do lacking constellation? My guess would be stick with
> current technologies, and use the russians (and soon, the europeans and
> japanese) to ferry people to the space station if needed.

Um, "current" technology or 30-year-old technology?

> I don't like the idea of a cancellation, but I don't like a lazy and
> screwed up NASA making crap either - the shuttle was the single biggest
> engineering boondoggle of all time. They need something substantial to
do,
> and political will to let them do it without bull****. I'm not sure
that's
> possible with the current organization. *
> -- 
> * PV   something like badgers--something like lizards--and something
>       like corkscrews.

Private space has been more inspiring with the private space flight, Greg 
Rutan's Space****pOne, Virgin Galactic, the Ansari X-prize and Google's
Lunar 
X-Prize (demonstrating again geeks are not always the best at naming
stuff).

Plus robotic space exploration would be cheaper, faster and, um, inspirer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Pathfinder

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Exploration_Rover

-- Ken from Chicago (who does like "Space****pOne" and "Gate****pOne")