Space Tourist Grounded

Midnight Thunder writes "There is an article over at the BBC stating that an NASA is refusing to allow a Russian-backed US businessman onto ISS. Maybe the 'I' doesn't stand for international?" The article suggests NASA would let him go if he had more training, which means he'll be up there eventually...

Comments

NASA is the roommate from hell

[Skyshadow]

NASA's basically saying that space is only for Certified Space Guys (and Gals), that somehow only the people they pick out from the military are smart and fit enough to train to go into space.

Hogwash.

Consider: You and NASA decide to rent an apartment, for which you split the rent. Then, as your moving in, NASA says that you can't have a friend overnight, even though you're taking care of them, feeding them, and they'll stay in your spare bedroom. Moreover, NASA doesn't even have a good reason for keeping your friend out. NASA is the roommate from Hell.

In any event, NASA won't have the final say on this one. When the guy flies up (on a Russian spacecraft), a Russian will be commanding the station. NASA ground control will have about as much to say about Tito boarding the station as the Japanese government had to say about the US Navy's Amature Submarine Captain Program.

----

Re:NASA is the roommate from hell

[Nehemiah S.]

of course all analogies are bad, but a better analogy would be that you and NASA decide to build a house. NASA pays to buy the plot, design and build the house in compliance with all the local building codes and regulations, and then lets you put your name on the title (for free). All you have to do is provide a refrigerator and do designated driver duties on weekends.

Well, you kind of lied about having a fridge and a car, so you spend about two years getting them together for the apartment. In the interim, forced to rent a car and eat out every night because of the lack of furnishings, NASA has to struggle to keep the bank from foreclosing.

Once you finally get your $hit together and move in, you decide to throw a party (against the wishes of your good friend NASA) and invite your buddies over. Since you're already drunk and they don't have cars, you tell NASA to pick them up for you. They bring their own beer, fortunately, but when the party is over they leave it in the fridge and you don't let NASA drink any of it. It's your fridge, after all.

After the party there is puke everywhere and cigarette burns on NASA's nice new couch. You apologize sincerely, but still don't share the beer.

Neh

Re:NASA is the roommate from hell

[mattorb]

I think this is the funniest damn post I've seen here in a while. pity I don't have any mod points right now. :-)

they never mention that

[boarder]

I just checked that out and he was. I wonder why the news stories never mention that little fact. They always refer to him as "American Businessman" and never as "former NASA engineer" or "American Businessman and former NASA engineer." As an engineer he would be much less useless and dangerous, but NASA would still have to pay a ton of money to train him. Astronauts train for 2 years before being assigned a mission (then they train some more); he wouldn't need that much training, but he would still need a lot.

Major reasons for NASA

[boarder]

NASA has a very valid and major reason behind not letting him go up (yet). He has virtually no training and the Russians want us to train him at our expense. He pays Russia 20 million and we have to spend millions to train him. What do we get out of it?

Wasted space. He is taking up space and money on a scientific mission. Not only that, but he is in no way prepared should any technical problems come up (not an engineer, scientist, or even mechanic). Maybe on a mission when we have everything running smoothly we can take some tourists, but we are still building this and testing it. It is just not the right time.

Re:Alternatively

[BobGregg]

>There's just time for him to take a quick trip to Mir.

Actually, this is the same guy who was trying to get onto Mir last year. He was instead told he'd get to go on ISS earlier this year.

The Russians think the Americans are just grandstanding here, trying to show who really runs ISS. Darned if they aren't right, too. Maybe next time they won't be two years late with their components for the bloomin' thing...

Re:Sharing and being nice to people

[CleverNickName]

This explains something I heard on my scanner the other night:

Mission Control: Shuttle, this is Mission Control. We'd like you to do some housekeeping...

Shuttle: Shut up, mission control! You're not the boss of me!

MC: Actually, Shuttle, we are the boss of you. And now, you can't come to our birthday party.

S: Fine! We didn't want to come to your birthday, anyway. You're a butthead!

MC: I know you are, but what am I?

S: Nuh-huh! I know you are, but what am I?!

MC: I know you are, but what am I?!

S: You!

MC: No, you! Shut up!

S: You shut up! I'm telling!

The whole thing went on like this for another hour, until Dan Goldin got on the line, and sent both the Shuttle, and Mission Control to timeouts in their rooms until they could be nice to each other again. Weird.

Sharing and being nice to people

[wishus]

In kindergarten, I learned how to share and be nice to people.

• Don't hog the toys
• Don't call other people names
• Try to see the other person's point of view

Everyone's at fault here, and they're acting like children. The Russians make a decision without consulting their teammates. The other teammates throw a temper fit, stomp their feet, and refuse to cooperate. Then the Russians resort to name calling, saying things like "The Americans oppose the flight by their co-citizen because they want to show that they are the bosses who run the ISS project."

It's like kindergarten for big kids.
---

Alternatively

[Anoriymous Coward]

There's just time for him to take a quick trip to Mir.

--