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Big Changes In Proposed U.S. Space Budget
Guppy06 writes: "CNN has this article on some of the effects of Bush's budget proposal would have on the space program. To make a long story short, funding for the manned space program is being trimmed (there's talk about outsourcing the shuttle program) and some high-profile missions to the outer solar system have been cut (say good-bye to the Pluto-Kuiper Express). On the flip side, nuclear propulsion research is getting a boost. Love it, hate it, some big things seem to be in store." The Planetary Society has their reaction to the budget proposal. And because it's been submitted several times: the ISS suffered a computer outage but all is well now.
The shuttles and the ISS are rotten programs.
It's blazingly obvious to anyone who's taken a good look at the shuttle program that they should never have made a second one. They were supposed to learn from their mistakes making the first one, and make better shuttles, but instead they basically copied their first attempt at a reusable vehicle to make a small fleet and kept it in service even after it was obvious that it offered no benefit over single-use rockets.
People wondered what the point of the ISS was from day one. It's just a huge money-sink in the sky.
The best justification for these manned missions is that they are paving the way for future manned spaceflight, but they are somehow both bloated and unambitious: so costly that their failure could not be tolerated, so only "established" technologies are used for the functions they are supposed to be developing, merely spending resources on accomplishing these non-accomplishments rather than taking chances on potentially revolutionary technologies.
NASA is increasingly an organization of frightened bureaucrats, desperately avoiding failure, rather than bold explorers, risking much to gain much.
In fact, the technologies many of us enjoy (and that have spurred our economy) are the result of isolated efforts by individuals and small groups of individuals motivated by interest / profit / necessity. Here are some examples for you:
Electric power: While Edison may have been motivated by the ideals of science, his protege Tesla was not. Tesla's inventions were designed to make money and satisfy his ego.
Modern power tools: Black and Decker were interested in creating a new kind of electric drill. They were inspired by the design of a Colt 1911 pistol.
Personal computers: I doubt that Jobs and the Woz were persuing pure science when they introduced the Apple.
Some other ideas/ products that are not born out of scientific research include: interchangable parts, assembly line manufacturing, the automobile, the locomotive, seagoing vessels... starting to get the point here?
Is it just me, or is it that everytime we get a republican president, space funding gets slashed and defense spending gets a huge boost? Why does our nation always get warlike and defensive when a republican cons his way into office? I guess this is great if you work for a defense contractor...
Look, I used to love NASA. I grew up in Florida, it's hard not to have NASA-worship. When I graduated from MIT, our speaker was NASA's bigwig. I love the ideal of the agency.
:]). Some form of NASA will continue to do pure research into the cosmos, but it will be smaller.
They blew it, big time, with the space tourist issue, and it will cost them.
Look, dating back to the Civil War the United States has a fascinating history of the military industrial complex. The military traditionally funds research until it meets their needs then turns it over to the private sector to exploit.
Recently (past 20 years) this process had some very vocal whining about giving the research to business, but in general it has produced significant benefits to the nation.
NASA, however, has really got problems.
Look, their PR blows. They don't do a good job of convincing people that they matter. They haven't provided much of a connection. Since the Challenger, they've been scared to do much. When an American paid the Russians to take him into space, it wasn't NASA's place to throw a temper tantrum.
They are government employees. They forgot that. The second they decide that they are better than the American people they lose their defenders. Nobody in America likes elitists. As a nation, we are comfortable with people buying their way to the top, its the American way. When a bunch of scientists decide that they know best because of their intelligence and education, the American people get fed up.
The religion of America is capitalism. Good or bad, it forms the cornerstone of modern America. Americans worship wealth. It makes sense to a degree... If the market decided that you were successful, that works.
Academic and intellectual elitists are universally scorned in this country.
NASA has shown themselves over the past two decades to have no interest in serving Americans. Their believe that their work will continue because they are smart and important was the downfall.
The military has a strong ability to play the system. A bunch of scientists don't.
Congress will open up space as NASA found it to commercial interests. The space forces will grow naturally from the air force (like the Army Air Force became the Air Force, the Air Force Space Division will become the Space Force, or Star Fleet
NASA hasn't openned space up to the people. They've become more and more ivory towerish because of their one failure at putting a civilian in space.
People would like to go into space.
People don't like to bust ass paying taxes to support a group of people that tell them they are too stupid (or drink to much) to go into space.
Sorry, if you want to feel that you are better than the American people, do it without their money.
Alex