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Hubble Upgraded; NASA's Future Not So Bright
jokrswild writes: "After 5 space walks and 172 million dollars, Hubble has been successfully redeployed. Hopefully it will be able to amaze us yet again in its abilities to capture the unimaginable." And Captn Pepe writes: "Space.com has a couple of articles regarding what the Congressional Research Service and what NASA's new chief administrator have to say about the space agency's future plans and prospects. The short version is, don't hold your breath for a Mars mission."
Space travel and starving kids are two completely separate things. Why again are these connected, and how does funding one detract from another? It's not like the U.S. government would or even could use those funds saved from no space travel to feed starving kids.
If I'm missing something, please, enlighten me.
Hargun
Think nothing is impossible? Try slamming a revolving door.
Ok, so kids are starving to death as you speak, and you want to spend time posting on Slashdot?
Shyeah.
You fall into a trap when you engage in zero-sum games. Must it be "either or"? How come it can't be both?
If you save a buck from NASA's budget, do you believe this administration or this congress is going to fund UNESCO? Or do you kinda sorta suspect they are going to give that buck to a favorite corporate son?
don't hold your breath for a Mars mission.
Unless it's from China.
Ok, let's say you're an elected member of congress. How would your constituents like you to prioritize the following:
A. Fight Terrorists
B. Fix Economy
C. Teach Our Children
D. Fight Crime
E. Cut Taxes
F. Reduce deficit/Debt Reduction
G. Explore Mars
I would note that we know how to do E, G, and likely A. To paraphrase Buzz Aldrin, that means that we should attempt A, E, and G.
All employees must wash hands before seeking equitable relief.
OK, let's say you are Queen Isabella of Spain. Christopher Columbus comes to you with some high-budget whacko proposal to send a small flotilla to the "other side of the world" when no one even knows if there is another side of the world.
How do you prioritize the following?
1. Keep funding the war with the English.
2. Keep funding your own court and all of the sycophants whose political support keeps you in power.
3. Keep paying the Vatican tribute so that you can get your sorry ass into Heaven through papal dispensation.
4. Keep throwing bones (in the form of subsidized wine and cut-rate fish prices) to the starving peasants who constitute the single largest economic class in your fading country.
5. Keep slipping dough to support the pirates who make the Dutch mercantilists' lives hard and prevent you from totally ceding international trade to a bunch of guys wearing wooden shoes.
The more times change the more they stay the same.
Just such a horrible thought! Making NASA accountable for what it spends!
After all look at the blazing fiscal successes of the International Space Station and it being able to come in under budget!!!
Or the success of the X-33...
Or X-34...
Or the X-30...
Or how about how the shuttle and how much it brought down launch costs just like they said it would...
Maybe there is a theme here, huh?
Perhaps when NASA learns some fiscal responsibility then we'll get our mission to Mars from them. And it's quite possible the wonderous big budgets of Apollo aren't EVER coming back.
In the mean time, it might actually be others who get there first. And, no, I don't mean other nations. John Carmack (yes, that John Carmack) is working on his one rocket company:here and Jeff Greasona nd crew are working on their own stuff here.
I might just wanna give them some competition myself...;)
Do you know why the road less traveled by is littered with the bones of the unwary?
So kids are starving on this planet and their stupid parents keep popping out more? Most the countries in africa have a 3% growth rate. This is insane! I had a friend over there with a program that tried to pass out condoms. The locals laughed at him.
No wonder africa also has the highest AIDS rate. Sending food, money or birth control is not going to help. This is a cultural issue. Until these people stop CHOSING to overbreed the problem will NOT end.
It is not up to the US to try and be BIG DADDY. These people chose their lifestyle, they need to choose to end it. I would rather have money spent on expanding on the great things man can do, than supporting the worst that man can do.
The potential benefits of such a mission should not be measured merely in the scientific knowledge we would gain (although that would be profoundly valauble moreso, than the lives of the kids IMO, and yes I'm a cold pragmatic bastard about such things, I would be perfectly willing to support my opinion that 99.99% of those children would never have accomplished anything anyway.) The true value is the sum of that knowledge plus the technology and science we would develop for the trip, which would doubtless be of incalculable financial wealth.
We need something to cheer for or at least a place other than Earth to escape to.
Let's Explore Mars.
"sweet dreams are made of this..."
You know in the 1600's people over in Europe said that setting out in a sailboat to find a new world was pointless, because "the earth is flat!" Good thing ol' Cristobal didn't listen to them. Space travel and exploration is anything but pointless. In case you haven't heard there are quite a few "big rocks" out there that could hit the earth in about 30 years, I believe that is how dinosaurs became extinct, at least that's one theory. Where do you think they came up with the idea for Armageddon? It could happen. But there are plenty of reasons for exploring mars and other planets, they are untapped resources for ore, minerals, possibly even fuel, that we are running out of on this planet. Expand your mind, think "outside the box"!
what do you leave out? that's simple...
C. Teach the Children.
If the schools remove the entire altheletic programs and put that money into important things like Reading, Writing, Math, and science FIRST and then everything else last... there would be enough to go around. Teaching kids how to actually READ how to write and speak a sentence without being a profanity fountian (Sorry, ebonics is not a real language... Oh how politically insensitive I am!) Plus not let any, yet ANY student graduate without passing basic calculus, a basic physics,chemistry and computing class. you would have better students. but no... today we graduate on a regular basis students that cant read, that cant even calcualte the volume of a coke can, or even understand basic physical laws... but they kick a football real good!
Teach the children is very low on the list. Force the schools to actually teach? that's high on the list.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
I think it's great that Hubble is all fixed up. I also agree w/one poster about keeping it going till there is a better replacement. Look at the other probes and stuff we've launched that are still working today. Pioneer 10, Galileo, etc. I think it's only natural that we should keep Hubble flying as long as we can safely.
Regular service missions should extend it's life a little longer, especially since it's already had a heart transplant.
As far as NASA goes I think cleaning up wasted spending is important but not at the cost of exploration. Lord knows there might be a microbe or something on Mars that could cure cancer, aids, or some other nasty Earthly disease and it's just sitting up there waiting for us to get it. Or something could wipe out the entire population of Earth. We don't know though till we go there.
I also saw another comment that said the Chinese could go for Mars. Imagine that, reminds me of the day when the USSR was making a shot for the moon but America beat them to it. Perhaps it will take another challenging country to get America going again and we may ask ourselves afterward why we didn't take the initiative to begin with after finding something amazing.
~~ Behold the flying cow with a rail gun! ~~
remove the entire altheletic programs and put that money into important things like Reading, Writing, Math, and science FIRST
Don't let student graduate without Calculus, physics, chemistry, computing
This is beyond idiotic. Athletics (even if you don't like them) provides meaningful stress relief, keeps students in shape (huge health benefits). It's about teaching kids to stay fit throughout their lives--so they live longer and think better. Oh and MANY of the smartests, best students are great athletes and athletics help them get there. Finally, it keeps many students IN school who would otherwise drop out.
Your second idea is even worse (I'm assuming high school level here). Let's force students to struggle with corriculum they aren't going to ever understand. Some of what you mention is great, but it is bizarly limited to Math and Science. Everyone should take some science and some upper level sciences. But don't force people to spend half the curriculum in it when they aren't talented at it and don't enjoy it when there is something else equally valuable.
I don't know where I'd be if I couldn't calculate the volume of a coke can. Although I'd say it's about 16+x oz
So close and yet so far from the world's perfect ID number
Privatize nasa?
And exactly how much of NASA's work do you think has a direct finacnial benefit for any party.
NASA is largely a Pure Science organization, that's part of the problem with it trying to find funding but this is not necessarily a bad thing.
Congress " So what does that do ?"
NASA " It'll teach us things we never knew before."
Congress " Yes but can it pay for itself?"
Knowledge is so more important than the financial bottom lines, yes it is still important to be careful and as prudent as possible but Privitization of NASA? Give me a break, are you trying to kill Pure Science research?
Of course, Columbus's mission was to find an alternate route to the Indes and its natural resources. As far as Columbus knew, he was going somewhere that Europe was already doing extensive business with. And the point of the voyage was mercantile, ultimately.
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