Where Should Space Exploration Go From Here?

Lovejoy asks: "I have done extensive reading since the Columbia tragedy about what's next for human space exploration. Most of the punditry agrees that extending the shuttle program for many more years is a bad idea. So what are the practical alternatives? I've seen ideas for new spacecraft, a carbon nanotube space elevator, among other things. What are the best ideas you've seen? Will the best idea win, or the one with the most pork barrel contracts? Does space travel/exploration have to be THIS expensive? What are the best short term/long term solutions?"

Since Congress has been steadily cutting back on support for NASA, Nick suggests this idea: "I'm sure there are many taxpayers out there like me that would love to see NASA's budget doubled. The problem is there isn't enough support to get congress to increase the budget by that amount, and I really don't want people to pay that don't care to. I propose an opt-in, one-time contribution box added to tax returns. I would require that my money be used only to advance the space program with either a shuttle replacement, an extra crew compartment for the space station, or a launch vehicle for a manned trip to Mars. Would you support a bill that would allow taxpayers to voluntarily contribute money to NASA? Are you ready to put your coin where your Dreams are?"

Comments

This isn't meant to offend so read it open minded

[felonious]

We spend all of this money as taxpayers to get Astronauts into space yet what is the point? I know we have space to thank for life changing discoveries like Velcro and juice in a fucking box but what else? I know there's more but the after we walked on the moon how have we raised the bar? Look how old the technology is that we are using. It's like sending Columbus to America on a home made Haitian raft. If we are going to do this and mean it then the technology has to be recent and not from around 30 years ago. It's amazing we haven't had more fatalities. NASA should have been researching and developing serious alternatives in propulsion along with a newer shuttle design and integrated this into something that should have already been tested. All I know is astronauts are a brave bunch. To risk dying just to get into space is ballsy to say the least.

This weekend I thought about the last few minutes of their lives and the gamut of emotions that ran through their bodies. Think about it. You're 16 minutes from a worldwide home coming and you can't wait to share all of your experiences with your loved ones and the world. You are ecstatic and your veins are pumping like they are filled with magma. In the blink of an eye you sense a disturbance and it doesn't feel right but you try to tell yourself that it's normal. After all with the flames wiping across the nose of the shuttle as you enter earth's atmosphere are anything but normal but it is expected. The shuttle starts to shimmy and shriek and your stomach drops. You tell yourself this isn't right. Your scared shitless. You hope you're dreaming but your not. The shuttle starts to rip apart and you can see through the cracks and stare at the dead space out of it. At this point you're not coming home, you're not going to get to say goodbye to your family, and you know you're going to die. You cannot believe what is happening and there's nothing you can do about it.

In an instant the cabin has depressurized and the inner workings and guts of the ship fly around at light speed. This is it. There's no changing the course of events and you have to admit to yourself that you are going to die. It's over right then and there. When you're going 12,500 mph and 200,000 feet up there isn't a miracle in the world that could save you. I hate to even think about the violence of the moment because it's nothing any of us can imagine for a second. This post isn't meant to offend, annoy, or disturb anyone. I am merely articulating what I envisioned when I saw it happen. It looked so nice a peaceful from 40 miles below but in all actuality there are things that happened up there that none of us could have imagined. My only hope is when they died that it was over quick. People with this type of bravery don't deserve to suffer. I just hope that this didn't happen from some pencil pusher's oversight on the damage to the wing.

My last thought on this subject is do you really think they believe that it would happen to them? You know the "it won't happen to me" way of thinking? They are in my thoughts, as well as their families, so the next time we go let's get it right. No more tiny experiments and orbiting at ad nauseam. If we have people willing to risk their lives and believe in this way of life so deeply then we need to raise our goals and go to places we have never been.