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House Asks NASA to Postpone Space Plane

Posted by michael on from the whoa dept.

PipianJ writes "The House Science Committee has requested NASA to postpone the orbital space plane program (official letter (pdf)), thanks to lingering concern about the safety of the existing space program. On the other hand, isn't one of the ideas behind the orbital space plane program the fact that our current space program is getting more unsafe through the use of 20-year-old equipment?" The Senate is also getting into the act.

2 of 362 comments (clear)

  1. No! No! No! by HarveyBirdman · · Score: 0, Flamebait
    No more boondoggles! Honestly, what is this drive to send humans to Mars? And if you've followed the space plane saga, that has just as much portential, if not more, to become another bloated waste like Apollo or the Shuttle or the International Space Station.

    If we had followed the incremental steps into space originally proposed by Von Braun and others way back when, we'd have gotten to Mars years ago. We might even be thinking about interstellar efforts (an Orion-like craft) in a few years.

    Concentrate of efficiency. Concentrate on reducing the cost per pound. Create building blocks like orbital industries upon which we can build other things. Think modular. The ISS should look like a Lego set with easily and cheaply mass produced components.

    If it turns out that the cheapest and most efficicent way into orbit is a giant pink and purple catapult using Barney The Dinosaur rubber bands, then by God that's what we should use, and ignore the snickers from the ESA and China. No more sexy. We can't afford to let the quest for sexy hold back our move into space any longer.

    No more one shot trillion dollar PR projects that sap everyone's time and talent, and do more to make political points than anything scientific or technological.

    Argh! Argh! Grrr! Hisss! Rrrrrrrrrrggg!

    --
    --- Ban humanity.
  2. The truth. by Simple-Simmian · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    The truth is political elites want to use any money they can steal from NASA and this program to buy votes. It's pretty simple. Government programs are vote buying and NASA isn't delivering the votes. Therefore NASA and the space plane are a waste of money.

    --
    If you don't like what I write don't be a CS and mod it down. Refute it.
    Yea I can't spell. So what is your point?