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U.S. Satellite Programs in Jeopardy of Collapse
smooth wombat writes "A committee of the National Academy of Sciences, headed by Richard Anthens, has warned that 'the vitality of Earth science and application programs has been placed at substantial risk by a rapidly shrinking budget.' The list of Earth-observing satellite programs affected is a long one and includes satellite programs which observe nearly every aspect of Earth's climate. A delay in launching a replacement satellite or the disabling of a current satellite without a replacement could mean that data necessary to monitor or predict an upcoming event would be severely restricted. For its part NASA says that tight budgets force it to cut funding for all but the most vital programs. 'We simply cannot afford all of the missions that our scientific constituencies would like us to sponsor,' NASA administrator Michael Griffin told members of Congress when he testified before the House Science Committee February 16."
After all, the current US administration ignores and even harrasses scientists who don't conform with their mantra that there is no global warning anyway.
The first thing I thought when I read the title was that, yet again, people were cancelling missions because they had no "obvious benefit" or some such nonsense, completely missing the point that science for science's sake has often lead to many of the greatest breakthroughs in science history.
NASA = National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Not a word in there about science.
If the scientists want an exclusive space program, let 'em pay for their own. This ain't it, no matter how much they might wish that to be the case.
Progressivism: Parasites helping parasites to help themselves - to other people's stuff.
Oh God that's just the START of it! Have a look at history people. Have a look at post war Europe or even Vietnam again. The real costs of war haven't even begun yet.
For starters....
Medicare for the next ten generations of freaks that will be born to all those poor guys coming home with their bodies full of DU dust.
Social service, psychologists, domestic courts and police costs to deal with with the abuse, alcoholism and drug dependency of seriously damaged vets.
Soaring crime from disaffected vets who fought for their country and now cant afford to eat.
Ongoing economic fallout from the other five and a half billion inhabitants of Earth who will now longer buy American products and educate their children to do the same.
A huge blow to self esteem for each and every American for losing another war, which will surely lead to yet another one within a decade.
Suffering from terrorist reprisals.
Humiliation of having the president tried at the ICC for war crimes and hung.
Bush has fucked you so good you don't even realise how much your backside is gonna sting in the morning.