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Shuttle Atlantis Finally In Orbit
Klaidas writes "After delays, the shuttle Atlantis has finally been launched today as expected. NASA reports: 'The shuttle Atlantis is in orbit, headed for a challenging new phase in the construction of the International Space Station. Commander Brent Jett and his five crewmates will install a new 17-ton segment of the station's truss backbone, adding a new set of giant solar panels and batteries to the complex. Three spacewalks are planned.'"
I just heard on the radio that the shuttle has just exploded!
Am I the only one who just doesn't care? Here I go, for yet another round of 'Troll' moderation points for expressing an opinion against human space exploration.
Please help metamoderate.
I completely agree with you on this. The fact is that the government is taxing us - its our money. I'd prefer they keep it to just the essentials and then let me keep some for my own spending priorities. There are many programs that are extremely wasteful and stupid in the federal budget: NASA, AmTrak, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, National Endowment for the Arts, Foreign Aid, UN dues, Department of Education, Medicaid, unnecessary weapons systems like the Comanche and the F-22, rebuilding iraq, etc. I could probably think of many others.
WTF is up with "rebuilding iraq"? Why do we want to rebuild it for? We should just smash it up real good and then leave so that the arabs know not to fuck with us. Instead, if we defeat you in a war its like you won the fucking lottery because we will come rebuild everything for you. Pretty soon Iran and North Korea will want in on the deal.
We have a huge debt. It needs to be paid off. A large chunk of our taxes go just to pay interest on debt. WTF? Why aren't they investing our tax dollars into an endowment and let congress just spend the interest? That would make a lot more sense than just borrow, borrow, borrow.
Avoid Missing Ball for High Score
Are you saying the American President is stupid? nah... did you work that out on your own ;-)
NASA hasn't had a budget cut in ages. In fact, it is one of the only agencies that has seen an increase in recent years.
The main difference is that they need to use the same astronauts over and over again because they are highly trained
I call bullshit. How many PhDs does one have to have in order to push a button (which is essentially all they do)? Is optimum physical fitness required for working in weightless space? "Astronauts" are just technicians that have been idolized and aggrandized by the myth and hero-making marketing machine. Yes, the original guys (who were actually test pilots - true daring and fearless men) were pioneers, but these days it's just a job. It's an exclusive job to be sure (the only way I'll ever get into space is if Chuck Norris kicks me) but the fact remains that all those brains in space are performing tasks that a similarly-trained 8 year old could do.