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Why Does the US Have a Civil Space Program?
BDew writes "The Presidents of the National Academy of Science and the National Academy of Engineering have commissioned a study on the Rationale and Goals of the US Civil Space Program. In short, the Academies are asking why the nation has a civil space program (including human, robotic, commercial, and personal spaceflight). The study is intended to provide a strategic framework for the nation's activities in space that can provide consistent guidance in an increasingly interconnected world. The members of the study committee are interested in the views (positive or negative) of the general public, particularly those people with a scientific and/or technological interest."
Because it's polite.
An uncivil space wouldn't get much in the way of positive press.
What are the Clangers saying?
Well, considering that Space is a vacuum, shouldn't that be: because it's not there!
When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
Yes, but we can't breathe their. Also, their is no oxygen, water, food, nor farmland to grow anything, It would be hard to haul cows up to milk and/or eat. While the shuttle *might* have been able to haul cows up, the shuttle fleet will be retired shortly. They also need hay and water. You may say well, why don't we just send up an extra load of steaks, dried buttermilk and Tang? The problem with this is that you will run out again and can not replenish supplies without it costing ten billion USD a load. While I accept the fact the moon is made of cheese, it most likely is moldy and hence it's green tinge.
In the end, man should not go into space until the cows are ready to call space home.
Take the cheese to sickbay, the doctor should see it as soon as possible - B'Elanna Torres, "Learning Curve"
That sounds like a fantastic idea for a book.
The military seems to have zero interest in maned space flight due to 4 issues.
1) Why send a person when you can send a bomb?
2) It's hard to do stealthy reentry.
3) How do you get people home once they are there?
4) It cost way to much to send enough people do do something meaningful vs flying someone in from a near by base.
5) Aliens aren't known to have any oil
6) Haliburton doesn't supply freeze-dried ice cream
7) "Shock & Awe" doesn't have much effect in space since the explosions are dwarfed by supernovas
8) We can't generate a warp signature for the Vulcans to detect yet
War as we knew it was obsolete
Nothing could beat complete denial
- Emily Haines
...NASA commissions a study to determine why we have a national Academy of Science.
Have gnu, will travel.
9) The Shadows are trying to keep the Vorlon Presidency finding their ships on Mars.
--The FNP