An Australian Space Agency At Last?

Dante_J writes "In the Australian Federal budget presented last night, as well as big national infrastructure spending, an amount of $48.6 million over four years was allocated for an 'Australian Space Science Program.' Normally a space program is managed by a space agency. Does this now mean that Australia will follow the recommendations of the Senate Space Science report and give up its rather inadequate title of the only top-20 GDP nation not to have one? With nations like Vietnam, Bangladesh and Bulgaria forming or maintaining space agencies, this government infrastructure is obviously not limited to G-20 nations. Discussions to combine Australian and New Zealand airspace have been undertaken; should that translate to aerospace too, and both nations form an ANZAC space agency together?"

Comments

Yeah, but -

[RevWaldo]

How are they gonna fire them rockets right-side up?

Re:Yeah, but -

[Anonymous Coward]

We just unbolt them from the ground and they fall into space.

Re:Yeah, but -

[afaik_ianal]

MHOOSH!!!

Re:Yeah, but -

[ignavus]

We just unbolt them from the ground and they fall into space.

Well, it's well known that anything not bolted down in this country just disappears. It's been a mystery up until now. Thanks for clearing that up.

Re:Not enough

[flyingsquid]

The $10 million per year funds development of an advanced, lightweight carbon-fiber device, the Primitive Orbital UNit Cargo Holder, or POUCH. This device is attached to the side of US and Russian launch vehicles, and the Australians can then place tiny rockets and satellites in the POUCH to launch them into orbit. Launch vehicles are recovered using a novel mechanism. Giant steel springs are attached to the bottom of the launch vehicles; after reentering the atmosphere, the vehicles hit the ground, compressing the springs, and the energy is then dissipated as the vehicle bounces across the Australian outback using a hopping motion.

Spaaaaaaaaace

[JudgeSlash]

In space, no-one can hear the dingo taking your baby...

Ten Million a Year!

[paulkoan]

Just enough to fund the committee that will take four years to discuss whether an Agency is necessary.

ANZAC?

[grim-one]

"form an ANZAC Space Agency together" So that'd be an Australia and New Zealand Army Corps Space Agency then?

About time ...

[golodh]

An Australian Space Agency? So they are finally going to explore the Outback? About time too !

And the first drongo that mentions Stroon!...

[ScottZ]

As (possibly ;-) ) heard in a pub recently...

"Look. Its not a foolproof plan but its still pretty bloody awesome. The pollies and their gready wanker mates have ruined the planet. Our country might cop it up the arse harder than any other poor bastard. So, we go with their grandiose bloody scheme and when it comes time for them to bugger off, we create a diversion, give 'em space suits with dodgy visors and pack 'em into a welded-up bus with lox flowing down the sides and pull the lever on a bloody big rubber band! Voosh! Hello Great Southern Bight!

Then we can grab ours beers, our horses, dogs, sheep, cats and sheilas and piss off in the real one. Waddya reckon?..."

knifey spooney

[stimpleton]

Oh Lordy, i can imagine if the aussies find alien life first...

"You call that a ruby dye laser? Now *this* is a ruby dye laser!"

This is a knife!

Re:obligatory

[fractoid]

What will they call this new agency? It's Australian, and it'll probably serve our local region too. And space is "the final frontier" so the primary role of this agency is exploration.

Australian Regional Space Exploration. How's that sound?