12 October, 2009

I think NASA is a critical tool in R&D and job creation/sustainment

Panel?s report threatens NASA?s mission - TheHill.com
Comments from the site
I guess I find it hard to justify spending on this currently. That said, it may be worth it in just National Pride. I hadn't realized that the NASA budget was so small. Perhaps most of the cost cutting has already been done, and they appear to do quite a bit with relatively small resources.
BY MURPHYSLAWW on 10/06/2009 at 07:55
Space is a species imperative plain an simple. Any species that does not expand its range is doomed to unhappiness due to crowding and extinction due to statistical causes. We must research and explore now for the longer term goals of colonization and space mining later. Short term, basic space research, even if the goals are not reached, pushed technology useful in many economic areas and increases our technological edge. NASA work in aerospace alone is worth the cash. Want a happy economy, and more engineers? Put money into NASA, goals or not.
BY PROPELLERHEAD on 10/07/2009 at 13:29
Technology is our only edge in this world. Without it, we'd have only 3d world ambitions. Increase funding now!
BY MICHAEL IN ATLANTA on 10/07/2009 at 16:04
We are a virus upon this planet. Don't spread us anywhere else. Wait until we value life enough not to abort children, provide safe water and sufficient food, medicine, education and a loving upbringing to all children. We don't respect the elderly. We kill each other by the millions. Suicide bombers blow themselves up to kill others. We spend billions locking people up in prisons. An honor role student in Chicago was just beaten to death while someone made a video of it. The best thing we can do is just stay in our own yard until we can grow up.
BY TOUGHTOENAILS on 10/08/2009 at 13:11
All of that stimulus money laying around and they can't cut 3 billion/year loose to fund high paying jobs in the aerospace industry that will maintain our industrial base and generate new derivative technologies that could spawn additional industrial and service industry growth. Paying for research and development Stimulates the economy by making new jobs and creating windows of opportunity for small businesses to obtain meaningful work.NASA has historically been a beacon for attracting kids who are interested in science and generating interest in advanced education. Funding NASA, encourages people to enter science and engineering coursework.Finally, our peers in the world are striving to reach the moon as well, most notably the Chinese. To effectively cede that capability to them may end up being regretted when they decide in the future to use that capability to deny our access to space, potentially deny our space observation assets and effectively dictate telecommunicati ons policy.I'd hope policy makers aren't so short sighted as to kill this industry to save a couple fractions of percent of the federal budget. So much to lose for such a small sustainment cost, even if you add 5 billion a year to the budget.
BY NICK on 10/08/2009 at 18:56
In the 1930's the United States government used air mail as a means to jump-start air transportation. Although there were some mis-steps, it led to passenger operations and ultimately the DC-3, one of the best airplanes ever built. At the same time, the NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics) applied research began to bear fruit: The NACA cowl and NACA airfoils. Note that the NACA was not operating air transportation themselves.Today there are many similarities: Private companies like SpaceX and Armadillo Aerospace are developing hardware and capabilities under contract to NASA. Other concepts, like refueling depots at convenient low orbit points, provide a more robust approach to space operations than NASA's back-to-the-future Ares / Orion project. NASA should return to RD only and get out of the space transportation business.If you need a reason to move into space, look at the Chicxulub Crater, 180 km in diameter. Whether it alone caused the mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous, a similar impact today would put a severe hickey on our technological society.We are in a s
BY JACK OKIE on 10/08/2009 at 19:02
Let's not throw away all previous progress and totally change directions every time that someone new moves into the White House, like Nixon did with Apollo technology. Let's make the most of the ISS, even though some people don't think that it is idea. Let's make the most of Constellation, even thought some people don't think that it is ideal. Let's make the most of COTS, even thought some people don't think that it is ideal.NASA needs consistent, realistic funding and goals. It's mission is space exploration and development. It is a long term investment in our future.
BY NELSON BRIDWELL on 10/09/2009 at 03:39
Ares I is a piece of crap, Nelson, and everybody know it.It would be INSANE to throw more money at it.

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