Cutting the heck out of NASA and Space Exploration

At least three seperate media organizations have recounted the votes, Bush won no matter what.

But back to the subject at hand. Bush and the Congress, as well as NASA are doing what they've always done regardless of the political parties involved.
NASA over sells projects to get funding, Congress and the administration promises money, then ends up cutting the budget. NASA then reduces the size or reported capabilities of the project and extends the time frame to build it.
In the end if the project isn't canceled, it ends up costing 5 times as much to build, 4 times as long to build it, with a third of the capabilities that were promised.
The shuttle was originally sold as a space truck, we'd be launching one every week.
The space station was going to be this enormous structure with a crew of 8 or 9 with two of the crew dedicated to station up keep. The station was redesigned smaller and the crew complement dropped to 6, then 3 , now we're down to 2.
NASA should be shut down, everyone fired, all it's buildings, records and equipment destroyed and we should start from scratch. It is a hoplessly flawed entity.
This country needs a cabinet level position for Space Operations, and it needs to decide once and for all do we really want a manned space program, make it a national referendum, have the people vote yes or no. If no, then cancel it completely, if yes give it the realistic funding the it requires.

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here are some news items

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3912095.stm

http://www.linuxinsider.com/story/35259.html



http://www.spacedaily.com/news/nasa-04z.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64974-2004Jul20.html

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Quote:

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Originally posted by Opus:


At least three seperate media organizations have recounted the votes, Bush won no matter what.

But back to the subject at hand. Bush and the Congress, as well as NASA are doing what they've always done regardless of the political parties involved.
NASA over sells projects to get funding, Congress and the administration promises money, then ends up cutting the budget. NASA then reduces the size or reported capabilities of the project and extends the time frame to build it.
In the end if the project isn't canceled, it ends up costing 5 times as much to build, 4 times as long to build it, with a third of the capabilities that were promised.
The shuttle was originally sold as a space truck, we'd be launching one every week.
The space station was going to be this enormous structure with a crew of 8 or 9 with two of the crew dedicated to station up keep. The station was redesigned smaller and the crew complement dropped to 6, then 3 , now we're down to 2.
NASA should be shut down, everyone fired, all it's buildings, records and equipment destroyed and we should start from scratch. It is a hoplessly flawed entity.
This country needs a cabinet level position for Space Operations, and it needs to decide once and for all do we really want a manned space program, make it a national referendum, have the people vote yes or no. If no, then cancel it completely, if yes give it the realistic funding the it requires.

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NASA has a reservoir of talented people and know-how that should not be dismantled and cast aside. Moreover, NASA is not just manned space flight-- it is also aerospace research and unmanned missions, which, right now, are the gleaming bright spots of our space efforts (two operational Mars rovers and Cassini-- hard to beat that). That aside, your point that America's space efforts, esp. manned space missions, need direction, goals, and funding, is well taken. Since the end of the moon missions manned flight at NASA has been floundering, purposeless and without a sense of direction. Part of the problem is that, as noted by others, NASA's funding has always been a political football. In that respect, I think we agree-- come up with something sensible, comprehensive and attainable with manned flight, or get off the launch pad and let somebody else have a shot.

Oh, bugger! Now I have to wait for someone to wake up!

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Quote:

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Originally posted by Peace:
NASA has a reservoir of talented people and know-how that should not be dismantled and cast aside. Moreover, NASA is not just manned space flight-- it is also aerospace research and unmanned missions, which, right now, are the gleaming bright spots of our space efforts (two operational Mars rovers and Cassini-- hard to beat that). That aside, your point that America's space efforts, esp. manned space missions, need direction, goals, and funding, is well taken. Since the end of the moon missions manned flight at NASA has been floundering, purposeless and without a sense of direction. Part of the problem is that, as noted by others, NASA's funding has always been a political football. In that respect, I think we agree-- come up with something sensible, comprehensive and attainable with manned flight, or get off the launch pad and let somebody else have a shot.

Oh, bugger! Now I have to wait for someone to wake up!

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I was going a little over the top obviously, but it has been an institution that has been run horribly all most from day one.
As for bad management a good book to read is Dragonfly, it shows how poorly things are run.
The unmanned program has suffered because of the shuttle and space station sucking up the money. Also the policy of better,faster,cheaper or was it quicker, faster , cheaper...whichever, it was still a disaster.
Believe it or not I am a big supporter of space, but I've seen too much garbage over the decades and to see it continue is pitiful.
The shuttle first launched the year I graduated highschool, and despite all the technical advances in computers and such the manned space program has remained virtually at a stand still.
Twenty plus years wasted, and from the latest vote on funding, the program will just continue limping along.

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I don't understand how the masses do not see the need for space exploration, how essential it is to humanity. Beyond the fact that is human nature to explore, and the technological advances that come with it, we need to explore in the hopes that we find a new place to live before we destroy our planet.

Suicide is the most sincere form of self-criticism - Heinlein

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