About six paragraphs that need to mention "cost" or "jobs created", only one at the bottom that has some actual scientific goals. How far we've fallen
NASA Announces Design for New Deep Space Exploration System
31–40 of 91 posts
Re: NASA Announces Design for New Deep Space Exploration System
#32"...kids today can now dream of one day walking on Mars." Hell, I dreamed of walking on Mars when I worked on the Apollo Project. I never dreamed that 2011 would come and we would never have even gone back to the moon. It makes me regret even more that I never made the trek to Florida to see a Saturn V launch.
Expand on this, please.
Re: NASA Announces Design for New Deep Space Exploration System
#33About six paragraphs that need to mention "cost" or "jobs created", only one at the bottom that has some actual scientific goals. How far we've fallen
It's a symptom of the times. People don't care about science today, they care about jobs, and NASA is trying to play that tune to keep themselves afloat.
Re: NASA Announces Design for New Deep Space Exploration System
#34The primary design objective for this system, as well as the cancelled programs NASA wasted billions on over the last four years, is to: Spend the same money in all the congressional districts that the Shuttle program spent money in. $18B is 50 times what NASA has paid out to SpaceX so far, and SpaceX already has already developed a working rocket. Congress could fund 50 SpaceX-like firms for that same amount. Instea…
My favorite part is that the first quote in the article is "This launch system will create good-paying American jobs". When an election isn't coming up they at least put that below the nationalistic/visionary stuff.
Even worse - you know that they originally wrote "well paid jobs" and a team of media image consultants decided that "good-paying American jobs" sounded more homely and folksy and would play better in social groups XYZ in congressional districts ABC.
Re: NASA Announces Design for New Deep Space Exploration System
#35About six paragraphs that need to mention "cost" or "jobs created", only one at the bottom that has some actual scientific goals. How far we've fallen
It's a symptom of the times. People don't care about science today, they care about jobs, and NASA is trying to play that tune to keep themselves afloat.
It's a pattern of the last 3 decades of NASA manned spaceflight. It hasn't always been a jobs program, but it's been mismanaged for so long that being a jobs program keeps it afloat.
Re: NASA Announces Design for New Deep Space Exploration System
#36This is great news! Hopefully the final version isn't as ugly as the artist's conception: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/multimedia/galle... Kind of reminds me of a rocket used for the Apollo missions (although it's not) with some Space Shuttle SRBs attached to the side. The first version shown in the video actually looks kind of cool -- like something SpaceX would have built. It's a good thing progress…
Why are space ships always white? If the designers are not going to use cool colors, they could at least give the rocket racing stripes or "go Nascar" with tons of advertisements. :)
White reflects the most heat, which is important during re-entry and in regulating internal temperature while being directly irradiated by the sun.
As an added bonus, white is the easiest color to see against the backdrop of Space. Photos of spacewalks would be pretty boring if the Shuttle and the astronauts were all wearing black.
Re: NASA Announces Design for New Deep Space Exploration System
#37Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sure, but something that can assemble things in space (as well as raw materials) is going to be heavy and if its heavy its going to need a heavy launcher. Fuel is heavy too. At the end of the day, you need a powerful rocket to do the heavy lifting. NASA doesn't want to turn into an agency that just gives seed money to SpaceX and wants its own heavy human-rated lifter and capsule. Not to mention, there's political wil…
" use shoddy designs " Given that NASA's shoddy design of the Shuttle has killed two of them along with their crews, somehow I don't find that to be a strong argument. If SpaceX is going to "land a monopoly on heavy launches" then by definition their vehicles will be at least somewhat reliable.
Call me when dragon has gone to space as many times as the shuttle and we'll compare safety records, thanks.
Re: NASA Announces Design for New Deep Space Exploration System
#38Don't get me wrong, I am pro space exploration and love science, but I just don't see how we can justify spending money on this kind of project with the economy as it is.
From the article: "This launch system will create good-paying American jobs"
Re: NASA Announces Design for New Deep Space Exploration System
#39About six paragraphs that need to mention "cost" or "jobs created", only one at the bottom that has some actual scientific goals. How far we've fallen
>How far we've fallen
Not really, at least not lately. Since the end of Apollo the manned space program has been first a jobs program and then everything else. So if we've "fallen" it happened in the early '70s.
NASA funding is just a perk you get as a Congressman when you amass enough clout.
Re: NASA Announces Design for New Deep Space Exploration System
#40I just want a space elevator! However, having a heavy-lifter NASA shuttle will help the creation of a space elevator.