Apollo 11 Dismembered • Hacker News Board

Re: Apollo 11 Dismembered

#11

Post by ErrantX » Tue, Jul 21, 2009, 1:39 PM UTC

hvs wrote: post #2

We have a government spending trillions of dollars with plans to spend more and he suggests spending billions more on space travel? The real solution is to eliminate the regulatory barriers to private space travel and sell off NASA to interested private parties. The Moon might not be their first priority, but we would have a much more vibrant space program and the costs for larger missions would drop dramatically.

The problem is that they worry foreign companies will muscle into the picture.

Imagine if China landed the first Moon Base in 2020 and was wellestablished there before the US even landed another astronaut. Highly unlikely BUT the fear is there - and with that fear comes the other one; strategic habitation of the Moon establishes something of a superiority over other countries.

Summary: the US govt. will guard NASA as long as it can. It can use it to make sure that it holds onto much of the tech (or at least controls who makes it).

Re: Apollo 11 Dismembered

#12

Post by hvs » Tue, Jul 21, 2009, 1:54 PM UTC

ErrantX wrote: post #11

hvs wrote: post #2

We have a government spending trillions of dollars with plans to spend more and he suggests spending billions more on space travel? The real solution is to eliminate the regulatory barriers to private space travel and sell off NASA to interested private parties. The Moon might not be their first priority, but we would have a much more vibrant space program and the costs for larger missions would drop dramatically.

The problem is that they worry foreign companies will muscle into the picture. Imagine if China landed the first Moon Base in 2020 and was wellestablished there before the US even landed another astronaut. Highly unlikely BUT the fear is there - and with that fear comes the other one; strategic habitation of the Moon establishes something of a superiority over other countries. Summary: the US govt. will guard NASA as…

I don't disagree, and considering the amount of military hardware that NASA puts up, they will be keeping NASA for quite some time. What should be done and what is actually done are usually two completely different things when it comes to the U.S. gov't.

Re: Apollo 11 Dismembered

#13

Post by roundsquare » Tue, Jul 21, 2009, 1:55 PM UTC

ErrantX wrote: post #11

hvs wrote: post #2

We have a government spending trillions of dollars with plans to spend more and he suggests spending billions more on space travel? The real solution is to eliminate the regulatory barriers to private space travel and sell off NASA to interested private parties. The Moon might not be their first priority, but we would have a much more vibrant space program and the costs for larger missions would drop dramatically.

The problem is that they worry foreign companies will muscle into the picture. Imagine if China landed the first Moon Base in 2020 and was wellestablished there before the US even landed another astronaut. Highly unlikely BUT the fear is there - and with that fear comes the other one; strategic habitation of the Moon establishes something of a superiority over other countries. Summary: the US govt. will guard NASA as…

But isn't that self defeating? If China decides that they want to go to the moon for strategic purposes and that private enterprise is the way to do it, then they will loosen up restrictions and tell the American engineers to come over and help. I'd imagine a lot of them would go to China because they see NASA getting less and less prominent. I don't see how this helps strategically.

Re: Apollo 11 Dismembered

#14

Post by hyuhgtf » Tue, Jul 21, 2009, 1:56 PM UTC

stcredzero wrote: post #5

mixmax wrote: post #4

This is one of the best pieces I've read in a while. Definitely worth your time.

I agree with all of the points. The knowledge of science across the population as a whole is decaying in the US. Could've edited better.

Has anything changed? A 100years ago how many people knew (or cared) how a steam engine or telegraph worked?

You don't have to be computer literate because there is a computer on your wrist. In the 30s the big thing was electric motors, everything was going to be run by electric motors and people would have to become electric motor literate.

Re: Apollo 11 Dismembered

#15

Post by ErrantX » Tue, Jul 21, 2009, 1:58 PM UTC

hvs wrote: post #12

ErrantX wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is that they worry foreign companies will muscle into the picture. Imagine if China landed the first Moon Base in 2020 and was wellestablished there before the US even landed another astronaut. Highly unlikely BUT the fear is there - and with that fear comes the other one; strategic habitation of the Moon establishes something of a superiority over other countries. Summary: the US govt. will guard NASA as…

I don't disagree, and considering the amount of military hardware that NASA puts up, they will be keeping NASA for quite some time. What should be done and what is actually done are usually two completely different things when it comes to the U.S. gov't.

oh hell yeh agreed.

I said fear. should have said irrational fear. Such things can do much for furthering tech (example: the space race) but also hamper it (example: the current NASA situation).

Catch 22 :)

Re: Apollo 11 Dismembered

#16

Post by philwelch » Tue, Jul 21, 2009, 2:52 PM UTC

ErrantX wrote: post #11

hvs wrote: post #2

We have a government spending trillions of dollars with plans to spend more and he suggests spending billions more on space travel? The real solution is to eliminate the regulatory barriers to private space travel and sell off NASA to interested private parties. The Moon might not be their first priority, but we would have a much more vibrant space program and the costs for larger missions would drop dramatically.

The problem is that they worry foreign companies will muscle into the picture. Imagine if China landed the first Moon Base in 2020 and was wellestablished there before the US even landed another astronaut. Highly unlikely BUT the fear is there - and with that fear comes the other one; strategic habitation of the Moon establishes something of a superiority over other countries. Summary: the US govt. will guard NASA as…

Can you think of any strategic value to the moon? I can't.

Re: Apollo 11 Dismembered

#17

Post by access_denied » Tue, Jul 21, 2009, 3:09 PM UTC

edw519 wrote: post #7

Nice rant. If I think about it long enough, it's depressing. So I won't. I'll code something instead. (Sometimes I think the reason I program so much is because the big issues seem so futile. This is one thing that I can do something about right now, so I do.)

Gandhi just started out alone on a "big issue", and he even saw ROI during is lifetime.

Re: Apollo 11 Dismembered

#18

Post by LogicHoleFlaw » Tue, Jul 21, 2009, 3:12 PM UTC

philwelch wrote: post #16

ErrantX wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is that they worry foreign companies will muscle into the picture. Imagine if China landed the first Moon Base in 2020 and was wellestablished there before the US even landed another astronaut. Highly unlikely BUT the fear is there - and with that fear comes the other one; strategic habitation of the Moon establishes something of a superiority over other countries. Summary: the US govt. will guard NASA as…

Can you think of any strategic value to the moon? I can't.

There's always the "drop giant rocks on your enemies" approach, if you like the blunt end of things.

On the other hand, once you're out of Earth's gravity well, you're halfway to anywhere.

Re: Apollo 11 Dismembered

#19

Post by TheSOB88 » Tue, Jul 21, 2009, 3:14 PM UTC

philwelch wrote: post #16

ErrantX wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is that they worry foreign companies will muscle into the picture. Imagine if China landed the first Moon Base in 2020 and was wellestablished there before the US even landed another astronaut. Highly unlikely BUT the fear is there - and with that fear comes the other one; strategic habitation of the Moon establishes something of a superiority over other countries. Summary: the US govt. will guard NASA as…

Can you think of any strategic value to the moon? I can't.

I can think of a few.

There's supposedly fuel on the moon. He3, if I'm right.

You'd be much more easily able to control space (orbital space), because you'd have fabrication plants on a place with about 1/6 of the gravity, making escaping that gravity much, much easier.

It would bring you a lot closer to the goal of space colonization.

Plus, lasers.

Re: Apollo 11 Dismembered

#20

Post by gaius » Tue, Jul 21, 2009, 3:15 PM UTC

philwelch wrote: post #16

ErrantX wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is that they worry foreign companies will muscle into the picture. Imagine if China landed the first Moon Base in 2020 and was wellestablished there before the US even landed another astronaut. Highly unlikely BUT the fear is there - and with that fear comes the other one; strategic habitation of the Moon establishes something of a superiority over other countries. Summary: the US govt. will guard NASA as…

Can you think of any strategic value to the moon? I can't.

It would "prove" that Communism is superior to Capitalism and lead non-aligned nations into China's sphere of influence. That's what the original space race was about - impressing countries that hadn't made their minds up yet.