R.I.P. NASA

Ha ha! Well it seems as if the current administration is actually going out of its way to tear apart American establishments almost with a vengeance. Its not a question of ignorance or not any more. Its a clear targeting and attempt to bring America to its knees so that the head can be lopped off.
NASA was he dream of many a kid to include me. Unfortunately when I got older and saw what it really was that dream faded. But I still have pictures here and there of things like the space shuttle rocket. I have a beat up moon lander model too some place. Adding insult to injury of the American people is just par for the course of this administration.
 
Had breakfast with a man many years ago worked with NASA. We were talking technology. People, in general, have no idea how much technology NASA is responsible for. An incredible amount of that is used in so many things here on earth.
 
just me said:
Had breakfast with a man many years ago worked with NASA. We were talking technology. People, in general, have no idea how much technology NASA is responsible for. An incredible amount of that is used in so many things here on earth.
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Yes they definitely came up with a lot of good tech. And they misused a lot of it on the space shuttle.

And don't get me wrong, the shuttle is a beautiful engineering marvel - it was incredibly hard to get that thing to go into space and it took a lot of knowledge and innovations. Problem was they were wasting all their talents on a poor concept. It's like launching a school bus to the moon - sure that is an epic feat of engineering to launch a bus to the moon but that same technology could have been used on a more suitable project.
 
....this does not sound good at all, but I am reading interesting things here.

Do continue.
 
Eventhorizon said:
NASA is a government agency and as such is bound by red tape and forced to buy over priced junk. In its hay day it represented the best of America. Niw its time to move onto the private sector that can do the same better and faster. Imagine if it was only the government that was allowed to build computers. We never would have gotten past the Vic 20.
It upsets me of course the way its dying. The idea that Obama and the like step in qnd dictate something they have no right to dictate. But who cares. We are on the precipice of commercial space exploration.
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The neo-liberal ideology and its private good, public bad is as bad as the animals in Orwell's Animal Farm and their two legs bad, four legs better dictat.

The success, where there has been success, in production by private firms for private interests has been restricted to a number of small sectors in which marketing, advertising and mass markets can all function well, soft drinks would be one example, generic products like potatoes another, maybe, for different reasons. I dont see any of those factors existing in space exploration.

I would agree that the state can no longer bank roll space programmes how it once did but I dont believe that the private sector will fill the void in quite the hoped for ways, instead there will probably be highly expensive exercises in providing billionaires with zero gravity, high atmosphere day trips or things of that kind but I really dont expect much besides, maybe the Chinese but that's about it.
 
sprinkles said:
Yes they definitely came up with a lot of good tech. And they misused a lot of it on the space shuttle.

And don't get me wrong, the shuttle is a beautiful engineering marvel - it was incredibly hard to get that thing to go into space and it took a lot of knowledge and innovations. Problem was they were wasting all their talents on a poor concept. It's like launching a school bus to the moon - sure that is an epic feat of engineering to launch a bus to the moon but that same technology could have been used on a more suitable project.
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Speaking of wasting money....school buses.
 
sprinkles said:
Yes they definitely came up with a lot of good tech. And they misused a lot of it on the space shuttle.

And don't get me wrong, the shuttle is a beautiful engineering marvel - it was incredibly hard to get that thing to go into space and it took a lot of knowledge and innovations. Problem was they were wasting all their talents on a poor concept. It's like launching a school bus to the moon - sure that is an epic feat of engineering to launch a bus to the moon but that same technology could have been used on a more suitable project.
Click to expand...

Speaking of wasting money....school buses.

Large government contracts that require buying from specific companies was created to prevent smaller companies providing lesser quality products. Buy American Act, made to generate jobs and help the economy, costs the Feds a lot more money than buying overseas. Unions have skyrocketed salaries, causing the import-export business exorbitant costs just to pay them. Everything from food to cell phones cost more because of unions.

Knew a man used imported steel on a military job, against the details, and got caught. Another company turned him in and we was fit to be tied. I told him it was his own fault. We have had to implement anti-dump laws to prevent large companies from exceeding their limits sent to the US.

High paid people seems like the biggest sensible thing people are complaining about. Why not look into that like 60 minutes did. Fix it and it still won't fix an over-populated country living beyond its means, and too many hands in the cookie jar. Pick an individual person and see why he is making millions. Might open a few eyes.

Saying sending something into space was stupid does not produce anything. Lot of folk spend too much of their time worrying about the past and worrying about the future, to enjoy their present state of mind.
 
just me said:
Speaking of wasting money....school buses.

Large government contracts that require buying from specific companies was created to prevent smaller companies providing lesser quality products. Buy American Act, made to generate jobs and help the economy, costs the Feds a lot more money than buying overseas. Unions have skyrocketed salaries, causing the import-export business exorbitant costs just to pay them. Everything from food to cell phones cost more because of unions.

Knew a man used imported steel on a military job, against the details, and got caught. Another company turned him in and we was fit to be tied. I told him it was his own fault. We have had to implement anti-dump laws to prevent large companies from exceeding their limits sent to the US.

High paid people seems like the biggest sensible thing people are complaining about. Why not look into that like 60 minutes did. Fix it and it still won't fix an over-populated country living beyond its means, and too many hands in the cookie jar. Pick an individual person and see why he is making millions. Might open a few eyes.

Saying sending something into space was stupid does not produce anything. Lot of folk spend too much of their time worrying about the past and worrying about the future, to enjoy their present state of mind.
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Why do you unions make things more expensive? For the craic? Is it fun for them?

Its more likely that the unions are breaking the news about what the real costs are to people who think they can get peoples time and effort for free or next to nothing.

I agree with you that it would make sense to follow the money and see exactly how big money is made, the scripts which people tell others, even tell themselves, are lousy with lies.

I dont buy the whole malthusian idea of an over populated country living beyond its means, for well documented and age old reasons, the arguments of Malthus are about as legit today as the day in which they were dreamt up. Whose means? Does the guy breaking even and only just financing his rent each month from the three jobs they work consume the same as the single millionaire lounging by the pool and living of their "hard working" trust fund? What cookie jar? What hands?
 
Lark said:
The neo-liberal ideology and its private good, public bad is as bad as the animals in Orwell's Animal Farm and their two legs bad, four legs better dictat.

The success, where there has been success, in production by private firms for private interests has been restricted to a number of small sectors in which marketing, advertising and mass markets can all function well, soft drinks would be one example, generic products like potatoes another, maybe, for different reasons. I dont see any of those factors existing in space exploration.

I would agree that the state can no longer bank roll space programmes how it once did but I dont believe that the private sector will fill the void in quite the hoped for ways, instead there will probably be highly expensive exercises in providing billionaires with zero gravity, high atmosphere day trips or things of that kind but I really dont expect much besides, maybe the Chinese but that's about it.
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We will see. One can hope. In my lifetime? No. But then my life time was never the end of my dreams.
 
Lark said:
The neo-liberal ideology and its private good, public bad is as bad as the animals in Orwell's Animal Farm and their two legs bad, four legs better dictat.

The success, where there has been success, in production by private firms for private interests has been restricted to a number of small sectors in which marketing, advertising and mass markets can all function well, soft drinks would be one example, generic products like potatoes another, maybe, for different reasons. I dont see any of those factors existing in space exploration.

I would agree that the state can no longer bank roll space programmes how it once did but I dont believe that the private sector will fill the void in quite the hoped for ways, instead there will probably be highly expensive exercises in providing billionaires with zero gravity, high atmosphere day trips or things of that kind but I really dont expect much besides, maybe the Chinese but that's about it.
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Ted Cruz IS a Neoliberal.
 
just me said:
Speaking of wasting money....school buses.

Large government contracts that require buying from specific companies was created to prevent smaller companies providing lesser quality products. Buy American Act, made to generate jobs and help the economy, costs the Feds a lot more money than buying overseas. Unions have skyrocketed salaries, causing the import-export business exorbitant costs just to pay them. Everything from food to cell phones cost more because of unions.

Knew a man used imported steel on a military job, against the details, and got caught. Another company turned him in and we was fit to be tied. I told him it was his own fault. We have had to implement anti-dump laws to prevent large companies from exceeding their limits sent to the US.

High paid people seems like the biggest sensible thing people are complaining about. Why not look into that like 60 minutes did. Fix it and it still won't fix an over-populated country living beyond its means, and too many hands in the cookie jar. Pick an individual person and see why he is making millions. Might open a few eyes.

Saying sending something into space was stupid does not produce anything. Lot of folk spend too much of their time worrying about the past and worrying about the future, to enjoy their present state of mind.
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Sending something to space wasn't the problem. It was sending something that shouldn't be in space into space.

The reason it was so hard to get the shuttle into space, and the reason why it was so dangerous and expensive was because an airplane shaped craft is not the best shape for leaving and entering the atmosphere. There's a lot of issues with balance and drag, there's a lot of potential for one part being damaged causing the whole thing to spin out of control and break up, and the heat shield was so huge and important to the craft that if it got damaged there's a good chance some important component is going to melt on reentry and destroy the craft.

Rocket shapes are better which is mainly why nobody has died on one in like forever. The shape is more simple, stronger, cheaper, more balanced and less prone to failing and breaking up. Plus the heat shield on the reentry capsule is usually covered and protected by the propulsion module until it's time for reentry and is much smaller and harder to damage.

Rockets also cost about 1/4 to build and launch. They could have sent the Challenger crew on three Soyuz rockets and it still would have been cheaper than one shuttle AND they would have had room for two more people.
 
Commericial space exploration. It's the discovery of the New World all over again. You couldn't make it up! :lol:
 
Shall we say a few words?
 
You guys underestimate the ability for Obama to do nothing, and yet something at the same time.
 
o_q said:
I only underestimate how hard it is for some people to resist an opportunity to blame Obama
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Blame fits where it fits. Nasa was on its way to putting a moon station in place by 2020. They had been given the funding. Then Obama came along and cut it. Now this is what Presidents do. They take money from one area and put it where ever their constituents like. In this case though yes, we really can blame Obama.
 
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Alomoes said:
You guys underestimate the ability for Obama to do nothing, and yet something at the same time.
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I understand his golf game has improved by a couple of strokes since he became President. 200 rounds of golf in 6 years. Good to see he has time to do something even if it has nothing to do with what he should be doing.
 
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