I was NINE years old when we landed on the moon. Now according to President Obama’s latest speech about American manned spaceflight – at minium, I would be 71 years old by the time the US gets around to going out to Mars!.
No Fracking Way! (To barrow a useful word from the TV series “Battlestar Galactica”).
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I have previously agreed with our President that we should booster private space companies who can provide ‘taxi’ service duties (eventually) up to the International Space Station. I still agree with that part of his plan.
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We have already spent about $9 billion on the Orion part of the Constellation Project and now, as an after thought; we’ll develope a smaller version (can anyone say “Apollo?”) to be used as a lifeboat at the international space station. Problem is getting the damn thing UP to the space station.
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And oh, maybe a new heavy-lift booster decision will be made in 2015.
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Quote: With the shuttles to be retired after three more flights, NASA has left crew transportation in the hands of Russia, the only other country besides China that flies people in orbit.
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China is not a part of the space station partnership.
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Russia charges the United States $51 million a seat on its Soyuz capsules. The price increases to $55 million in 2013.
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Part of Obama’s plan is to develop commercial U.S. space taxis to avoid reliance on Russia.
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SpaceX, owned and operated by Internet entrepreneur Elon Musk, already holds NASA contracts worth nearly $1.9 billion to develop and fly Falcon 9 rockets and Dragon capsules for space station cargo resupply missions.
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Virginia-based Orbital Sciences Corp has NASA contracts of similar value for its Taurus II-Cygnus system, which is scheduled to debut next year. end Quote.
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NASA is only a jobs program for our politicans to play around with just to get votes in Florida. Screw actual research!
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Screw a future generation of American children. Already overtaxed, what the hell are THEY going to dream about? What will they want to be when they grow up? ”I want to be a astronaut” will turn into what? “I want to be a faceless government bureaucrat in a grey cube somewhere in no-name USA doing a meaning less government job?!” Because being employed by the government in such a meaning less job is the only job growth to be seen on the horizon.
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Man – that would really suck! Wouldn’t it? Also in my link section, there is a well written article posted on New Papyrus that the reader needs to check out entitled ”How Congress Should Respond to Obama’s Manned Spaceflight Budget.”
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I am sorry my fellow Americans, but American leadership in spaceflight has officially been turned over to the Russians!
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Ref. Reuters. April 13, 2010. “Obama pushes NASA revamp, vision of Mars flight”. by Steve Holland and Irene Klotz. (http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE63C3FJ20100415).
Reuters. April 13, 2010.
“Q+A: Pros, cons of Obama space plan fire up debate”. (http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE63C3FQ20100414).
The Shanks Dimension. (http://www.theshanksdimension.com/2010/04/you-tell-him-neil-atta-boy/).
New Papyrus.com “How Congress Should Respond to Obama’s Manned Spaceflight Budget.” (http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/2010/04/how-congress-should-respond-to-obamas.html).
3 comments
Electric Lighting : says:
October 28, 2010 at 10:54 am (UTC -5)
government jobs are still the best when it comes to job security -,”
Optical Systems Forum · says:
November 14, 2010 at 2:35 pm (UTC -5)
it is really great to get government jobs because the government can give you a good job security **`
admin says:
November 14, 2010 at 11:02 pm (UTC -5)
Guys –
Ok with the government jobs = jobs security postings. I think that pretty much covers that aspect of the story.