Posted on 07/12/2005 7:28:59 PM PDT by KevinDavis
Los Angeles, CA, July 11, 2005 – In anticipation of this week's planned return to flight of NASA's Space Shuttle Discovery, the Space Frontier Foundation renewed its call for the orbiters to be retired. The Foundation, which for over 15 years has criticized the Shuttle system as too costly, urged NASA and the Congress to announce a firm date when the last orbiter will fly.
“If it were up to us the shuttle would never have flown in the first place,” said the Foundation's Rick Tumlinson. “Far from opening space to the American people, it has weighed down our space program with its bloated budgets, massive support network and tragic cost in terms of human life. It's time is passed. We should kill it as soon as possible, before more money gets wasted and, heaven forbid, anyone else gets hurt.”
(Excerpt) Read more at space-frontier.org ...
Yeah, we could be sending the cash to Africa instead!
Right now, it can't. Thanks to NASA's efforts during the Klinton era, there are no truly private surface-to-orbit systems for passengers or cargo. Under Klinton, NASA systematically destroyed anything that resembled a private spacecraft through FUD, rumormongering, and other nasty tricks.
Like it or not, it's all we have until the X Prize boys (and girls) come up with a commercial replacement.
Not cash, send a check via the shuttle.
That is true...
Not only that, but the author is wrong on the price of human life. If all humans were so weak-stomached then mankind never would have ventured Out of Africa (if you subscribe to this theory).
Yes, scrap that wasteful space program. Let China get a foothold in space.
Sheesh, what were we thinking.
I agree that the Shuttle should be scrapped, however, we Americans should go into space. We should continue to take risks. There are going to be some deaths, but we must continue...
The day there is a commercially available replacement or replacements (perhaps one passeger transport and one freighter type, as current aircraft are organized today) is the day the Shuttles should be packed up and sent off to museums. Then NASA should start building an interplanetary craft in orbit (the current insane Shuttle budget would just about cover the expense, IIRC) using those commercial craft to "shuttle" stuff up to orbit.
I am tired of 60's technologies floating around.
where are the photon torpedos and those hot star trak girls
and no dont post those convention chicks
FYI ping
"Private industry can send humans to space at a cheaper rate..."
That has yet to be proven and I tend to doubt it. I do support private spaceflights however.
I agree wtih you 100%
We will need the shuttle until a replacement is built. But we must NOT give up sending Americans into space. It is vital to several interests, including both exploration and national security, that we maintain superiority in space.
Yeah lets keep kicking NASA for a decision made when Nixon was President.
Shuttle is expensive and far from perfect. But she is the only girl in town right now and she still has a job to finish before she is retired.
Exploration isnt easy, it isnt riskless, and it takes the best and boldest among us to go foreward where others have not for the benefit of all. We are nation of explorers. Every one of us is here because somebody took a risk and made sacrifices. Blood and treasure. We owe future generations the same advantages we inherited.
GO DISCOVERY!
While an amazing vehicle, it has been an albatross around the entire space program's neck. NASA got stuck on gee-whiz instead of it's original mission.
Those programs were cancelled by the Democrats in the 70s to fund more feel-good do-nothing social programs.
We would have a moon colony now if Jimmah hadn't killed the funding for it.
The fact is that there is no need for human beings in space that justifies the immense cost. Fully automated robotic space probes and cheap satellite launch capacity is where the money should be spent. If the Chinese want to blow their money to demonstrate that they can match where the US was in 1960 - almost 40 years ago - great. I'd rather have them doing that with the money than buying up more oil fields around the world or building more naval bases in the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf. Get the Chinese focused on doing something pointless like putting a Chinaman on the Moon.
Go read "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress" by Robert Heinlein and tell me that there's no need for humans in space.
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