Free Republic

see post #26

>What do you think is going to happen to their base if a flying power drill makes a hole in it?br> They'll spend maybe five minutes patching the hole with fiberglass tape and epoxy.
The drills I know, explode when they see tape or epoxy. So I repeat, such a station is indefensible without lots of good equipment. Let the Chinese spend themselves into bankruptcy - like the USSR did.

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If you think posting pretty pictures on the internet is a reasonable job. I don't.
If you don't think that's enough, I invite you to do better.

If people don't go, then it's not worth even having a space program.
People will go when the time is right. I repeat, in space, machines can do much more than people: chem analysis - no problem, digging - no problem, bring back samples - no problem, pretty pictures - O YEAH!

That said, I'd prefer that the private sector have much bigger involvement this time around
Private industry is always involved. Show them the money and say what you want - that's about it. The problem is, we wanted too many things without practical value.

Maybe we should just allow the ChiComs to take the high ground of space.

Whoever has the high ground of capable unmanned equipment is going to have the high ground not only of space but everything else. What do you think is going to happen to their base if a flying power drill makes a hole in it? Such a station is indefensible without lots of good equipment. I'd say, let them spend themselves into bankruptcy - like the USSR did.
BTW, I got bored of explaining why white is whiter than black...

Bump for later read.

This is America. We are the children of people who went over the horizon. If we stop being those people... who are we?

We are going over the horizon. Go see the pictures of Spirit. But if you want to go overboard, you can do it on your own. Why are you still here?

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Unmanned exploration gets you photos and data... but doesn't get people off-world.

And what do people get you? French fries? Whatever people can do up there, the machines can do better, safer, cheaper. We can follow them, once they are good enough to take care of that fragile couch potato called "human". The most humans can do effectively is to fly around the Earth - sometimes... (did you hear about ISS leaking?)
Bush had no business disrupting NASA at the very moment they figured out the better way. I hope he gives them more funding but stops pushing them in the wrong direction. And both of you should stop watching Hollowood cr@p.

Republicans are seen as reaching out, not just to Latinos but to moderate white voters Bush will need in the fall.

Bush is not reaching out to anybody. He saw what happened in California, didn't he? But he is doing more than Gray Davis could ever dream of. Bush is playing by the common, two-party script. If Dean wins there will be NO regime change. He will just continue down the same script. It doesn't matter what voters think or want. Californians will have to swallow the pill either way. If not from Davis - from Bush. Bread and two-party circuses.

Whatever the program is, however big it is," Evans said, "it will be within a responsible fiscal budget."

The problem is not yearly costs, the problem is lack of any return whatsoever. Unmanned exploration does a reasonable job for a lot less. But no, Bush puts the problematic and expensive manned missions in command of those humble but efficient unmanned projects. Does he want to ruin them too? Or simply can't resist the temptation of selling space soda and teeshirts for $10 mil each. And no, its not ONLY an election gimmick. He proposed real changes in the structure of NASA. Contrary to any logic and results shown. Consider: We scrap the shuttle (long overdue). We start ANOTHER, totally new, MANNED effort - and it takes TOP fiscal and control priority. Ridiculous.

Funny cartoon! But really this is not the only issue on which Bush speaks from both sides of his mouth. From energy to Medicare to NASA, this guy declares some lofty goals and in the very same speech puts out measures that do the exact opposite. It's all in the script it seems. Bush went to Iraq, got some points and then rushed to do the dirty work for Gray Davis and the pimping for Hillary. Why did California voters bothered with a recall? Bush did more than Davis ever could.

FACT: Illegal aliens who currently live and work here are required to self-identify and qualify for temporary worker status. What part of this do you not understand?

I don't get what this has to do with my post? I think you are confusing posts from different people.

Great post. You didn't stop at economics like I did. Good analogy between Iraq and the Indian wars. Yes, this treachery is an assault on Nature and its Creator. And by God it shall fall. No matter how many Presidents cave in before the enemy.

Happy FReeping!

We've been here before. 30 years ago we were ready. It's never been robots versus people, it's been lack of proof of water on Mars. The proof is in, so there is no reason to sit back and twiddle our joysticks any longer.

Your enthusiasm is commendable, and may I say, contagious. Yes, it could (and should) have been done earlier. But it hasn't. A hard fact. I don't mind betting on horses, but I know this race better. You'll have to take it on faith.

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The moon base should have been in operation for years by now, and without spending any more money than what was wasted on the Space Shuttle and ISS

Promises, promises...

Whatever happened to the spirit of the 60s?

The Spirit is on Mars, doing just fine, thank you. You can enjoy the pictures on the other thread. It's a beautiful piece of engineering - you're right that we need it. Actually we have it and just need more of it - for now. Let's not put the cart before the horse, shall we?

Look at that beauty.

Thanks.

No, you just lack all vision. No other place to spend money matters in the least if we can't survive.

Huh? You lack a lot more. If we can't survive here, we will not survive anywhere else. Or do you think radiation induced mutations are going to make us better? Before getting starry eyes, think how to get a mixed gender crew in permanent low Earth orbit. But NO, the plan is TO SCRAP THAT!

That's ok... you stay here and I'll go.

No problem. It'll cost you though. Search the net for the best price.

You are living in the clouds. The amount of illegals will stay the same no matter how many are legalized. Don't you get it - it's the civil war issue all over again. Do we increase productivity by smart use of machines or do we reduce costs by importing slave labor? It can't be both. Those who can produce more with less people will live better. For the rest - there might be a natural reduction of their population. But what's happening is the exact opposite - explosive growth and demands for "redistricting". Accommodating such demands sets a totally unnatural chain of events - more and more flooding, less and less PROGRESS.

The question now is which robots are aligned with manned exploration. Probably all are. So what's the problem?

Putting the cart before the horse is the problem. Unmanned exploration has its own ways. And only AFTER it is in advanced stage, one can start setting realistic goals for manned missions. We are far from it. If the science can be done remotely why risk another "we were wrong all along" fiasco? And oh, in office politics, "probably" has more meanings than I can count. See post 662.

Bear down HARD on the remaining illegals, and begin to treat them as that: ILLEGAL.

Like it is done... now! Wow, your' smart.

The government has no trouble enforcing so called laws against posting the Ten Commandments on government property. I'd like to see an illegal alien try that!

LOL... A good one.

This would make a wonderful thread on its own. Please, consider it.