NASA rushes plan to send humans to moon, Mars, despite doubts...

[Rose Siding]

NASA rushes plan to send humans to moon, Mars, despite doubts among scientists, Congress

WASHINGTON - NASA is racing to carry out President Bush's costly vision of sending humans back to the moon and then on to Mars - despite the federal budget squeeze and doubts in Congress and the scientific community about the plan's wisdom.

Even some of the project's allies are balking at its price tag and headlong pace.

NASA is "trying to do too much at once," said Rep. Sherwood Boehlert, R-N.Y., chairman of the House Science Committee, a strong supporter of the space agency. He protested that NASA is "barreling ahead" even though Congress "has never endorsed - in fact, never even discussed - the vision."

"I think NASA is headed for a potential train wreck," warned Rep. Bart Gordon, D-Tenn., the committee's senior Democrat, who worried that the Moon-Mars plan is gobbling up funds for other scientific ventures.

Even some space agency officials are expressing concern. ....

http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/10956120.htm

[SaveElmer]

1. Dupe

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x108110

[Lisa]

18. two words I don't like to see together -- "NASA" and "rushes"

"Rushing" is what got those astronauts killed in the Challenger disaster (went ahead with the launch under dangerous conditions to be in time for Reagan's State of the Union) -- and probably contributed to a lot of lost probes and satellites, over the years.

p.s. hastily cobbling together a mission is a sure way to end up with another Apollo 13. We got lucky that time -- but imagine if it happened on a Mars mission, months away from Earth? That would be awful for the doomed astronauts and their families ... and it would probably traumatize the public and remove further support for humans in space. And all so * can brag about a launch in HIS State of the Union? I don't think so. (If you're so keen on "the high frontier", Dubya, why don't YOU volunteer to go yourself? Being an astronaut is WAY cooler than playing cowboy!)

[GCP]

2. Could it be because they know global warming is out of control

I'm sure the administration knows it.

[Cornjob]

3. No booster, no lander, no orbiter...

sounds exactly like all of the rest of Bush's exploits.

To hell with planning, let's do it now!

The nature of a manned Mars exploration mission makes the anti-ballistic missile system look like child's play, and you can deduce how well our ABM system works.

This President is certifiable!

Shades of Reagan and his SDI debacle!

[ElsewheresDaughter]

4. bush: "we're sending manned craft to the sun and how we will do it, we're

going to do it at night"

[isthisamerica]

5. I didn't know there was oil on Mars..

Or maybe Bush hasn't figured that out!

[gordianot]

6. There is another agenda here.

We are not being leveled with as to why or even how. Honesty and candor is not desirable in * Amerika.

[NYC]

7. Space control.

Control space for weapons. What else could it be?

I'd like to think that Bush & Co. are leaving for Mars as soon as they have thoroughly destroyed this planet, but it is likelier just an effort to control space so that no one else can place weapons up there to aim down at the U.S. Just the U.S. aiming at all the other countries on the planet.

[gordianot]

10. Military high ground is my first thought.

They may have also found a cheap way to get there.

[NYC]

11. Cheap?

Money is no object when the taxpayers are paying.

Read the Molly Ivins critique of the budget, and the reduction of services for children.

[gordianot]

13. hydrogen ram jets (relatively cheaper)

There is also fundamental research on the nature of gravity. There is not a good explanation of what research is finding. (eg. dark energy and dark matter) A side most desirable effect would be potential energy benefits.

I agree this is not the time to fund a Space Boondoggle or desire a move of warfare into Space.

If there is a good reason for this return I would like to hear it. I do not trust ** word on the weather report. Some honesty by someone who can be honest would be very welcome, there seems to be a lot of recent efforts to get people into space not just by Bushco.

[jswordy]

8. They must rush to ensure they capture the funding...

...before it goes elsewhere! Fact of life in DC.

[KingoftheJungle]

9. It is sad that we are losing valuable opportunities for real research ...

due to this idiotic administration. Yeah send people to mars, then what? Probes will accomplish the same shit only much faster and with more precision.

[isthisamerica]

12. It's nice to know...

That we have money to send people to Mars but yet millions of Americans have no health insurance and many many schools have no funds to buy books, new teachers etc. What happened to Bush's no child left behind?

[physioex]

23. I agree with you there....

But there are several other countries like India that are pursuing space research, and yet a significant percentage of the population lives in poverty....

[physioex]

22. True....

But eventually we will go to Mars, be it sooner or later (I hope its sooner). And let's face facts there is no substitute for putting a human on mars....

[RelativelyJones]

14. History repeating

This is an act of people who believe they "create history and we just read about it" or some such shit. Its an act by those utterly without capacity to mark genuine scientific worth from exploitative, not-so-cheap theatre. The entire effort is a shoot the moon spasm to distinguish themselves from bush daddy

[Baclava]

15. Another doomsday asteroid?

....they know something we don't?

[Melynn]

24. That's what I was wondering

Something is up. Maybe a lot of Texas corporations will get big contracts of this venture. None of this makes sense for the reasons they are telling the public.

[fortyfeetunder]

16. When NASA fixes their safety culture, then I'll buy it.

I have two reasons why I can't buy into a NASA manned exploration:
Challenger and Columbia.

Having studied the safety reports for both accidents, I highly doubt that NASA and its contractors are truly rectified their safety culture.

After the Challenger accident, NASA had peaked on its safety culture then lapsed into a state of "faster, better, cheaper" and then complacency. Columbia's fatal accident, for seasoned engineers who are aware of NASA's culture, was no surprise. Our astronauts and mission control staff deserve better.

Keep NASA grounded until they truly clean up their act.

[old blue]

17. "... for other scientific ventures."

"...who worried that the Moon-Mars plan is gobbling up funds for other scientific ventures."


Remove the word "other."

[Jackpine Radical]

19. The moon landing may have been real, but I bet

they're gonna stage a clip of Bush walking across the sandy Martian desert in his flight suit.

Hope he forgets & takes the helmet off.

[Lisa]

20. LOL! So THAT'S what that "Mission Accomplished" banner was really for!

Great job, JR!

[Rob H.]

21. Hmm. I wonder what Halliburton's cut will be... nt

[gordianot]

25. Check out KBR, they do have a stake in aerospace. n/t