NASA Urged To Ground Space Plane

[dArKeR]

Two leading members of the House Science Committee are urging NASA to defer its developing space plane program because of concerns about cost and the potential benefit of the craft.

NASA hopes to have the so-called Orbital Space Plane launched to the international space station by 2008, to serve at least initially as a lifeboat.

"NASA is proceeding with OSP development before we - the Congress, the White House and NASA - have reached any agreement ... on appropriate NASA goals for human space flight beyond the international space station," Reps. Sherwood Boehlert and Ralph Hall wrote to NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/10/28/tech/main580509.shtml

Are the Repukes really Repukes or are they agents of Satan sent to destroy America? Our tax money is being spent to murder instead of developing the future for our country.

[davhill]

1. We will look back at the 20th Century

as a golden age of American optimsm and exploration before foolish leaders squandered away our great wealth on petty wars and corruption.

[Minstrel Boy]

3. And the '70s will be regarded with awe.

We became bored by visits to the moon. The fucking MOON! Christ, it's almost like science fiction again, it's so long ago.

And the Concorde was just retired. Again, '70s technology. We'd thought supersonic flight would have been commonplace by now. But not even a second generation of aircraft. That's all in the past, too.

[Kinkistyle]

2. Thats alright, China's on the ball.

At the pace they're going, they'll have all that junk - space planes, missions to Mars and stuff covered while we deal with really important stuff like bombs and killing.

[JHB]

4. Not just yet...

...after all, they used recycled Russian stuff...

But they're building their infrastructure, while we're dismantling ours. Hell, we're MOVING our infrastructure THERE (moving plane-assembly and other skilled aerospace factories to China).