Obama to unveil ‘ambitious plan’ for NASA

[IDemo]

Source: Associated Press

updated 1:17 p.m. MT, Sun., March. 7, 2010

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama plans to host a conference in Florida next month on his administration's approach to the next step in space exploration.

The White House says Obama and top officials as well as leaders in space will discuss the future of U.S. efforts in human space flight. Details of the conference, scheduled for April 15, are to be announced later.

America's space program is in a holding pattern of sorts. Its space shuttle fleet is being retired this year, and the administration is dropping plans for a return to the moon.

The White House says Obama will unveil an "ambitious plan" for NASA. For now, Obama's budget backs private spaceships and developing new rocket technology.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35751461/ns/technology_and_science-space/

[metapunditedgy]

1. Lots of people were upset about the shutdown of the Constellation program.

The Constellation program was, as far as I (and many others) can tell, a pile of crap that survived only on its political connections. Sad to see the jobs lost at NASA. But I hope Obama isn't caving to the lobbyists (ATK, etc.) and pouring a bunch of money down a new rabbit hole.

[bluestateguy]

2. Anything that helps him carry Brevard County in 2012

nt

[valerief]

3. Can NASA build us high-speed rails, too? nt

[Downwinder]

9. I'd be happy to get the Interurban back. At $2.50/gal. cars are

out of my price range.

[Zenlitened]

4. Finally, the Republican Relocation Program is getting under way!

[smirkymonkey]

24. Right! The rich need a new place to go once they fuck up this

planet. If only we could send them there now.

[Oregone]

5. Id rather figure out how to colonize the sea than Mars

Or how to live on the earth without fucking it up.


All I want to see NASA do is 1) launch eco pods of asparagus on other suitable foliage that will grow on martian terrain, just for shits and giggles to see if they can convert it into a lush planet, 2) blow up Pluto, just because I can't stand that stupid Disney dog.

[Uncle Joe]

30. Leave Pluto alone!

:cry:




If it wasn't Pluto, it would just be Goofy,



and how ridiculous would that be having a "planet" in the solar sytem called Goofy!?

We would be the laughing stock of the




Galaxy.

[RedCloud]

6. I bet they found a planet for the corporate elite we have to fund.

[Downwinder]

11. Off to Barsoom. n/t

[EFerrari]

18. Maybe Rahm will be our Ambassador in Space.

lol

[ThoughtCriminal]

7. Sort of hoping they have considered Direct Space system

http://www.launchcomplexmodels.com/Direct/what_is_direct.htm

Never had much faith in the Constellation design.

[Dr.Phool]

8. It's the new Free Form Orbit Program.

He named the new astronauts as Mitch McConnell, John Boner, Eric Cantor, Jim DeMint, Sarah Palin, Rudy Giuliani, and Rahm Emmanuel.

Astronauts will be fired into orbit, with only a space suit, from a giant cannon, complete 3 orbits, and reenter with a parachute.

[Plucketeer]

10. I think you're idea should be re-named the Constellation program

Shoot the aforementioned GOP luminaries into space and plant them in a constellation of their own that portrays an upside down elephant in the night skies!

[Snazzy]

12. Blackwater have a space division yet? n/t

[salguine]

13. I'm afraid to read the article because I don't want to find out that Obama's put

Goldman Sachs executives in charge of NASA.

[nightrain]

14. I'd rather have an ambitious plan for real health CARE, not insurance.

[ccinamon]

15. +1 .....n/t

[Mithreal]

16. That will leave a mark.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

17. Is the contract going to Estes?

[dysfunctional press]

19. they're going to launch people with pre-existing conditions into the sun.

hcr- solved.

next?

[pundaint]

20. What's the over/under on the percentage of NASA assets turned over to private corporations

at below market value?

My entry 80%

Wonder if there will be any back-room agreements with private corporations and lobbyists between now and April 15?

[yurbud]

21. privatizing the space program was Newt's idea. But they need the benchmark of the

public program to measure themselves against, especially on safety.

[Peace Patriot]

22. I'm kind of surprised at the small-minded perspective here about NASA.

I think some of you need a session at www.galazyzoo.org, helping astronomers to classify the galaxies in our IMMENSE, INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL, FILLED WITH STARS AND GALAXIES UNIVERSE!

Galaxy Zoo needs ordinary people to eyeball spectacular photos of galaxies from all the new imaging instruments, cuz peoples' eyes are better than computers at analyzing shapes. You don't need specialized skills. There are clear, understandable tutorials to learn all you need to know. And then, WOW! It's just mind-blowing what strange and wondrous things you get to gaze at, while you decide if it's a spiral galaxy and how many arms it has, etc., or two galaxies merging, or a rare gravitational lens, or whatever. It gives you PERSPECTIVE on our teensy little planet and its fragile filament of life. A truly wondrous experience! You're helping scientists. There are tens of thousands of images that need classifying. And you can't make mistakes (in classifying): They have hundreds of participants looking at every image, and they average out mistakes/outliers. There are also great forums for discussion, posting strange or fabulous objects you come upon, and getting lots of help understanding what you're seeing.

We have plenty of money and resources to provide universal free medical care and everything our people need, PLUS embarking on the greatest human adventure EVER--human exploration of the solar system, the galaxy and the universe--if only we would stop making war and falsely calling it "defense" and stop obscenely enriching the already rich. The needs of our planet's ecosystem are obvious and can be easily provided if we stop wasting our money and our lives on consumerism, stop manufacturing war, stop toadying to our corporate rulers and restore our battered democracy. We should focus on the fantastic adventure that is calling us into the great universe, and stop fucking around and GET ON WITH IT! Open your eyes! Realize who we are--the universe's evolution of intelligence with which to contemplate and understand itself. And we are most certainly not the only such evolutionary development from all that stunningly beautiful matter out there. Think BIG!

[nightrain]

23. yes, all that is very nice, and yes, mind-blowingly awesome. However,

let's work on getting all Americans some decent sustainable employment, healthcare, housing first. Priorities here first.

And let's not privatize more programs!

[anigbrowl]

26. I wonder if you see the contradiction in your post

'Let's work on other priorities first!' (like a nation of 300 mm people can't do more than one thing at once

'let's not privatize any more!'

(even though you don't want to spend any time or energy on NASA, we can't possibly allow anyone else to do it privately).

I personally support private enterprise in space. NASA led the way and showed how to do it (along with space agencies of other countries), but I think private enterprise has the necessary skills to make it economical and affordable.

[nightrain]

27. you know, as I wrote my post, I figured someone would want to jump in, so

here you are...

I see no contradiction. Of course our nation COULD do more than one thing at a time. DUH! If it's in the nation's interest, then let the nation do it.

I personally have higher priorities than space exploration.

[clayton72]

29. Uh... we're in debt

As a nation we need to start thinking like a family. If you're in debt you don't go out buying expensive luxury items you can't afford. Would a space program create jobs and further our technology? Of course! But so would health care. And clean energy programs. And programs to solve our environmental health issues. National health is national wealth. Environmental health is world health. Education is critical to our future and we're not doing well there either. It's time to pull our military back and stop wasting money on corporate BS and get down to the real work of investing in our well being and future.

[nightrain]

31. yeah, the debt needs to be addressed, eventually. It's not the top

item for me. Health, jobs, ending war, climate change, housing, education are higher on my priority list. Debt can be dealt with responsibly, like responsible use of credit.

I certainly agree with not wasting money on corporate BS and investing in our well-being and future.

Welcome to DU, where it's never dull...

[w4rma]

33. Tax the ultra wealthy. They are the one's profiting from the debt, anyway. (nt)

[anigbrowl]

25. Yep. This thread exemplifies why the US is losing its technological lead

It's a serious issue, but 90% of the replies consist of content-free snark. The administration's plans for NASA are important both economically and politically, but you wouldn't know it from reading DU, whose members apparently think it is some kind of plot.

[nightrain]

28. perhaps others have different priorities. Who's being snarky?

[vadawg]

32. yup i think as a species we need to look outward, our destiny is out there

or it will end inevitably in another extinction event. We as a species have always looked at the horizon and wondered whats over the other side and we should be doing the same with space... it may take us a long time but we should be making the baby steps that will lead to us running..

[w4rma]

34. Is Obama handing over NASA to Goldman Sachs, too? I'm a little scared. (nt)

[Vidar]

35. Just more privatizing, which never works, unless one's goal

is to further line the pockets of rich men.

[MisterP]

36. we have discovered a habitable moon at Alpha Centauri. we have called it Pandora nt