A national science treasure, our Space effort, is drawing to an end.

[Go2Peace]

It's sad. Difficult times require difficult choices. But I don't understand why, if things are so bad we have to defund the American Space program and hitch a ride on Russian flights, why are we not creating efficiencies in Military spending first? It just doesn't feel like the priorities are right.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36070039/ns/technology_and_science-washington_post/

[alp227]

1. Forget schools, forget space, it's all about WAR! WAR! WAR!

Heck, even REAGAN at least tried to go out to space...with his Strategic Defense Initiative, something about monitoring space for missiles.

Sigh...the demolition of America. 50 years ago, the US began the space program to catch up with Russia and even amped up math/science education. Now, the Primate President began imploding the public school system with that horrid "No Child Left Behind" thing leading up to the defunding of the space program. Notice something?

[Octafish]

10. Wall Street got theirs, too.

What a coincidence, they're the same people who profit from war. They're the same swells who also enjoy their positions of economic dominance to the ignorance of the masses -- made possible by television, dumbed-down public education, and the supine news media (which they own).

[sandnsea]

2. Did you read the article??

"He is certain to point out that his budget actually boosts funding for NASA. The new NASA strategy shifts the task of launching astronauts to low Earth orbit from traditional government contracts to commercial contracts. If the private sector can create a taxi to space, NASA can focus on new technologies and longer journeys in the solar system."

The Space program is not drawing to an end.

[WCGreen]

3. That's what I understood was going to happen...

[theophilus]

17. My GOD! Don't confuse people with the FACTS!!!!!1 n/t

[PhD]

4. This is indeed shameful

I supported Obama because he promised to promote investment in research and technology. Destroying NASA, probably the most successful government agency in promoting high-tech advancement, is hardly the way to start.

[Go2Peace]

5. I did miss that money will be spent elsewhere, but it includes a lot of oursourcing

I guess we will see how it works out.

[PhD]

7. Have you seen the job losses?

NASA is projected to lose over 30,000 jobs because of the Ares cancellation. Who needs design engineers when you have nothing to design? Who needs ground controller engineers when you have nothing to fly? Who needs maintenance technicians when you have nothing to maintain?

The legacy comparison between Kennedy, who built NASA, and Obama, who's dismantling it, is amazing. Change you can believe in, indeed.

[Greyhound]

8. Short-sighted and dim-witted. Replace another enclave science/discovery with a corporate welfare

program. Yeah, cause that's worked so well so far.

And oh yes kids, don't forget to study hard cause cause we need scientists, after all what's $50K - $100K of debt when you can look forward to a career of hoping from one contract to the next, always trying to underbid the next guy.
:sarcasm: (just in case)

[PhD]

9. So you'd prefer a country full of low-wage earners than well educated scientists & engineers?

It's good to know you have such a high opinion of those of us at the cutting edge of all those techno-goodies you take for granted.

[KittyWampus]

11. NASA has wasted untold millions on manned spaceflight long past the time it made any sense.

Far as I'm concerned anything to do with manned spaceflight should be done purely by private dollars.

The cutting edge of technology comes from ever more refined robots being sent into space, not humans.

[Greyhound]

14. See, that was what the sarcasm tag was for, I'm totally on your side in this.

Dismantling one of the last venues and source of funding for pure research is another in a very long string of dumb decisions made by dumb people that elect con-men selling dumb ideas.

We area nation that cannot grasp the intricacies of the four-way stop sign, and they're quite proud of being ignorant brutes.

[PhD]

15. I apologize

I saw your sarcasm as suggesting the opposite of what you intended.

[Greyhound]

19. Not at all, I'm just sorry this is passing with so little notice. n/t

[protocol rv]

16. I don't understand, why do you say he's destroying NASA?

I don't really get your point. I'm not American, thusly I have difficulties understanding some of the comments. Are you one of those Tea types?

[Dead_Parrot]

6. Mixed feelings about that

All that's drawing to an end - or rather, a pause - is NASA's manned spaceflight.

But what NASA is best at is science, not the rocket version of indy 500: Pioneer, Voyager, Hubble, Viking... Hell, Spirit & Opportunity were only supposed to work for 90 days, and here we are on day 2,216 and the buggers are still going (even if one's stuck). How cool is that?

There's Glory & Juno to worry about, and Constellation-X and Lisa to work on. There's collaborations like the James Webb telescope, and maybe blow the dust of the Terrestrial Planet Finder. Roscosmos can't do them, but they're old hands at getting people into space - Apart from an exercise in dick-waving, why not let them do the heavy lifting and leave NASA to the techy stuff?

[KittyWampus]

12. The advances in optics, robots, computers that come from sending MACHINES into space benefit society

way more than sending humans.

Total waste of resources sending humans.

[Stevenmarc]

13. Now if Jesus traveled to earth on a spaceship, this wouldn't be an issue

[L0oniX]

18. While 700+ billion a year is spent on the fucking military here, the Russians spend 50 billion...

...and we will hitch a ride with them. Go figure!