Comments on: US Losing Space Race

By: R. C. Jackman

R. C. Jackman — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:13:42 +0000

What is man without a vision for the future? What is man when he succumbs to the mere mundane? In the long history of our planet, will man be just another dinosaur that lived for a time and then passed away? Admittedly, our government has a habit of botching brave new projects. We begin projects (space, super collider), decide they cost too much, abandon them, begin again, and in the end spend a lot more money than we would have if we would have completed what we started from the beginning.

The money spent is not wasted. It creates jobs. It leads to new scientific discoveries. Spinoffs enhance the national income. New industries are developed. Support industries profit. And the money itself is spent back into the national economy.

Our President talks about us becoming a second-rate nation. We have already lost our former greatness. We are the world’s greatest debtor nation. Now we have to rely on other nations for transportation to and from our own space station. We have no pride.

By: PIF

PIF — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 18:31:09 +0000

The Russians allegedly manually destoryed their shuttle version.

Meanwhile, we have a political system in which one party wants to give free stuff to people by spending unimaginable amounts of money, and another which wants to give free stuff to people by spending responsibilly.

This is crazy making.

What we need is a party with the political will to have a GOAL and a plan we can understand giving all the things Barry mentions (including re-industialization) as part of the road to that goal. A true manned space exploration program is (IMHO) the answer. Like the Orion motto (Mars by 1965, Venus by 1970), there needs to also be a very simple motto.

By: PIF

PIF — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 13:44:16 +0000

Right!

If the US had not lost its political will in the 60s, then not only would we have been to all the planets in this system (via {Gen One} 10,000 ton intersystem Orion ships), but at least one 40,000,000 ton interstellar Orion ship would be well on its way to some other star system.

By: PIF

PIF — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 13:36:05 +0000

That would be Axelrod, Emanuel, Jarrett — and of course, input from G. Soros and the Tides Foundation.

By: PIF

PIF — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 13:03:44 +0000

“…satellites that can intercept electronic waves. Meaning, we can intercept any conversation on the entire planet” was going on in the 1970s, so what’s new here?

By: PIF

PIF — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 12:57:33 +0000

“the Chinese will be the first to put a man on mars.”

And thereby hold the high ground militarily… if they can get to Mars and we cannot, then, should they desire, they can send rocks back to Earth, not only as raw material sources, but as weapons to fall on designated targets…

By: PIF

PIF — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 12:52:45 +0000

“I wish we were spending tenfold on NASA.” You can say that again — 100 X would suit me fine.

By: Steve G

Steve G — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:15:24 +0000

You hit the nail on the head.

By: Bill Snow

Bill Snow — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 08:57:05 +0000

I have expected this The U.S.A. always drifts to the left and the nay sayers sooner or later,Every damn thing we want to or have developed has been done with a struggle with the fools that take our money and run back home to their district with it. I remember Dont go to the Moon forget the development of a good ta WE THE PEOPLE what a laughAs guests of honor in the 90’s in washingtOn about 300 EX-P.O.W.‘s were treated lousy the so called dignitaries didnot even give us a glance from the first 50 rows of the theatre where the meeningless speach’s were given We sat in the bleachers 80 and 90 year old Vets. We get to the luncheon they provided for us and thee was hardly any food left and not a drop of beer or any oyher adult refreshments You see the the one being honored road in school busses and the elete road in limos. Incidentlly we paid our own way to WashingtOn All they did was sit us in the top rows and buss us to a phantom lunch . Go ahead destroy OUR COUNTRY MAKE US WEEK SO THAT OUR ENEMIES AND WE HAVE PLENTY< CAN WITH THE HELP OF THE U.N. NEUTER US AS A NATION.

By: Sebastian Petkiewicz

Sebastian Petkiewicz — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:46:38 +0000

Introdution as far as Satelites go wheter (Leo, Meo, Geo) to many companies paid NASA huge amounts of money to launch thier satelite into position, then when it came to operate the satelite from the ground the company was bankrupted, so I guess that space it self was telling the United States of becoming bankrupted, now we have these satelites orbiting, and there not operating, same thing with the telecomunications industry in India, United States sold, huge mistakes, now as far as the Space Race I think that Russia is manning for a trip to Mars in the year 2020, to bad not many ordinary Americans could have not been recruited, making it more of an international program, but picking up space as a hobby, I think it’s probably impossible to travel without the speed of light, using light itself as a vechile could widden the possibility of exploring space unmanned.

By: PrahaPartizan

PrahaPartizan — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:33:05 +0000

No, instead we should give billions to people who promise us the moon and then can’t deliver scat. That’s the ongoing problem with the defense and space contractors in this country, as you well know. If they ever were held to the contract provisions they signed onto without using their political muscle to get fixes implemented in the middle of the night in defense legislation hell would freeze over. Those firms would also go out of business through sheer incompetence except for the excellence of their lobbyists and PR staffs. Is that the problem you’re trying to fix?

By: Gordon of Khartoum

Gordon of Khartoum — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 23:19:55 +0000

Absolutely RIght!
We want teh money but we don’t want to get our hands dirty.
“The business of Aerica is Business” didn’t mean sitting around looking at Excel Pie Chrats and making the really idiotically, short term decision.
“Waht are my options” is anybody’s game-including Hillary Clinton.
Making eth right descisions is harder.
Making options, is leadership!

By: TJRedneck

TJRedneck — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:13:30 +0000

We could easily have space dominance, problem is we keep cutting funds. I will say this again and again until I am blue in the face, WE WOULD HAVE PLENTY OF MONEY IF WE WEREN’T WASTING ALL OF THIS MONEY ON ALL THIS STUPID SOCIALISM! Sorry you lazy bums, no more welfare, no more billions of dollars for AIDS in Africa, no it is not the job of the federal govt to provide free prescription drugs, no more Ethanol, yes this is just the tip of the iceburg, you give me the power and I’ll take care of the budget!

By: Space Race

Space Race — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:50:22 +0000

I think Hank is on the money with that comment. Most of our problems are self inflicted. Just when we start devoloping things that would work and they start comming together those idiots in washington decide to pull the funding. Because of our stupid policies we cant allow civilians to go up in our shuttles which the Russians been doing for some time now they cut through that red tape. If we sent 5–10 civilians up at 10,000,000 usd a pop imagine what that could help pay for? So far the Russians are kicking our butts in the commercial space tourisim industry. Whe have private companies working hard with a fraction of resourses to get us up in space goverment needds to start working with them. Biglow corp launched 2 inflatable stations (though not manned yet) in space and so far seams to be working like they were desinged. We need serious reforms and cut alot of redtape and soon or we will loose our edge in space. Most projects were canceled due to cost and technology which ok back then they were not avaialbe but technology has progressed since then and we should take another look at those nixed projects. We should not even be debating on establishing a moon base. That should have been established already same goes for the Mars. We should be shooting for Jupiter or Saturn by now if we kept moving forward instead of acting like wusses when one little thing goes wrong everyone gets scared. Those people thought sucks they died they knew the risks and to listen to nay sayers and stop things when one thing goes wrong has hurt us more than anything those people need to be shot. Lets get moving lets get to the Moon, Mars and beyond.

By: Garry Owen

Garry Owen — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:33:58 +0000

If the U.S, continued our dominance in the space program BHO would to go on another world tour and apoligize for the U.S. to the world! You are right Mark — the whole hope and change thing is not working. Predictions are now that the job market will never return to what it was. This may also include the space agency. The way we are going we will be the laughing stock of socialist Eurpoe! And remember — President Bush can be the scape goat for so long before this mess belongs to the Democrats.

By: AL F.

AL F. — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:31:07 +0000

LETS JUST SAY THAT CHINA IS GOING TO BEET US WITH THERE SPACE JUNK SOON.… BESIDES WE DON’T MAKE ANYTHING IN THIS COUNTRY ANYMORE AND EVERYTHING IS MADE OVERSEAS AND OR MEXICO. THAT’S WHY WE ARE GOING TO LOOSE THE SPACE ADVANTAGE… FORE GOD SAKES MAN! WE CAN’T EVEN MAKE AN ALL AMERICAN CAR THAT IS BUILT 100% IN THIS COUNTRY!!! BUT MAYBE WE CAN PUT A LITTLE BIT STIMULAS INTO THE AQUATION…

By: Gordon of Khartoum

Gordon of Khartoum — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:21:55 +0000

This sounds like the Sputnik scare all over again, and the typical AF/NASA tactic to bilk more money for tax payer financed indusrial R&D for proprietary products.
Osama is beating us with AKs and RPGs-his strategy is to bleed us white; hagn on long enough, and we’ll defeat ourselves, just like the old USSR.
Ruppersberger is playing right into.
Our winning strategy throughout the Cold War was to outspend the USSR, but we’ve been outsepnding Osama for 8 years.
Try something new?
As for WW3, nobody wants it: don’t worry about it. It’d destroy us all, een if no one pushed the big, red button.
A winning strategy in Afgahnistan requires generals who are smarter than the average goatherder, not “Toy’r’Us”.

By: Joseph

Joseph — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:06:46 +0000

Chris, did you not read the article? It says that Obama approved a satellite program in April. How reading before speaking and quit showing your ignorance. Go back to listening to the uneducated people on FOX News!

By: Robertro2

Robertro2 — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:03:03 +0000

WITH ALL THE JUNK THAT IS FLYING AROUND UP THERE IS THERE ANY ROOM LEFT !!!!!

By: Beerme

Beerme — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:59:13 +0000

If the Russians and Chinese were and are doing great things in space, as communist nations, it is in spite of their politics (and because they are not welfare states, in spite of their communist labels). Cooperation with these countries as they exist today is not in the best interest of the US.
Is Russia our ally? When they cooperate across the globe in aiding rogue nations and terrorists with weapons and technology? I think not. If Iran is close to becoming a nuclear power, it is directly because of Russia and China. That goes for NoKo, too.
I guess we should all hold hands with our “allies” and work together for world peace. Then when the first country to put a man on Mars turns out to be Communist, it just might also be the US. But at least big old bad war will be conquered.