We aren't ending manned spaceflight.... we are just outsourcing it.

[Statistical]

To those who think scrapping manned spaceflight is a good idea ...

NASA Signs New $335 Million Deal to Fly Astronauts on Russian Spaceships
http://www.space.com/news/nasa-russia-astronaut-contract-100406.html

We are "renting seats" to the ISS at a cost of $55.8 million per person from the Russians. Yeah that is how far backwards we have fallen. The worlds most powerful economy, the country who put a man on the moon is "bumming a ride from the Russians".

Nobody spends money "in space". In the past the money was was spent right here on Earth and in the United States. Every single dollar has been spent HERE. We built things, bought steel from steel & aluminum from metal companies, produced our own rocket fuel. Hired physicists, engineers, mathematicians. Along the way we needed to invent solutions to problems. Improved material strength, perfects alloys, composites, and plastics.

That pays back dividends a 100 fold in sometimes unexpected ways.

Here is just one example:
Ever look out the window of a passenger jet and notice the little "winglet". It is the part at the end of the wing that sticks straight up. Ever wonder what it does? It reduced fuel consumption by about 2% by eliminating chaotic vortex of air at tip of the wing. Imagine 2% on every flight everywhere in the world for past 4 decades. How much oil has that single invention saved? How many millions of tons of CO2 avoided? NASA perfected the technology and gave it away for free.



So killing the space program won't save money. Instead it is just another thing we will outsource. More money flowing overseas. Rather than employ American engineers we will hand giants bags of cash to Russian engineers. Rather than the US perfecting the next flight computer or winglet it will be companies in foreign countries. Don't worry I am sure they will sell that technology back to us. We our paying our competitors to come up with innovations that they will use to gain an advantage over us in the future.

I am saddened by the amount of science bashing I see here. Theoretical science is just that, theoretical. Nobody knows what a mission to moon or mars will accomplish. It isn't suppose to turn a profit. American Idol is a profitable venture. Not everything has to be about profits. The NASA budget is a ROUNDING ERROR on US economy. Still there will be challenges and necessity is the mother of all inventions. In trying to perfect water reclimation NASA may discover a method to make waste water processing safer on Earth. In trying to manage energy budget they might make a breakthrough on fuel cell technologies. In trying to perfect the spacecraft material strength they might find an alloy that is useful in civilian applications.

Now we won't do any of that. So we can sit back eat a Big Mac, watch American idol and in 20-30 years 99% of worlds innovation will be outside the US. FUCK SCIENCE!

[NeedleCast]

1. Its a little sad, isn't it

I used to live in a country that excelled in science and led the world in many areas of scientific advancement and technology.

Now I live in a country that's best claim to fame are pizza delivery speed and straight to DVD movies.

[NoNothing]

3. Agree somewhat. But on the other hand...

"And what is it that put America in the forefront of the nuclear nations? And what is it that will make it possible to spend 20 billion dollars of your money to put some clown on the moon? Well, it was good old American know-how, that's what. As provided by good old Americans like Dr. Wernher von Braun."

-Tom Lehrer

[calico1]

7. I agree. I grew up watching all the space

missions. We used to be so admired and all the best scientists, engineers, etc. came from here. It's very sad to see what has happened.

[TransitJohn]

2. K&R

Got you back to zero. The Unrec-baggers out as usual. :hi:

[tridim]

4. Thankfully we're NOT scapping manned space flight.

Just being smarter about it.

[Statistical]

5. A 15 year halt is abanonding it.

Under current and proposed budgets the US will develop no manned spaceflight technology for until 2025. We won't even look into a new heavy lift rocket (for non human cargo but would be necessary to any future space shuttle program) until 2015.

Anyway you spin that it is abandonment.

If Obama ended all Social Security funding but "just" for next 15 years (full funding to resume in 2025) would you say "he isn't abandoning it he is just being smarter about it".

Please. Save the rhetoric for someone who cares.

[tridim]

8. The world isn't going to end in 2025

Every single effort we make in space contributes to the MANNED SPACE PROGRAM regardless if a human is on board.

I'm sick of this short-sightedness and FUD regarding space, which is really all about MONEY. Armstrong should be ashamed.

[RaleighNCDUer]

6. Kinda like how leasing a car is smarter than buying one -

you make monthly payments, just like you would if you were buying, and after five years you still don't own it - of course, at the end of the lease you COULD pay a flat amount to buy it, but by then it is an obsolescent piece of shit.

Perfect analogy.

[Statistical]

9. Exactly...

Of course that ignores the value of all the lost innovation.

Generally speaking leases tend to work out badly for the leesee.

[aquart]

10. UGH. Privatizing outer space. Just UGH.