Members Login
Username 
 
Password 
    Remember Me  
NUCLEARSPACE MESSAGE BOARD (ACTIVE) -> OPEN FORUM -> THE PUBLIC CLIMATE OF DESIRES IN THE U.S.
Post Info TOPIC: THE PUBLIC CLIMATE OF DESIRES IN THE U.S.
Brucie B.

Date:
THE PUBLIC CLIMATE OF DESIRES IN THE U.S.
Permalink  

I normally don't scratch my rant itch, but I will now...  


 When President Kennedy spoke up about going to the Moon in his Rice Univ. address years ago as Presidents are suppose to do his bravado was backed up with people in the United States well able with training and the financial resources to back up his mouth as he spoke. Now we have another President, George W. Bush performing the same task providing a "Vision" of going to the Moon, Mars and beyond which is what he's suppose to do, but without the infrastructure, resources or a Public able to pull off these feats.  


As one NS reader writes:


"Ever since I read the wonderful book, "Orion", excitement stirred up by men of science, men of vision, of courage and confidence in there talents to find stability in the unreality of space...And their uncanny ability to sell their wares to the deep pockets of the world. I have since been gasping for breath at the plans, programs, and operations as exposed over the past forty years in space. They maybe described as severely limited in scope, planned in fear and attempted cavalierly. Forty years of wasted money...billions of dollars by plans conceived by juveniles and short versioned intellects, approved by paranoid governments been recognized by President Bush who announced that we are going back to the Moon and start all over again. This announcement, though well advised has produced zero activity in the past two years, but perhaps it has delayed the last of the mega boondoggles; the half billion dollar last Shuttle." 


 Space advocates just don't get it. You need trained people and money and lots of them to get your space program off the ground it makes no difference whether it's a public or private venture. I don't fault Mr. Griffin NASA director at the gate of his tenure for the focus he needs to apply to ensure the only manned spacecraft the U.S. has now fly right, but if after two 'shake down' flights completed for the Shuttle his agency better hustle at getting CEV up and running soon.  The government policy on space has to change quick with respect to issues of Space Nuclear technology,  ITAR, national/international space partners have to be as transparent as possible before the public. Policy makers private and public need to be proactive at developing a culture that understands the value of space science advancement or science in general and the projects that engender those values. [NPR radio stream] [related study]
Like an Oped article in US Today points out this society does not reward science culture. You have a generation that is weaned on other values that have nothing to do with science and qualified people are either too busy with work in development or aged enough to retire; in other words a scientific legacy left in a vacuum. Unless there is a renaissance in culture to reflect this science apart from the war cops and robbers and the pursuit of frivolity as a real aim. I think space projects will always be in jeopardy unless the public climate of desires in this country changes more toward truth in science and real advancement in space activity for everyone including the guts to offer Moon, Mars and beyond trips to our children !  


Anyway that's my rant...



__________________
GoogleNaut

Date:
Permalink  

Bruce,

You bring to light a very important problem with this country. It perpetually wastes hundreds of billions of dollars on bandaids which do nothing to solve the problems the funding was intended for. Worse, the money that is spent does absolutely nothing to stimulate economic growth. It is a problem which is getting worse all the time--and typically, the real problem isn't identified but onlcy skirted around.

You are absolutely right about the technical expertise needed to sustain a space transportation infrastructure--it takes thousands, tens of thousands, of technical, qualified people to do the myriads of jobs needed to make a mission a reality. Manufacturing, fabrication, basic research and development, innovation, problem solving, systems engineering, machining, welding (a highly prized skilled in aerospace circles!) etc. The list goes on....and we need every one of them.

I get a little tired of hearing the same old tired arguments in Congress about wasting money on space programs--when a simple realization would clarify quite a bit. Where is the money actually spent? Here on earth!

Those thousands of technical people buy groceries, houses, cars, pay their taxes, buy cable and satellite TV services, pay for their cell phones and pagers. They invest in their childrens' college funds. They pay their water, garbage and sewer bills. They are folks trying to make an honest living--and what they do supports economic growth and development in this country. That is needed more now than ever!

Past spending on various space projects has given us whole new technological fields: the communications satellite, the weather satellite; the whole microelectronics/semiconductor industry AND computer industries; communications technologies like cell phones and pagers were partially developed from space related technologies. All kinds of advanced medical diagnostic equipment can trace their initial lineage to the solved problems of monitoring an astronaut's health and vital signs remotely during Project Mercury. The list goes on.

The spending for initial R&D that went into the early space program has now fruited many industries with combined worths of Trillions of dollars. This is no exageration!
The personal computer alone is worth hundreds of billions of dollars world wide--and these were spawned from the first lowly Integrated Circuits which first flew on the Apollo Missions to the Moon nearly forty years ago!

I would like to see Federal Government spending reevaluated and reprioritized in such a way that priority is given to stimulationg economic growth. A Vectored Spending approach, as it were. I won't even get started on Social Service spending--but suffice to say, a Vectored Approach could be used there as well to create jobs, create houses for the poor, teach people basic skills, increasing educational opportunities (make it easier for people to go to school) and create incentives to stay in school.

If we don't do something different, I fear that eventually all will be lost, and then it really will be too late to do anything about it.

O.K., I'm done ranting!


__________________
larry

Date:
Permalink  

ok, you both ranted ... and i have a moment to rant

I agree with your passion for space, to point :

1. You don't require a large group of people to build space ships and do it - or more to the point you don't need a NASA infrastructure to make it work. Look at Rutan and others - it does take $ and smart engineer.

2. Do not waste your time waiting for the public to fund a sustaining space program other then for some hard-core political end. I wish Griffin well - and do believe NASA will or whatever it is called in the future will make it to the Moon; “Only because others will have gone 1st.”


3. Turn your frustration into something useful. You can get involve an push on the political front - I have alot of respect for people who can make headway by handling this problem. Myself, I don't have those talents - but I'm an engineer.

So I agree with those other hobbyist I see - build it. Build something - Build a virtual Nuclear SSTO or something - post the plans on the web. Push it! Now talk about also making a political statement.

Me - I believe that it will be individuals who will make it space. I also am very excited by this latest private push. I do think it will be nuclear that will be critical. The next 15 years promise to be interesting.

So - myself at the age I'll be - i guess I’ll go for the first pub on the moon as my retirement plan 8*)

that's my rant



__________________
Page 1 of 1  sorted by
 
Quick Reply

Please log in to post quick replies.
NUCLEARSPACE MESSAGE BOARD (ACTIVE) -> OPEN FORUM -> THE PUBLIC CLIMATE OF DESIRES IN THE U.S.
Tweet this page Post to Digg Post to Del.icio.us


Create your own FREE Forum
Report Abuse 		Powered by ActiveBoard