RE: http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,163859,00.html

It's gonna be far out man!!!

Don’t know about now but until the 80’s NASA was one of two government programs that had never cost the tax payers a penny in fact they had made money for the government.
God bless and protect all our people in harms way where ever they are.
Pro Deo et Patria

quote:

Originally posted by forgodandcountrysbc:
Don’t know about now but until the 80’s NASA was one of two government programs that had never cost the tax payers a penny in fact they had made money for the government.
God bless and protect all our people in harms way where ever they are.
Pro Deo et Patria

How did that happen? Licensing Tempurpedic mattresses?

quote:

Originally posted by forgodandcountrysbc:
Don’t know about now but until the 80’s NASA was one of two government programs that had never cost the tax payers a penny in fact they had made money for the government.
God bless and protect all our people in harms way where ever they are.
Pro Deo et Patria

That sounds like an urban myth. Part of the propaganda of the 1960s used to justify the huge cost of the civilian space program. Everything from transisters to Teflon was touted as being a product of the U.S. space program.

Do you have a source to back up your assertion?

The U.S. would almost certainly get "more bang for the buck" by reviving the economy of the port of New Orleans than it would by spending the money on a mostly worthless International Space Station.

quote:

Originally posted by fulletk:

quote:

Originally posted by forgodandcountrysbc:
Don’t know about now but until the 80’s NASA was one of two government programs that had never cost the tax payers a penny in fact they had made money for the government.
God bless and protect all our people in harms way where ever they are.
Pro Deo et Patria

That sounds like an urban myth. Part of the propaganda of the 1960s used to justify the huge cost of the civilian space program. Everything from transisters to Teflon was touted as being a product of the U.S. space program.

Do you have a source to back up your assertion?

The U.S. would almost certainly get "more bang for the buck" by reviving the economy of the port of New Orleans than it would by spending the money on a mostly worthless International Space Station.

Weren't folks saying the same thing back in Columbus's day?

Unless there's oil on the moon, on an asteroid, or on Mars (or some other body in our universe) I say don't go. What the hell are we accomplishing in space anyway? Seven or eight guys and/or gals get a joyride up to a space station of negligible value, then return once every 4 months or so. Nobody follows the program anymore. Why? Too many other things on our collective minds - like survival during this horrible economic slump - including the oil price gouging that's going on. If we ended both the space program & the Iraq war immediately, our economy would settle down and our lives would improve immeasurably.

"Fly me to the moon, Take me to the stars, I wanna know what things are like, on Jupiter and Mars" No oil, but asteroids are suspected to contain alot of heavy metals, including gold....

quote:

Originally posted by squid1954:
Unless there's oil on the moon, on an asteroid, or on Mars (or some other body in our universe) I say don't go. What the hell are we accomplishing in space anyway? Seven or eight guys and/or gals get a joyride up to a space station of negligible value, then return once every 4 months or so. Nobody follows the program anymore. Why? Too many other things on our collective minds - like survival during this horrible economic slump - including the oil price gouging that's going on. If we ended both the space program & the Iraq war immediately, our economy would settle down and our lives would improve immeasurably.

We go because we are explorers. We need to go to stay abreast with others who are trying to go. We do R&D to keep technology marching forward.

Cancelling the space program will have close to ZERO positive impact on the economy as economic issues are much larger than the space program. It might even have a negative impact once the technicians and scientists are out of work. Science is already an undermanned profession, we do not need to make it worse.

This is the dream of every kid who has ever read a sci-fi novel(Me included). I think of the oddesy series by Sir Clarke. What great vision these men had, because without a purpose the human race will just kill itself off.

quote:

Originally posted by donm49:

quote:

Originally posted by forgodandcountrysbc:
Don’t know about now but until the 80’s NASA was one of two government programs that had never cost the tax payers a penny in fact they had made money for the government.
God bless and protect all our people in harms way where ever they are.
Pro Deo et Patria

How did that happen? Licensing Tempurpedic mattresses?

quote:

Originally posted by sw614:

quote:

Originally posted by squid1954:
Unless there's oil on the moon, on an asteroid, or on Mars (or some other body in our universe) I say don't go. What the hell are we accomplishing in space anyway? Seven or eight guys and/or gals get a joyride up to a space station of negligible value, then return once every 4 months or so. Nobody follows the program anymore. Why? Too many other things on our collective minds - like survival during this horrible economic slump - including the oil price gouging that's going on. If we ended both the space program & the Iraq war immediately, our economy would settle down and our lives would improve immeasurably.

We go because we are explorers. We need to go to stay abreast with others who are trying to go. We do R&D to keep technology marching forward.

Cancelling the space program will have close to ZERO positive impact on the economy as economic issues are much larger than the space program. It might even have a negative impact once the technicians and scientists are out of work. Science is already an undermanned profession, we do not need to make it worse.

Not to mention that some day the Space Station could make an excellent weapons platform against rouge countries/rulers.

quote:

Originally posted by fulletk:

quote:

Originally posted by forgodandcountrysbc:
Don’t know about now but until the 80’s NASA was one of two government programs that had never cost the tax payers a penny in fact they had made money for the government.
God bless and protect all our people in harms way where ever they are.
Pro Deo et Patria

That sounds like an urban myth. Part of the propaganda of the 1960s used to justify the huge cost of the civilian space program. Everything from transisters to Teflon was touted as being a product of the U.S. space program.

Do you have a source to back up your assertion?

The U.S. would almost certainly get "more bang for the buck" by reviving the economy of the port of New Orleans than it would by spending the money on a mostly worthless International Space Station.

I was given the info while working there 20+ years ago it was a GSA study I do not have a copy any more. Yes I am sure the average american taxpayer feels they would get a great return on their investment in New Orleans a few million dollars in business in a city that is still underwater and will be flooded again is a better investment than http://www.thespaceplace.com/nasa/spinoffs.html
I would expect more from a GS13 you must have some education the microspheres alone were worth 100s of millions of dollars if the station had developed as planed the electronic, computer, and communications, industry applications alone were worth than the entire cost of the program or can you not calculate the potential value of low G crystals to these industries.
God bless and protect all our people in harms way where ever they are.
Pro Deo et Patria

The Reason why the US and especially China are intrested in the Moon is because of some substance called "Helium 3" its Nuclear Power with-out the waste

About 1 ton of this stuff can power the entire US for a year, and there is suppose to be 2million tons of it on the Moon so...

Other than that I see no reason to go to the moon, lets make that trip to Mars already

You may be right but if so they will have to strip mine the moon to get the 3HE assuming there is enough and the problems of power production can be fixed.
God bless and protect all our people in harms way where ever they are.
Pro Deo et Patria

I think it is important that we inhabit the moon before someone else does, and somebody will do it. It will be great for research and resources, and a great place to send the President when he blows-up the planet. Oh yeah, we will need a Spaceship One for that. And we need to explore asteroids to research a plan on what to do when one comes heading for Earth. The Prez will need Spaceship One for that event too.

Rennsky