Space Race II

[eggwards]

It seems that President Bush has proposed Americans returning to the moon, then on to Mars. While I'm really thrilled by space exploration, watching it for all of my young life (heck, I did a science fair project on how the shuttle worked, and I'm watching for information about the current Mars Rover) I'm sort of suspicious about this announcement.

First, we don't have a space shuttle right now, so we already need a vehicle to do the "day to day" space shots. Second, it seems less about actual exploration, but more about bravado and trying to challenge the Chinese who are working on their own space program, some thirty to forty years late. Third, Where are we going to get the money. NASA's budget has been slashed in the last few years, but the federal government has already overspent its budget by millions, if not billions.

Still, it's an election year.

The story from yahoo.

Comments

[standardtom.livejournal.com]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought this sounded like a cynical attempt to sound all big and presidential.

Don't get me wrong: no one is more in favor of doing serious human exploration of space than I am. One of the goals of my life, which I seriously doubt will be realized, is to see humans on Mars in my lifetime (and I'm about to be 42).

I think it's going to take a lot to get us there, and like other commenters, I'm don't think the present administrations of the nation or of NASA have the will or capability of getting it done.

I believe that the only way to effectively get us back to the moon, and then to Mars, is for the public to want to do it, for its own sake, not for national pride, or for cynical election year purposes.

Without goals, frontiers, and something to explore, humanity turns its attention inward onto itself, and the end result is never good.

Space explorationi is something we simply have to do to advance the species.

[quirkstreet.livejournal.com]

Amen to all of the above.