Space Race II
Jan. 9th, 2004 08:38 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eggwardsIt 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.
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.
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no subject
Date: 2004-01-10 04:04 pm (UTC)And this is coming from me, a right leaning moderate.
Trust me, i'm a big fan of NASA, and have grown up with the moon landings and shuttle launches. NASA affects Houston, where I live. I want NASA to do well, and yes, I'd like to see an eventual mission to Mars, still, it's hard to justify the expense until we get a lot more of our house in order, and Bush isn't going to do that. This is political grandstanding and it's not even very sincere.
And yes, NASA isn't competing with the Chinese, or with the European Space Agency, but Bush is. It's all about patriotism, not science, or technology, or the future of the human race - that's better left to smarter men.