Just saw this on CNN.com after following the link from Seek's main page:
Quote:
BUSH SPACE INITIATIVE - Spend $12 billion on new space exploration plan over next five years. $1bn will be new money, the rest reallocated from existing NASA programs. - Retire shuttle program by 2010 - Develop new manned exploration vehicle - Launch manned mission to moon between 2015 and 2020 - Build permanent lunar base as "stepping stone" for more ambitious missions - Complete commitments to international space station by 2010 Source: White House
Sounds like a great idea to me. What about the rest of you people?
Joined: Fri 02-15-2002 12:09AM Posts: 125 Location: Peoria, IL
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Looks good, throwing away the shuttle makes the original money much more useful. So take the new 1$bn, and put it up for grabs. I don't remember where I saw the idea, probably /., but run with the prizes idea. Get results.
1 Billion USD for 25 kilos of martian soil, delivered. It excites invention and development in the cost efficient public sector, it gets results, the stuff the scientists want, instead of abstract development, and NASA only pays for shit that works.
Every year, one new prize or 10x100$mn prizes, or any combination. I think it's the way to go.
Joined: Fri 01-24-2003 7:13PM Posts: 1652 Location: down the hill
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investment in space technology has averaged a 600% return (in spinoffs, to society) since the beginning of space research. no particular company benefits as much as society as a whole, so one might say that space technology research is about the best investment we can make for society.
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i did my sophomore (high school) research paper on space travel, i think it's a totally worthwhile venture. the thing that i liked the most on the list is the manned mission to moon. man stepped foot on the moon in the 60s and we haven't been back since. i think it's about time to tear up some moon gravel with the buggy and smash some golf balls around... and imagine the pictures and video we will see from it! camera technology has increased a lot since then i'm smelling omnimax movie that woudl rock
Joined: Fri 02-15-2002 12:09AM Posts: 125 Location: Peoria, IL
Source: Fidelity
the naked prophet wrote:
investment in space technology has averaged a 600% return (in spinoffs, to society) since the beginning of space research. no particular company benefits as much as society as a whole, so one might say that space technology research is about the best investment we can make for society.
Agreed. Computers, velcro, steel belted radials (found on the most expensive 4x4 ever built, battery powered, and still sitting on the moon). Space flight requires great things, small, light, and with as close to 0 failure rate as possible. Great research and products are the result.
Looks good, throwing away the shuttle makes the original money much more useful. So take the new 1$bn, and put it up for grabs. I don't remember where I saw the idea, probably /., but run with the prizes idea. Get results.
1 Billion USD for 25 kilos of martian soil, delivered. It excites invention and development in the cost efficient public sector, it gets results, the stuff the scientists want, instead of abstract development, and NASA only pays for shit that works.
Every year, one new prize or 10x100$mn prizes, or any combination. I think it's the way to go.
That was the idea with the X Prize, and SpaceShipOne has already almost won it. Apparently, it was effective.
Joined: Fri 02-15-2002 12:09AM Posts: 125 Location: Peoria, IL
Source: Fidelity
Anonymous wrote:
That was the idea with the X Prize, and SpaceShipOne has already almost won it. Apparently, it was effective.
Yes, but the X-Prize was a private group offering the money, reminiscent of the cash prizes awarded for flying achievements in the last century. (Trans-Atlantic flight a la Limburgh anyone?)
I think that the government doing the same thing. Current government contracts are sweet deals. Tough to lose, usually not too difficult to get, but once you have one, you have a sugar daddy. Instead, contests pay for results, not trials.
Actually no, the X Prize requires that it is a privately funded spaceship that launches twice within 2 weeks AND carries 3 people along with it. SpaceShipOne only carried the pilot and the the makers of it have no plans of converting it so it is possible to take 3 people up.
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Actually no, the X Prize requires that it is a privately funded spaceship that launches twice within 2 weeks AND carries 3 people along with it. SpaceShipOne only carried the pilot and the the makers of it have no plans of converting it so it is possible to take 3 people up.
Not three people, but instead the equivalent mass of three people. And in just a little while, SpaceShipOne does plan on doing that, since winning the X-Prize was its whole goal in the first place.
Joined: Thu 02-26-2004 8:37PM Posts: 24 Location: Beech Street
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Bush's space plan really is a great idea, and it's about time a president started trying to get NASA's ass back in gear. There are a few drawbacks though. First of all, the 12 billion dollar budget he's set for it is probably going to end up being quite a bit less than is actually needed. The big problem though is trying to make the majority of the nation see that starting more manned space missions is going to help society as a whole in the long run. We're engineers, so of course we can see how this kind of stuff is going to help us in terms of new jobs, new technological innovations, etc.. But try going to some small town farmer and tell him how his paying tax money to send some people to the Moon and possibly Mars will benefit him, and you'd get nowhere fast.
Basically, during the 60's-70's, the government was able to use patriotism to get the nation to back them on their space plans with the whole mentality of everyone wanting to beat the Russians. Today, however, with most space plans being international endeavours, there will more than likely be many problems in "inspiring" some of the nation into siding with this plan.
_________________ "You're not quite evil enough. You're semi-evil. You're quasi-evil. You're the margarine of evil. You're the Diet Coke of evil, just one calorie, not evil enough." - [Dr. Evil]
Why build a base on the moon?? I mean, yes the moon is cool and all. And it would be cool to be able to live on it, but wasn't the whole point of the ISS to be a stepping stone for further space exploration. Much easier to build large space craft in orbit then in another gravity field. I mean anyone can through out some dates for the near future and make any claims they want, but i think we should just concentrate on what we have already commited to doing.
BTW we usually pay 80-90% of the costs for "international" programs. Doesn't really seem to international to me.
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