Comments on: Say Bye Bye to Lunar Landings by the USA

By: Arthur Hamilton

Arthur Hamilton — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 22:18:37 +0000

Only an idiot would make a decision to depend on another country for human spaceflight. I expect my Senators & Congressmen to put up a fight. 99.5% of gov acquisition programs for Air & Space Development has always went over budget. It's the unspoken law, "Make a proposition that is underfunded and hope you receive funds in the future. Just once I wish they would quit wasting billions of dollars and finish a program.
Orion was being developed as crew transport vehicle to any point on the moon & to dock with a future transplanetary vehicle designed to explore the solar system. Also, it was to be the ace in the hole for crew transport off planet. Atleast finish developing this vehicle. It can be launched on commercial launchers, too, once they are manrated. Obama was an idoit to propose x-ing everything. NASA had already developed polices to give LEO to commercial companies. Looks like it's time for a Department of Space Exploration with it's own budget so NASA can return to the NACA namesake and concentrate on aircraft development and safety. Obama is on a mission to personally destroy everything that the last administration did or tried to do regardless of cost.

By: Stephen

Stephen — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 20:15:02 +0000

Well perhaps it time for a reality TV based version of the 70s classic "Salvage 1" I hear NASA has rocket engines that can be had for the price of shipping.

By: Lejon from Chandler

Lejon from Chandler — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:05:01 +0000

Seriously, 3.8 trillion, and they couldn't include NASA?

No offense, but with the scientific certainty that Earth will be struck by large rocks from space, maybe figuring out how to get off this planet isn't such a bad idea...

By: ejdalise

ejdalise — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:12:14 +0000

As we speak, I'm guessing the Russians are re-evaluating what they charge to haul our flightless asses up there.

But, it should be no surprise. During his campaign Obama's website spelled out his view regarding space exploration not being a priority, and indeed a potential target for cuts . . . for about a week; then it was changed to reflect a more neutral (but still negative) position.

Sad . . . especially when contrasted to the amount of money that magically disappeared into untold bailouts and backroom deals. And him being pro-science and all . . . I guess he meant social sciences.

By: Billy Uno

Billy Uno — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 01:38:52 +0000

Well, this tears it. We're going to have to privatize space exploration. I knew it was going to happen sooner or later. Before long former NASA engineers will be designing their own craft, and their own space stations and Lunar Landers and trying to convince Big Business that there's a profit to be made in space. Which isn't as far fetched as you might think: There could be a HUGE market for zero-g manufacturing, which would lead to more precision in things like micro circuitry and lenses, and all kinds of other things. I think the only thing that's going to encourage the government to start spending more on the Space Program is a major breakthrough in terraforming, and/or an Extinction Level Event. To bad that by that time it'll be too late.

By: Baldrik

Baldrik — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 01:03:43 +0000

This is just payback for having his health bill crippled. NASA may end up better off when the para... sorry politicians get back to horse trading/ negotiations.

By: Gunny

Gunny — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 23:34:07 +0000

And there is no other Waste in Government to cut. bollocks

By: pups

pups — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:36:21 +0000

"This puts the Orion crew capsule (a.k.a. Ares 5) and the Altair Lunar Lander on hold and leaves the U.S. totally at the mercy of the Russian Space Agency to get astronauts to and from the International Space Station."

heaven forbid we ever get in another cold (or not so cold) war... how long does oxygen last if they leave one of our guys up there???

Here's to private spaceflight!

By: Paul Wren

Paul Wren — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:18:01 +0000

There had been calls to keep the Shuttle fleet in service for a few extra years to bridge the gap until Orion came online... perhaps it is time to revisit this idea and invest the much smaller amount it would take to keep them flying.

By: Brian

Brian — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:13:43 +0000

So did we just turn space travel from Trek to Firefly?
http://siliconchef.com/2010/02/01/the-new-vision-of-space-trek-or-firefly/