Space Exploration

Are NASA's future missions and budget justified?

  • It's worth the time and expenditures

    Votes: 223 66.0%

  • Complete waste of money

    Votes: 41 12.1%

  • We need to explore, but not at the current cost

    Votes: 74 21.9%
  • Total voters
    338
#577
#577
Made space two minutes after launch... Very impressive. I only wish Obama was on it, but that would probably start a war with Mars if he was.
 
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#578
#578
myrobbins7 said:
Made space two minutes after launch... Very impressive. I only wish Obama was on it, but that would probably start a war with Mars if he was.
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He is working the details of NASA's mission to reach out to the Muslim world. No time or money for American exceptionalism and rocket stuff.
 
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#579
#579
Ernest T. Vol said:
He is working the details of NASA's mission to reach out to the Muslim world. No time or money for American exceptionalism and rocket stuff.
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For an organization that should be entirely apolitical, that was a very political move when Bolden talked about that.

NASA has become like most other government organizations in its pursuit for political correctness.
 
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#582
#582
My windows rattle about 40 seconds after it clears the tower. I saw nothing because of a damned cloud deck. Ya'll prolly saw more than I did on TV.

But it was loud... very very cool.
 
#583
#583
SpaceCoastVol said:
My windows rattle about 40 seconds after it clears the tower. I saw nothing because of a damned cloud deck. Ya'll prolly saw more than I did on TV.

But it was loud... very very cool.
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I'm on NASA's website reading about this new adventure & about the future of Orion that will launch on NASA's new heavy-lift rocket, the Space Launch System. SLS will be capable of sending humans to deep space destinations such as an asteroid & eventually Mars.
 
#586
#586
Great! We can send the environmentalists to them so they don't have to worry about us screwing up Earth.
 
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#589
#589
LouderVol said:
hopefully this will help drop costs BBC News - SpaceX capsule docks with ISS
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And hopefully this won't hurt space exploration too much.

Senator Ted Cruz appointed to oversee NASA in Congress | The Verge

As the article mentions, he has reasons to support NASA but also has a shaky history when it comes to space funding and science in general. Hopefull he'll stand behind his comments about how it is "critical that the United States ensure its continued leadership in space...".
 
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#590
#590
gcbvol said:
And hopefully this won't hurt space exploration too much.

Senator Ted Cruz appointed to oversee NASA in Congress | The Verge

As the article mentions, he has reasons to support NASA but also has a shaky history when it comes to space funding and science in general. Hopefull he'll stand behind his comments about how it is "critical that the United States ensure its continued leadership in space...".
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And then again, he could start making them mind their budgets a bit more.

IMO, NASA has no business being in the global warming research. Such things should fall under other departments.
 
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#592
#592
Velo Vol said:
How much will that save?

We recycled part of the Space Shuttle, and it was still ridiculously expensive to launch.
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it wasn't built to be relaunched, this whole system was designed around that one aspect (reuse/cost) and its the government, so even though it might cost them less to launch they will still spend the money so its not really a 'savings' overall.

SpaceX prepares to take the biggest step towards affordable space travel: Soft landing the Falcon 9 rocket (updated) | ExtremeTech

linked article says it will save money on a factor of 10. by re using the first stage system as well as the actual craft. of course their idea of a 'soft' landing failed today or yesterday whenever it happened. but it sounds like they know the problem, not enough hydraulic fluid, and can easily fix. the main thing is their's didn't blow up like the last one did.
 
#593
#593
Grand Vol said:
And then again, he could start making them mind their budgets a bit more.

IMO, NASA has no business being in the global warming research. Such things should fall under other departments.
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I don't disagree about smart budgets or where climate change research should reside. In fact maybe NOAA makes more sense, however that agency will also be led by someone oft considered science-challenged.

"Marco Rubio—who also wants NASA to get less funding—will oversee the NOAA as chair of the Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard."
 
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#594
#594
LouderVol said:
it wasn't built to be relaunched, this whole system was designed around that one aspect (reuse/cost) and its the government, so even though it might cost them less to launch they will still spend the money so its not really a 'savings' overall.

SpaceX prepares to take the biggest step towards affordable space travel: Soft landing the Falcon 9 rocket (updated) | ExtremeTech

linked article says it will save money on a factor of 10. by re using the first stage system as well as the actual craft. of course their idea of a 'soft' landing failed today or yesterday whenever it happened. but it sounds like they know the problem, not enough hydraulic fluid, and can easily fix. the main thing is their's didn't blow up like the last one did.
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This is perhaps the single most important step in SpaceX’s stated goal of reducing the cost of space travel by a factor of 10, eventually leading to the human colonization of Mars.
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For heavy lift vehicles, which are required to lift large satellites, equipment, and supplies into space, it costs somewhere in the region of $10,000 to lift a single pound ($22,000/kg) into orbit around the Earth. It costs even more if you want to propel that mass out of the Earth’s gravity and over to Mars. For sending astronauts into space, though, NASA currently pays around $70 million per seat aboard the Soyuz space capsule. (A crewed version of SpaceX’s Dragon capsule, DragonRider, is in development, which will reduce the cost per seat to $20 million — but it won’t launch until 2015 at the earliest.)
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some quotes added
 
#595
#595
another one from linked article
he eventual goal, according to SpaceX, is to create a launch system that is reusable within “single-digit hours.” Basically, SpaceX would give these rockets a quick once-over, fill them back up with fuel… and off they go again. The fuel is still very expensive, but it’s nothing compared to the cost of the hardware. If everything goes to plan, the total cost per pound to launch into Earth orbit could drop to $500 or less — one twentieth of what today’s unreusable rockets cost. Suffice it to say, if SpaceX manages to undercut every other space launch company in the world — including the Russian and Chinese governments — it could suddenly find itself in a very powerful and lucrative position.
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if musk figures this stuff out he is sitting on a gold mine; which, thankfully, he doesn't just sit on. he takes it and invests in other cool projects that we should be working on.
 
#596
#596
If you listen to Elon talk about space exploration and technology you get the sense that he is fully invested, and not just in terms of the financial success of SpaceX. He really wants to advance the technology to foster advances in space exploration.

Personally, I am thrilled that he's one of the key guys at the forefront. Musk is brilliant, driven and he finds success more often than not.
 
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#597
#597
gcbvol said:
If you listen to Elon talk about space exploration and technology you get the sense that he is fully invested, and not just in terms of the financial success of SpaceX. He really wants to advance the technology to foster advances in space exploration.

Personally, I am thrilled that he's one lof the key guys at the forefront. Musk is brilliant, driven and he finds success more often than not.
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i know there are others out there but he does seem like our best bet. and he isn't doing it for the money, he seems to be saying he is doing it because we, as humans, should be able to do (insert goal here) and he has the money to make it happen.
 
#599
#599
Velo Vol said:
The promise of cheap space travel has been entirely different than its reality.
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yes but know we are finally seeing companies step up with out the government calling the shots. that's different that how it has been, and it gives me hope.
 
#600
#600
gcbvol said:
I don't disagree about smart budgets or where climate change research should reside. In fact maybe NOAA makes more sense, however that agency will also be led by someone oft considered science-challenged.

"Marco Rubio—who also wants NASA to get less funding—will oversee the NOAA as chair of the Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard."
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I'll go sit in the corner now lol
 
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