Comments on: When America Led

By: wlfdrgn

wlfdrgn — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:20:45 +0000

The shuttles were really designed as a 10-year test in reusable spacecraft. The first launch, in the early 80′s, was far, far more than 10 years ago. It’s like expecting a ford escort to go a million miles without a major tune-up. Something’s going to break.

Astronauts will die no matter what. Lucky for us, driving a car is perfectly safe, and flying, and boats, and…. The sad thing is that when three astronauts died on the pad during a test, everyone in america knew their names BEFORE they died. When shuttle astronauts died, americans didn’t even know their names AFTER they died. The space program isn’t doing anything engaging enough right now to keep people interested.

By: Will

Will — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 04:40:07 +0000

Considering all the things that could go wrong, NASA seems to have a pretty good record. The two shuttle “accidents” were due more to stupidity and arrogance rather than technological issues. The shuttle has sent and returned a large number of astronauts safely and the few who did not is only a small percentage in what is an extremely dangerous activity. Having said that, the shuttle should have been replaced and/or redesigned a long time ago. It was obvious even before it was first launched that its claims of being economical/safe were false. Now its a dinosaur that should have become extinct a long time ago.

I do think that “we” (the people of this planet) should work together rather than this being a US, Russia, China, or whoever project.

By: starbadger

starbadger — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 04:12:08 +0000

Pluto might work if it is a 2-3 thousand diameter ball of dirty water – it is almost untethered from the sun – unlike mars – and most likely it is easier to burn water as atomic fuel – and who cares if it takes a couple thousand years to get to the next solar system – pt. is it has size -

By: starbadger

starbadger — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 02:59:05 +0000

Dyson wasn’t thinking big enough.

Use an asteroid or why not MARS.

I doubt firing H-bombs on the back side as was the orginal idea would harm the travellers on the other side.

By: scienkoptic

scienkoptic — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 02:28:57 +0000

why does wikipedia carry such weight? I’ve found numerous inaccurate entries. It’s gospel according to whomever is writing it.

By: scienkoptic

scienkoptic — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 02:21:22 +0000

Don’t count on it.
We wasted 35 years on a stupid reusable rocket plane that has killed more astronauts than all the other apollo, gemini, mercury and any other progams. I’d venture to guess that space shuttles have gobbled up more money than all other missions combined (adjusted for inflation). I’d say that Vietnam had less to do with the end of Apollo than America’s collective growing disinterest in moon missions. Atomic rockets?!?
That’s like a car that runs on live cats or babies. Something that doesn’t even look good on paper.

By: wlfdrgn

wlfdrgn — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 01:58:31 +0000

I actually saw an Apollo launch when I was very young. You know the scene with tons of people, campers, etc, all parked in the grass, along a canal, with a big countdown clock? That’s where I was. I don’t remember which one it was, but it must have been one of the last. I also saw a shuttle launch, although from farther away. The Apollo launch was much more impressive, and probably not just because I was so young.

I think the most depressing thing about space exploration today isn’t that we’re not living on the moon, going to Pluto for vacations, etc. It’s that the first time, from Kennedy issuing his challenge to the nation, it was, what, 8 years before we walked on the moon? 8 years from never having had any animal in space, never having had any man-made object orbit the Earth, never having launched a human on a rocket at all, to walking on the moon.

Then bush issues his challenge. Having all the knowledge we have today, having done all of this before, he challenged the country to go back to the moon in 15 years. Then cut the budget.