gtww2z9z%gables.span@umigw.miami.edu (Jason Gross) (11/26/88)
Well, for my first posting on the net, I have garnered an amazing response. Unfortunately, a good deal of it is negative. But before I try to rebuff some of the comments I've seen, let me apologize to Mr. Spencer for stating that he is a idiot. He's seems (from what I've seen) to be an intelligent and informed person. Now, with that out of the way, let's begin. I'm sorry that at least one of you out there considers by opinion "naive". I an not unaware of what has happened to my neighbor NASA these days. With reports of coverups and suppressions of the truth and other nasty stuff, I am a little disheartened by it all. Worst of all, I terribly saddened by the fact that we could do an immensely better job, except that some pinheads in Washington think it more fun to play politics rather than playing getting down to work. But thought it all, I still have faith in NASA that they'll weather this storm and come back to its rightful place. Call me idealistically optimistic, but that how it think it'll be. And to clarify a point I made, at this point in time, I believe the Soviets to be in the lead of the Space Race. They have made accomplishments where we have had failures. But again, I don't see whe we should just say "Okay, that's it ladies and gentlemen. For now on, the show's gonna be run from Baikonur!" Now is our chance to do what should have been done all along: define what we want to do in space. Do we want to go commercial? Do we want a space station? Do we want more planetary exploration (manned or unmanned)? All we want to do now is get the shuttle flying again! Well, we just did that. So now what? Uh, let's launch another. Yeah! That's it! Okay, what then? Well, don't ask me these silly questions! Ya see, we could be just as busy as the Sovs, but we are just running around like a chicken with no head. I just hope that someday soon, we find that head again and put it back! -- Jason Gross Comp Sci Ugrad University of Miami Class of '91 (?) =========================================================================== "Women. You can't live | Mail your invigorating replies to: | For with them, and you can't | GTWW2Z9Z%Gables.Span@Umigw.Miami.Edu | Sale: shoot them, either." | (What a lovely address, isn't it now?) | $.05 ======================================================== IBM Sucks Silicon!
greg@proxftl.UUCP (Gregory N. Hullender) (11/28/88)
In article <gables.232@umigw.miami.edu> gtww2z9z%gables.span@umigw.miami.edu (Jason Gross) writes: >Now is our chance to do what should have been done all along: define what >we want to do in space. Do we want to go commercial? Do we want a space >station? Do we want more planetary exploration (manned or unmanned)? The _Ecomomist_ had a very good article about space recently. They said that there were really four reasons to go into space: Money, Power, Knowledge, and Glory. The suggested each be dealt with as follows: 1) Money. Commercial exploitation of space should *not* be done by the government. The government might subsidize it or patronize it to help get it started, but every effort should be made to privatize commercical launches as much as possible. 2) Power. The military should be free to persue their own objectives in space, without strings attached to NASA. This partnership has not served either side very well. 3) Knowledge. Universities and other research institutions should be free to purchase launch capability wherever they wish (consistent with national security). Their budgets should simply include some amount for launch costs for each project. 4) Glory. Man exploring the universe is not a means to an end; it is an end in itself, and the public is willing to pay for a certain amount of it. NASA should pick a goal (Man on Mars, say), and, given a realistic annual budget for it (what the public is *really* willing to pay for pure exploration) plan out how to spend it intelligently over the time it will actually take. If the USA alone won't foot the whole bill, go in together with the same allies we're working with on the space station. I think a great deal of NASA's problems come from the fact that it has always been in business #4, but it has tried to justify things based on the other three. NASA's troubles with Congress are not the fault of Congress; they stem directly from NASA's lies about the economic practicality of the shuttle. Good steps have been made toward eliminating NASA's non-Glory functions. This should continue. -- Greg Hullender / 3511 NE 22nd Av./Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33308 / uunet!proxftl!greg "People get tired of being trampled on by the iron-shod feet of oppression." -- Martin Luther King, Jr.