Dale.Amon@FAS.RI.CMU.EDU (12/11/85)
I agree heartily with Spencer and find the injection of nationalism by other parties to be inappropriate and childish. If you want to be rah-rah free peoples in space, I'm in agreement. If you want to be my country 'ubber alles', then cram it up your expansion nozzle. NASA is well known for internal politics, and I have little doubt that justifications were created in high level meetings. It is an intensely ugly dog eat dog budgetary world we have created; the honest get squashed and the stupid get caught (and create publicity for the defenders of the public who haven't gotten caught yet). This does not change the fact the shuttle MUST have a cheap follow on. You need only follow some of Newt Gingrich's simple calculations to see that the net loss per flight will eat up most of the available capital. (REF: USSF conference proceedings from last year) It is a beautiful ship, and it is the first spaceship, but we need the Phoenix or an equivalent to make things happen.