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"we did learn how to live in space for long periods of time "
I beg to differ. NASA steadfastly refuses to do any
work on how much gravity is required to prevent the human body from self
destructing. It was never about learning much of anything. I was about
distributing pork to various congressional districts...mostly in Florida, Utah,
Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas...you can chart where the powerful senators were
by the waxing and waning of the NASA centers.
RE technology transfer. There is the seen and the
unseen. In other words, what things did not happen because the funding was
diverted to NASA, and what things has NASA actually done as a regulatory agency
that hampers space exploration. I've seen the other side of things, don't
believe the propaganda they tout to keep the pork flowing.
RE bureaucrats and politicians....not the military
industrial complex per se...just institutional inertia..
Branson I think is wasting his money. Elon Musk and
Bigelow...maybe it will get somewhere. I hope so. But there are just fundamental
technological limits we are up against. We are waiting for some breakthroughs in
hard science.
Yeah...cut the foreign aid. Cut it all.....then cut
it again. When you get done with that, sell the buildings, the land, and
auction the rights for viewing the hangings....does that clarify where I am
coming from.
/Rant.
Monty
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, July 23, 2011 3:54
PM
Subject: [FlyRotary] Re: Off
Subject
Yes, the shuttle was not the solution that it was advertised.
However:
It was the workhorse that took the largest pieces of the ISS into
orbit.
No, we did not go anywhere (no deep space exploration) but we did learn
how to live in space for long peiods of time which is a prerequosite to deep
space travel and exploration.
We live with the benefits of the space program everyday even though they
are not so obvious.
Example: Look at the difference in size and capability of a camcorder
from 20 years ago to today. That's a result of technology that came out of the
space program.
Discovery is the byproduct of the space program.
NASA knows what the right answers are. It's unfortunate that they are
being dismantled to the point that they will never be allowed to pursue those
solutions.
In the meantime instead of exporting our dollars to space we will be
exporting them to foriegn governments (whose population wants to kill us) and
call it financial aid.
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