Neil Armstrong: Obama killing off U.S. space program...
 

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinio...ce-legacy_n.htm

Article by Neil Armstrong, Gene Cernan, and Jim Lovell

"First, I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish."—President John F. Kennedy, Joint Session of Congress, May 25, 1961


Was President Kennedy a dreamer, a visionary, or simply politically astute? We may never know, but he had the courage to make that bold proposal 50 years ago Wednesday. The Soviet Union's Yuri Gagarin had completed an orbit of the Earth the previous month and electrified the world. The United States had taken only one human, Alan Shepard, above 100 miles altitude and none into orbit. Americans, embarrassed by the successes of our Cold War adversary, were eager to demonstrate that we too were capable of great achievements in space.

President Kennedy called in the leaders of the nascent National Aeronautics and Space Administration for their opinion on any space goal that Uncle Sam could win. They concluded that the only possibility was a manned lunar landing, and that would include all the principal elements of human space travel.

The president decided this was the right project, the right time, and the Americans were the right people.


"Now it is time to take longer strides — time for a great new American enterprise — time for this nation to take a clearly leading role in space achievement, which in many ways may hold the key to our future on earth.

… Let it be clear that I am asking the Congress and the country to accept a firm commitment to a new course of action, a course which will last for many years and carry very heavy costs."

— President Kennedy

A half century has passed since Kennedy challenged our citizenry to do what most thought to be impossible. The subsequent American achievements in space were remarkable: Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Skylab. Our efforts enhanced international cooperation with Apollo-Soyuz, the space shuttle and the International Space Station. The compelling fascination of our space achievements among young people spurred their interest in education.

By 2005, in keeping with President Kennedy's intent and America's resolve, NASA was developing the Constellation program, focusing on a return to the moon while simultaneously developing the plans and techniques to venture beyond, and eventually to Mars.

Continued on in the article link


Thank you Obama and those who voted him into office ... thank you...

J

First man on the moon, last man on the moon and close but no cigar.


Bill

Last American on the moon. That will soon be replaced with a Chinese name. :(

Our space program is a crying shame compared to what it once was.
I thought the shuttle was a bad joke when it first launched when I was 12, and still do to this day...we should have been venturing further, faster. Not just FERRYING satelittes.

In all fairness, NASA's problems didn't start with Obama and they won't likely end with Obama (and believe you me I'm NO fan of "Nobama" by a LONG SHOT)... but it's disingenuous to say that HE is the cause of NASA's increasing ineptidude and paralysis...

Even if Obama/Congress would have continued to fund Constellation, in 8-10 years we'd find we had created a booster that is completely unaffordable and unsustainable, and would be headed for short term cancellation, like Saturn V was... there simply wasn't enough money for development, implementation, construction, and operation, and still be able to afford missions... IOW WE COULDN'T FRIGGIN' AFFORD IT!

NASA can't seem to get past their own "lust" after the biggest, baddest, most bleeding edge humongo-ginormous boosters and design reference missions possible, and then wonder why they can't get anything done and can't afford it... They need a SERIOUS case of "K.I.S.S"!!!

Yes Congress needs to come through with the funding they promise, or else DON'T APPROVE THE FRIGGIN THING IN THE FIRST PLACE-- send their proposal back with "too expensive-- pare it back!" written in inch-high red letters across the front... Passing it as-is and thinking they'll THEN pare it back appropriately just AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN!

Til you fix the BLOATED BUREAUCRACY that NASA has become, NOTHING else is gonna be more than a band-aid...

Later! OL JR :)

We would be better off with the private sector running space exploration with ZERO gov't involvement (none of them butting in with some trumped up need to approve everything either) as it would be much more cost effective and mission efficient.
"Man rating" craft should have a large part via the approval of those riding in it.
If certain individuals are more willing to take risks than others, well they get moved up the line.
If we could go from clean sheet of paper to boots on moon in seven years from '62 to '69, we sure as hell should be able to do that in HALF the time now as the computing/design technology has advanced at LEAST 20-fold.
Anything else is NOTHING but EXCUSES and political double-talk CRAP !

We need a person with immense, gigantic, humongous (you get the idea) influence, knowledge, credentials, salesmanship, managerial skills, and ego to come along and tell the govt. and NASA exactly what we need, plowing over and through the bulk of congressional earmarks and beurocratic BS in the process. It's too bad that we will never have another Werner Von Braun to come along.

Even if we did, today's govt. wouldn't listen or care. It's a different world today. It would take a very powerful president and a few powerful congress critters with a passion for space exploration to unite and have a chance to push it through, without the USSR. For some reason, nobody in Washington sees China as a threat militarily, scientifically, or economically. :rolleyes:

It would be nice, but I can't see the private sector footing the bill for all the development without help from the govt. Space-X may have their Falcons and Dragons and technically be a private company, but they got a boatload of money from NASA (the govt.) to do it. Any time you get money from the govt. they want to have a big hand in deciding what you do with it.

Because "they" don't want Washington to see China as a threat and have manipulated the US government and media to refrain from telling the American public about the threat. "they" want to conduct business in China which supersedes the security of the US, Europe, etc. "they" are to blame.

I am going to assume that you are referring to American companies as "they"?

Man, are "they" dumb and stupid. If china made a move on us and they could with ease, they could seize all of our companies out right. Basically, would be similar to Hitler taking France.


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