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What should NASA do now

Where should NASA focus its energies now? (vote for as many as you want)

  • New manned (and womanned) missions to the moon.

    Votes: 12 33.3%
  • More scientific probes to Mars.

    Votes: 16 44.4%
  • Sending astronauts to Mars

    Votes: 17 47.2%
  • Better satellite systems

    Votes: 18 50.0%
  • Finding extra terrestrial life

    Votes: 11 30.6%
  • More space-based telescopes

    Votes: 16 44.4%
  • Scrap NASA; we have more important things to spend our resources on

    Votes: 8 22.2%

  • Total voters
    36

Luna Tick

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Now that we've had our last Space Shuttle launch, where should NASA focus its energies?
 
Everything but the last one.
 
Unfortunately, we have spent ourselves into a corner. Our only hope is to cut all unnecessary spending and NASA falls flat into that category. I love NASA and space exploration, but we have to do what is right and salvage what we can. NASA hampers that process.
 
Primarily, we need a better surface-to-orbit system. Renewed research into the scramjet concept would be my preference, along with perhaps seeing if the X-Prize/Virgin Galactic's low-budget-space methods could be turned into a viable manned/cargo to-orbit system.

We need lower cost and higher reliability to make space more viable for commercial ventures.
 
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That's what I am thinking. Why did we get rid of the shuttle program anyway?

I hold out secret hope that our government did some super secret space deal and developed something super awesome to replace the shuttle program.

Regarding the shuttles themselves, they have been used for a very long time and go through incredible stresses. You can't fly them forever. I wish they would have been replaced, but it appears not.
 
I'm thinking . . . go the opposite direction. Interior.

Journey_to_the_Center_of_the_Earth1959-567508.jpg


Yeah, they'll have to change their name to NISA. New stationery shouldn't be an obstacle, tho.
 
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Unfortunately, we have spent ourselves into a corner. Our only hope is to cut all unnecessary spending and NASA falls flat into that category. I love NASA and space exploration, but we have to do what is right and salvage what we can. NASA hampers that process.

Unfortunately, you may be right. I think space exploration is one of the great things our country has done. I feel frustrated that we've wasted so much money on wars that had nothing to do with defending the country. I wish Vietnam and Iraq had never happened, and maybe Afghanistan, and we had used that money instead to keep the budget in balance and for space exploration.

Maybe we can somehow at least manage to keep sending probes to Mars. We've achieved some terrific scientific discovery through that program. I fear at this point some other countries may overtake us in space exploration.
 
Unfortunately, we have spent ourselves into a corner. Our only hope is to cut all unnecessary spending and NASA falls flat into that category. I love NASA and space exploration, but we have to do what is right and salvage what we can. NASA hampers that process.

At the least, the U.S. should improve its satellite infrastructure and ensure that China does not come to dominate near earth orbit. The potential consequences in a future conflict would be devestating...
 
NASA shouldn't be launching rockets anymore. Rockets are technologically in the same category as cars and airplanes now, and the free market can handle them just fine. What NASA should be doing is working on new methods for propulsion, life support, etc.
 
I'm thinking . . . go the opposite direction. Interior.

Journey_to_the_Center_of_the_Earth1959-567508.jpg


Yeah, they'll have to change their name to NISA. New stationery shouldn't be an obstacle, tho.
This is much closer to what should be done. I would have cancelled NASA 5 to 10 years ago...
We need work in feeding the people on this planet, there are no people in space..
 
This is much closer to what should be done. I would have cancelled NASA 5 to 10 years ago...
We need work in feeding the people on this planet, there are no people in space..

Eventually, expanding into space is going to be the only solution to overpopulation. We should get started now, while it's not a pressing issue.
 
I would have voted other if I could have, or all of the above except the silly one and scrapping NASA it needs to be revamped and made pricate with Government backing.

NASA should hire Bert Rutan creator of the Voyager, first plane to fly nonstop around the Word, and Space Ship One fart private craft in space, is the most innovative aircraft designer since, Jack Northrop of Flying wing fame, and Kelly Johnson, who was the greatest ever for his time. He created the P-38 Lightening for WW-II, the U-2 and SR-71, and ran the Lockheed Skunk Works.

Bert Rutan is today's greatest engineer and if he had some real money available there is no telling what he could come up with.

Space Ship One
virgingalactic.jpg

Other Rutan designs
RutanAircraftFactory.jpg


Since right after the USSR put Sputnik in orbit we have been the leader in space and all technology and the spin offs have made a huge improvement to life on this planet for just about the whole World, and we need to stay there.

Face the facts the Earth has a shelf life ane if Man is going to continue to be, we have to get off this rock and the research needs to be on going so that we don't all end whan the Sun expands and this Planet becomes a "burned out cinder."
 
Now that we've had our last Space Shuttle launch, where should NASA focus its energies?

Scrap NASA or put it on hold until we are no longer in debt. That stuff is a luxury we do not need right now, let China or some other country waste their money on that or better yet let private businesses handle that.
 
Scrap NASA or put it on hold until we are no longer in debt. That stuff is a luxury we do not need right now, let China or some other country waste their money on that or better yet let private businesses handle that.

Oh yes...this is a real luxury huh?

NASA ~ NEO
 
Now that we've had our last Space Shuttle launch, where should NASA focus its energies?

I voted for more Mars missions. However, I'd also like NASA to pursue an international space junk clean-up and also to develop more space stations.
 
This idea that NASA is a "luxury" or not needed is simply ridiculous. You know what is a luxury? Air conditioning...about 20 billion of it just for tents in Iraqi and Afghanistan, while NASA's ENTIRE BUDGET is 1 billion less. I dunno man, something tells me that making sure we keep all our telecommunications, predictions of asteroids, using technologies NASA used in everyday life, etc is pretty important stuff.

I think whatever we choose to do, it has to be better than China or India. While private space exploration is fine and good, private will always have a cost motive to it that will not always directly benefit all of mankind. I think we need to thoroughly explore our options, if that is going to Mars, then the next planet, then the next until we find "God" or whatever that may be.
 
This idea that NASA is a "luxury" or not needed is simply ridiculous. You know what is a luxury? Air conditioning...about 20 billion of it just for tents in Iraqi and Afghanistan, while NASA's ENTIRE BUDGET is 1 billion less. I dunno man, something tells me that making sure we keep all our telecommunications, predictions of asteroids, using technologies NASA used in everyday life, etc is pretty important stuff.

I think whatever we choose to do, it has to be better than China or India. While private space exploration is fine and good, private will always have a cost motive to it that will not always directly benefit all of mankind. I think we need to thoroughly explore our options, if that is going to Mars, then the next planet, then the next until we find "God" or whatever that may be.

And do you know why we're in Iraq and Afghanistan? To procure potentially hundreds of billions of barrels of oil so that our energy economy doesn't completely collapse in the next 40-50 years while we invent, implement, and transition to better alternatives.

NASA has invented a lot for us and showed us our outer most capabilities, but the notion of humans colonizing space at this time is a pipe dream. We do not have enough collective organization, economic stability, and social equity to make that happen. Our state of development on earth demands that, for now, we stay on earth. The survivalist argument that we need space is shortsighted. What we need is all of our best minds working on our earthly problems.

There will always be research into space from terrestrial stations, but there is no point in flying to the moon again or building orbital space stations for tourists until our priorities here are fixed. Sure, private industry might take up the challenge, and start using the planet's resources to build luxurious palaces in orbit. The financial elite have already demonstrated that they are willing to screw over every last human being in order to sit on top of some delusional peak. But that is not where our priorities need to reside. Until humanity understands that, our degeneration and collapse as a civilization, and perhaps even a species, are inevitable.
 
Oh yes...this is a real luxury huh?

NASA ~ NEO

I am pretty sure that in humanity's whole history we have had a whole **** load of near misses and no NASA.
If there was a asteroid large enough to be devastating to the earth could we actually do something about it?
 
And do you know why we're in Iraq and Afghanistan? To procure potentially hundreds of billions of barrels of oil so that our energy economy doesn't completely collapse in the next 40-50 years while we invent, implement, and transition to better alternatives.

NASA has invented a lot for us and showed us our outer most capabilities, but the notion of humans colonizing space at this time is a pipe dream. We do not have enough collective organization, economic stability, and social equity to make that happen. Our state of development on earth demands that, for now, we stay on earth. The survivalist argument that we need space is shortsighted. What we need is all of our best minds working on our earthly problems.

There will always be research into space from terrestrial stations, but there is no point in flying to the moon again or building orbital space stations for tourists until our priorities here are fixed. Sure, private industry might take up the challenge, and start using the planet's resources to build luxurious palaces in orbit. The financial elite have already demonstrated that they are willing to screw over every last human being in order to sit on top of some delusional peak. But that is not where our priorities need to reside. Until humanity understands that, our degeneration and collapse as a civilization, and perhaps even a species, are inevitable.

So let me see if I get this straight, you can justify the massive air conditioning budget based off of the false hope that we will be dependent on foreign oil a few decades from now? Meanwhile, we could spend a fraction of the military budget that would help the military with defense systems, equipment, gear, help the private sector to find and innovate on base ideas, and possibly, just possibly, find a totally new energy source through our explorations.

Fact of the matter is, NASA is an incredibly important part of America, and it helped make America pre-WWII. If not for NASA you likely would not have the object you inject your opinion on. If not for NASA we would not have technologies that have also been used to discover deep sea oil here on Earth. NASA is a bet sure, but it is a bet that most Americans would be willing to take. Whatever happened to manifest destiny?
 
I am pretty sure that in humanity's whole history we have had a whole **** load of near misses and no NASA.
If there was a asteroid large enough to be devastating to the earth could we actually do something about it?

Part of NASA's job is to figure out how to deal with such issues. The sooner that NEOs can be found the better chances we have of averting disaster thats for sure. But if NASA is closed down nothing will be done about it. You can't count on the private sector to do this kind of research as there is no profit in watching for astroids that might hit Earth.

Sorry, forgot to add that the NEO program isn't about misses. Its about identifying astroids that could hit Earth.
 
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I'd vote on the poll but you can't choose more than one. So will just state do all those choices except scrapping NASA. NASA is one of the VERY FEW government programs that has actually turned a profit and helped mankind in a positive way.
 
Part of NASA's job is to figure out how to deal with such issues. The sooner that NEOs can be found the better chances we have of averting disaster thats for sure. But if NASA is closed down nothing will be done about it. You can't count on the private sector to do this kind of research as there is no profit in watching for astroids that might hit Earth.

Sorry, forgot to add that the NEO program isn't about misses. Its about identifying astroids that could hit Earth.

IN humanity's whole history how many have hit earth that were actually devastating? Is almost 20 billion dollars a year worth this? I could be wrong but this seems to be in the ballpark of buying alien abduction insurance, sure aliens could abduct your for some strange unknown reason but the odds are not high enough to justify spending the money on it.
 
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