Is NASA a waste of money?

[M29since14]

Hopefully we can send 0bama to the first Lunar White House

There are treaties that forbid that sort of thing!

Is NASA a waste of money? Sure. Anything the government puts its hand to is going to have some of that. But overall, what choice is there? If we want to be left behind by the rest of the entire world, all we have to do is let everyone know we are pulling our horns in.

I think I read today that the proposed reduction was about 1.5% of the NASA budget from the previous year. If that is true, I don't see how 1.5% could cancel everything we are being told will be cancelled. Surely there is some leaning out that could be done rather than outright cancellations. The truth must be that the long term prospects are much worse.

In the mean time, if unemployment is going to run close to 10% for at least the next three years, you can see why our friends in Washington suddenly have this interest in cutting unnecessary spending. The only problem is, they are a little late coming to the party.

Their insane trade policies have done to the U.S. what we were able to do to the Soviet Union with the arms race. Not a lot of difference...

 

[pownal55]

i once heard that NASA made up .5 of one percent of the federal budget, don't expect to see a lot of extra money in your paycheck.

 

[marvin the martian]

As the only resident Martian, I think I have some expertise in this area.
NASA is a source of national pride, too bad people don't really care anymore. The Hubble telescope, Cassani, the ATV's you all sent for me to ride around on (sorry 'bout gett'n one stuck in the sand), the ISS wouldn't of happened without the shuttles. The list of innovations NASA produced is huge, velcro anyone? We made it to the moon on less computer power than my laptop, it would be great to see us go back, though now it's sounding like I may never see that happen. Cutting the budget is going to hurt us more in the long run than the savings Obama wants now.

 

[The Last Standing Knight]

NASA

I agree, if there is one program that doesn't need to be cut, it is NASA.

That being said, I do think it needs a revamping and a new mission...and no, I don't think we should be going back to the moon at this time. I think we should be concentrating our efforts on Mars. In addition, using the ISS as a jumpoff point for spaceships much larger than could be effiencently(sic, sorry, I'm tired) handled from Earth. Vessels that could go to the outer planets on extended journeys.

I'm not talking the starship Enterprise, but something more realistic. If we had a fleet of, say, four of these kind of ships...well, let China have the moon..we've been there, done that, moved on. Old Glory flying over the Martian surface would rival any moon mission.

It's nice to dream...but in the end, China WILL take over the lead in the space race just like we did from the Russians.

 

[2000Z-71]

I remember growing up, every kid wanted to be an astronaut. I don't remember anyone wanting to be a community organizer.

The part that concerns me the most is that once this is done it's going to be hard to put back together again. There will be a huge intellectual loss at NASA as scientist and engineers leave for the private sector. If the next administration decides to restore NASA to its former glory, it will take years to regain the knowledge that has been lost.

 

[duckloads]

I was born in, and still live in Huntsville, Al. A few years ago, I had the chance to watch a shuttle launch. That was a memorable and honorable time to be an American.

Obama dosen't want anybody around that is smarter than he is.

 

[Sistema1927]

I am conflicted on this, for several reasons.

1) I remember fondly watching "one small step for man" while sitting in front of our B&W TV as a 13 year old, but...

2) I don't know where to find justification for funding a space program in the US Constitution.

3) I recognize the many, many innovations and improvements to our lives that have resulted from the space program, but...

4) I wonder if capitalism and private industry, if unfettered by government red tape and exorbitant taxation, wouldn't be able to result in even more innovations.

5) I want to see a reduction in overall federal expenditures, but...

6) I would rather see cuts in other areas first.

Call me indecisive.

 

[cass]

I think that everyone will agree that thanks to NASA, our lives have been changed for the better. HOWEVER, being retired from the aerospace industry, I can assure you that they are not easy to deal with. We had several contracts with them over the years, and they rank no 1 in unreasonable hardass.

 

[ladder13]

Can we de-fund the space program AFTER we launch obama and his cronies for one last "mission"?

 

[DeathGrip]

Who's enjoying this thread?How's your sattelite conection?Cable?Telephone?(and don't call it a land line)Cellphone?GPS?
I like the simpler times but it aint my choice.
And I like all of the things listed above.
What I don't like is the direction things are going now,we're on the losing end.
D.G.

 

[pharmer]

Yes, NASA is a "waste" of money.
Yes, it is essential to the prestige of America.
Yes, thousands depend on it for their livelihood.
Yes, we should fund it indefinitely.
Yes, I live in Florida about 60 miles from the pads.
No, we are likely never going anywhere "meaningful" in space. (That's why it's called "space"). We might be able to turn a buck from it though in "low orbit adventures" which seems like the BO plan. Joe

 

[DeathGrip]

I didn't catch the "low orbit adventures"part.I'll guess my sat is OK for now.How long till we farm it out to some other country?

D.G.

 

[sipowicz]

If you didn't have shuttle launches, what the hell would people in florida do?

 

[DeathGrip]

If you didn't have shuttle launches, what the hell would people in florida do?

I don't know.....Gimme a minute....Gotta 6?......Go fish!!!!

D.G.

 

[sipowicz]

 

[shtr1]

Couldn't imagine life without nasa. Some of my coolest early memories are of sitting indian style on the floor watching the launches.

 

[Bullseye Smith]

As a "PROUD AMERICANE" I can say I didn't help put him in there .

 

[DeathGrip]

Couldn't imagine life without nasa. Some of my coolest early memories are of sitting indian style on the floor watching the launches.

Was that in school?I learned to put my head between my legs and kiss my ...goodbye.It was scary.

D.G.

 

[67 GTO]

NASA has been a part of my life. I certainly hope it survives.
As a kid of the 60's I grew up several miles from the NASA facility at Langley AFB in Va. I can still remember the distant roar of the "big" wind tunnel occasionally spinning up, night or day. There were several, but you always knew when the "big one" was in use. Whenever I was on base with my parents, I would ask them to drive through the NASA area.
I also remember seeing my teachers cry in 1967 when the 3 astronauts died in the Apollo 204 capsule fire at Cape Kennedy. Mercury Blvd. was the main drag, named after the Mercury Space program. Along that road is the Virgil Grissom Bridge. Further down that same road is the Aerospace Park, with winged craft and rockets from the 50's and 60's. I used to climb the steel steps to peer into the cockpits of the planes and imagine flying through the air in one of them.

Today, my brother-in-law operates some of the remaining wind tunnels at NASA. They are slowly being phased out. What remains mostly gets leased for private company research. He used to help with some Winston Cup team aero testing, but even they have gone elsewhere.
With our country's current fiscal mess, it doesn't surprise me that NASA would be a prime target for cut-backs. But I don't have to like it.

 

[Beemer-mark]

NASA needs to be abolished. I worked at NASA when I owned my own engineering firm in the '80's. It was obsolete then. NASA largest customer is the Air Force and CIA. It's like money laundering with the federal budget. There are real private firms that are making more advances in space then NASA can accomplish with 1000x the money. Our government uses the 1960 pride we had in beating Russia into space (oh wait, we didn't beat anyone did we) to fund an incredibly inefficient bureaucracy whose only really accomplishment is to secretly support the defense agencies. Many huge America telecommunications companies are going overseas to launch their satellites.