Orion

[zzzippper]

The first test flight of the capsule that will take Americans back into space has been scrubbed. I don't think the general public realizes what a big deal this program is. Maybe once they put humans inside and light the candle people will pay attention but we have become blaze' about space travel. I miss the excitement of the Mercury/Gemini/Apollo days.

 

[soFlaNative]

The first test flight of the capsule that will take Americans back into space has been scrubbed. I don't think the general public realizes what a big deal this program is. Maybe once they put humans inside and light the candle people will pay attention but we have become blaze' about space travel. I miss the excitement of the Mercury/Gemini/Apollo days.

There will be hue and cry that monies could be better spent.

 

[boatme99]

Money spent on space programs is infinitesimal, in the US.
The returns in earth based technologies alone are staggering.
I, too, miss the glory days of our reaching out to space.
We humans are destined to move into space.

 

[Grayfox]

I truely believe that at some point in the future, for whatever reason, the survival of the human race will require us to bail off this ball and seek a new home among the stars.
Sure would be nice if we had someplace to go and the means to get there.

 

[Mickey D]

Money spent on space programs is infinitesimal, in the US.
The returns in earth based technologies alone are staggering.
I, too, miss the glory days of our reaching out to space.
We humans are destined to move into space.

Exactly. We would not be where we are technically speaking without the space programs of the past.

 

[zzzippper]

Exactly. We would not be where we are technically speaking without the space programs of the past.

Tang and Space Bars!

 

[Salty RI]

I heard nobody knew how to use a slide rule.

 

[finesse_r]

Since the Chinese now have the largest economy in the world, perhaps we should allow them to take over the lead in space exploration as well. I mean when we were top dog with the world’s largest economy, we could afford such stuff. Now we cannot afford to feed and house our own citizens, much less send men into outer space.

But the real question is when will the yen replace the dollar as the world’s currency?

I think a person could make some money selling signs that read “We Are Number 2”

 

[Bruce51]

Money spent on space technology has had beneficial effects on the US economy.

If I remember correctly, the items such as, battery powered drills and such are the direct result of space exploration, research and development.

At least, I hope so. We have dropped the ball and the economy suffers due to our neglect.

We should be ashamed that we need the Russian's rockets to deliver the US to the space station.

What a crock! You either lead, follow or get out of the way.

Apparently we just decided to step aside and let others do our heavy lifting.

The Chinese are doing what we did over forty years ago.

We should be leaps and bounds ahead of everyone at this point.

Can't say no more so rant off!

BLM

 

[HOUSTON RICK]

Most of my neighbors work for NASA. Orion has been a big deal here for a long time.

 

[Bruce51]

Most of my neighbors work for NASA. Orion has been a big deal here for a long time.

I hope that it goes very well.

Maybe the leap we need to get back in the space race.

The galaxy is on Orion's belt. MIB

BLM

 

[rwsmith]

Catching up fast.....

Since the Chinese now have the largest economy in the world, perhaps we should allow them to take over the lead in space exploration as well. I mean when we were top dog with the world’s largest economy, we could afford such stuff. Now we cannot afford to feed and house our own citizens, much less send men into outer space.

But the real question is when will the yen replace the dollar as the world’s currency?

I think a person could make some money selling signs that read “We Are Number 2”

A few years ago there was still no comparison between the US economy and ANY other country in the world. We dwarfed everybody else. I don't think they've caught up quite yet, butChina's GNP is growing by something like 10%/year.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

When I was a kid in the 60's most of my teachers were WW II vets or the wives of vets. Every space launch was either seen live on TV or when the TV was stolen we listened to it on radio. When I got in Jr. High School a year after Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, the teachers were mostly under 30, and they couldn't be bothered to take the time to watch any history making event except race riots and anti war demonstrations. When I got in High School in the early 70's, the mix of WWII and Korea vets was about 50/50 to the young teachers. In retrospect, the young teachers were more interested in telling us how we should be thinking instead of how to reach our own conclusions. The thing was, about 1/3 of the families in the school got their income from defense contractors (mostly North American / Rockwell), and another 10-15% from a military supply depot. In spite of the young teachers anti-war/ anti-government leanings, the majority of students could see the future unfolding, and were not interested in the promised "Socialist Utopia", and were happy with a future that included the exploration of space, and all the trickle down technology it provided. Ivan, class of 1974

 

[vigil617]

Interestingly enough, one of the premises of the new movie "Interstellar," which is set in a future America, is that space exploration is one of many technological endeavors that have been set aside due to the need for raising enough food to feed a famine-plagued planet. The main character is a trained spacecraft pilot who, when the space program was ditched, was put to work using his technical skills to raise food using automated farm equipment.

History books of the time have even been re-written to teach kids that the moon landings had never happened and were staged as part of an elaborate deception to bankrupt the Soviet Union by diverting substantial assets into a perceived "space race" with the United States. The dire need on Earth for food had made government investment in anything but agriculture wasteful.

As it turns out (no spoiler alert), the main character is able to use his flight training after all, and what he and his crew encounter in space (and time) is the plot of the movie (which I highly recommend, by the way.)

 

[wbraswell]

Bah, I'd rather we spend that effort exploring the ocean, our own planet, and discovering the abundance of accessible energy at our fingertips and develop ways to use it. The idea that our destiny is to spread our destructive species to other worlds, like some higher calling, or "manifest destiny", is nothing more than H.G. Wells fiction. The idea that we use this world up and head on to the next one, is repulsive. If we kill our planet, then we should all die with it.

 

[finesse_r]

A few years ago there was still no comparison between the US economy and ANY other country in the world. We dwarfed everybody else. I don't think they've caught up quite yet, butChina's GNP is growing by something like 10%/year.

They just passed us. Or more correctly we just pushed them past us.

 

[pharmer]

Orion is like everything else, a thousand times more expensive to re-create somthing we already had. Feels exactly like 1968 except with 1% of the excitement and none of my youth. We might go somewhere meaningful in space someday, around 3014 (assuming we avoid extinction). Joe

 

[vigil617]

Bah, I'd rather we spend that effort exploring the ocean, our own planet, and discovering the abundance of accessible energy at our fingertips and develop ways to use it. The idea that our destiny is to spread our destructive species to other worlds, like some higher calling, or "manifest destiny", is nothing more than H.G. Wells fiction. The idea that we use this world up and head on to the next one, is repulsive. If we kill our planet, then we should all die with it.

Good points, wbraswell, and it truly puzzles me why we have placed space exploration over that of learning more about our own planet's oceans. Both involve travel to alien worlds where only a thin piece of man-made material separates us from immediate death, and both are utterly dark and unfathomable (no pun intended) for the most part. I really wonder whether the space race begun by the Soviets in 1957 with Sputnik is at the root of our own fascination and determination to succeed "out there" while so much still remains to be learned right here on Mother Earth. In an ideal world, we could afford to do both, but given the choice between the two (which I'm not sure we had, given the Cold War) I hope we would have chosen sea exploration instead.

 

[Bruce51]

Actually, I believe the space race was a good excuse to develop bigger and heavier rockets capable of delivering nuclear weapons.

Any spending on weapons and space has the effect of causing a surge in technology and provides jobs far beyond the scope of the project.

The shuttle allowed us to do things in a different and more expensive platform.

However there was not much it could do that a big rocket with a space capsule could have done for less cost.

That's just how we are doing it again and why we are now flying on Russian rockets.

As far as going any place it still takes to long and has huge logistic problems to overcome.

In the future if anti gravity,warping or something faster is developed then we can and should explore.

In the mean time robotic missions should continue. It's a way to keep producing the people who will eventually get us out there.

BLM

 

[gunblade]

The real question is, what 3rd generation pistol will you carry with you when you leave Earth?

 

[zzzippper]

Actually, I believe the space race was a good excuse to develop bigger and heavier rockets capable of delivering nuclear weapons.

In the future if anti gravity,warping or something faster is developed then we can and should explore.

In the mean time robotic missions should continue. It's a way to keep producing the people who will eventually get us out there.

BLM

We already had rockets that could throw nukes as far as they needed to go. The Titan that launched Gemini was an ICBM.

Those technologies won't be developed without the impetus of space exploration.

We don't just rely on Russian rides to the ISS, we also use their engines in our boosters.

 

[DeathGrip]

Ancient Alien Theorist.

When imagination meets science/history and some unusual hair.

 

[GaryS]

The Saturn boosters were based on the V2 designs of WW II. Which of course were designed to launch bombs from Germany to England. Actually, they were eventually supposed to launch Atomic weapons to America, but never got that far.

The Russian design was the one that blew up a couple of weeks ago when a satellite was supposed to be launched.

Exploring space is just an extension of what humans have been doing for thousands of years. And other people have been saying it's unnecessary just as long. Remember the trouble Columbus had raising money for his little sail.

I'd much rather that my tax money be put into exploration than into "social welfare" programs. The space program brought us velcro among other things.

We already had rockets that could throw nukes as far as they needed to go. The Titan that launched Gemini was an ICBM.

Those technologies won't be developed without the impetus of space exploration.

We don't just rely on Russian rides to the ISS, we also use their engines in our boosters.

 

[GaryS]

Because, as the saying goes, Earth is to fragile a basket for humanity to place all of it's eggs in.

If not for the urge (and need) to explore, we'd all be living on one small part of one continent picking bugs out of each others hair and eating roots.

Worst of all, there wouldn't be any 3rd generation guns or revolvers to collect.

"Nice rock you have there, Thag."

"Thanks, but I might trade it. I hate the MIM (Mud Injected Middle) that they use now. They just don't make rocks like they used to."

Good points, wbraswell, and it truly puzzles me why we have placed space exploration over that of learning more about our own planet's oceans. Both involve travel to alien worlds where only a thin piece of man-made material separates us from immediate death, and both are utterly dark and unfathomable (no pun intended) for the most part. I really wonder whether the space race begun by the Soviets in 1957 with Sputnik is at the root of our own fascination and determination to succeed "out there" while so much still remains to be learned right here on Mother Earth. In an ideal world, we could afford to do both, but given the choice between the two (which I'm not sure we had, given the Cold War) I hope we would have chosen sea exploration instead.