Should the Shuttle program been decommissioned and given over the to public sector.

[Justice wanted]

This Wonder event of Landing on Mars as we did I can't help but even though I am so happy and excited about what just happen I am also feeling sadden thinking of the loss of the Shuttle program.


I never thought Nasa should let go of that program. I worry about how that step will effect future generations.

Maybe me being paranoid but I worry about --especially with the corporations are now. I worry about the corporation of exploration.


So am I just being a Bitch and corporate hating

OR

Are my concerns valid. You are sadden man exploration is becoming commercialized?

[johnd83]

1. The shuttle was a terrible machine

I love NASA and space travel, but the space shuttle was the most expensive, inefficient way possible to send payloads into orbit. (I have studied rocket science in detail; my professor explained why it was such a horrible design) The way forward is with cheap rockets like SpaceX that are far simpler and easier to produce.

[Justice wanted]

2. Is that the one with a retro look? You may be right but to me I thought it was a great design

needed to be redefine and made better but I thought it looked better than the apollo round things.

[hollysmom]

4. Space elevator is way better and efficient.

Arthur Clarke used to write about it.

[Brother Buzz]

5. Carbon nanotubes are, like, almost here and now

[longship]

8. Space elevator will never, ever happen

What a terrorist target. 30,000+ miles of cable crashing down on your head. Attack the anchor point and the whole thing is fucked.

It will never happen for that reason alone.

Nice idea, though. Too bad the liabilities and vulnerabilities are so obvious.

[Shankapotomus]

11. what about a floating launch platform?

where the rocket is safely floated up closer to earth orbit via a platform connected between four blimps that disengage just before launch? the blimps then safely return to earth to be reused?

same principle as in this video but with four large manned blimps connected together with the rocket platform in the middle:

[hollysmom]

13. when mind control i fully developed in the future,

we can reprogram terrorists into pigeon lovers.

Hey, everything we do is being watched now, I only hope that the spyers are awash in too much data.

[CarmanK]

3. US Govt just awarded $bn contracts to am companies to build space crafts for hire.

American taxpayers will then pay for astronaut passage to space stations. Way to go, all those privateers who get taxpayer $$ to make products, for taxpayers to then buy back at FMV or rent at FMV. that is the GOP drive to privatize everything govt. If the govt fits in a bath tub, it is not big enough to perform its duties to protect the common good. Among those responsibilities of govt set out by the founders was that the govt must be the bulwark against the "would be king". they knew, as we should, that democracies can die, if the RICH gain the power to rule, to govern and to dispose of common good assets at will. that is what is happening in MI where the EFM are divesting cities of the parks, stadiums, beaches and other publicly owned assets to enrich their friends and insure their futures. In Pontiac, the EFM added insult to injury. He sold the public $50 mn stadium to a canadian company for $ 538,000.00 and then went to work for the Canadian company as a go between to allow them to convert the stadium into a gambling casino complex.

[johnd83]

6. The space shuttle was built by a private company

The commercial space launch program is only different because we only pay for results rather than the development. The porklifter is the exact opposite, we just give companies money.

[cbrer]

7. This is not an "either or" discussion

One must consider the racial (human race) implications of space travel. One may not neglect the economic implications of getting there. There are some corporations out there doing a hell of a job. There are some government entities doing great work. We have to get beyond petty quarrels, and have leadership that builds alliances and bridges gaps. Not the poor excuse we have now.

NASA should be reinstated, grown and given 25% of the defense budget.

Imagine endless power from space.

Imagine true immortality for the human race.

Imagine creating an agency that brings nations together.

Imagine a true moral value.

[davidpdx]

9. I think the Space Shuttle could have been used for a few more years

The retirement of the program was sad for me. The two shuttle disasters were too many even with the hundreds of successful missions. My one regret is I never got to go to Florida to see one go up.

[jp11]

10. All exploration gets commercialized.

The point is to further our knowledge and understanding if not some military or tactical goal but inevitably there will be resources that can be exploited and that is where commercialization leaps in beyond the scientific or government role.

I think everything in the space program was made by a contracted commercial company, lockhead being one of the oldest/biggest since the early days. Specifications of what was needed/required were brought to the aerospace companies and they worked to meet or exceed those at the lowest price, if approved they were tasked to construct the equipment.

The difference recently was that space was 'opened' to private companies to develop their own programs to enter space/run programs for commercial gain, selling seats for a ride into space. Perhaps there have even been changes to allow private companies to build their own space stations but I don't think it has gone that far just yet.

I thought for years when the next phase of the shuttle program would come, but I think it needed a purpose, to build more shuttle type vehicles just to bring people to space seems like a waste. It should either be a smaller vehicle just to do that or larger for something else like construction of a larger space station or a ship that can't launch from the Earth. Not having those projects in mind some 20 years ago when I first read about the shuttle's alleged replacements another shuttle variant seemed somewhat pointless. The shuttles were supposed to serve for 100 missions or ten years and ended up having their service life extended to some 30 years.

So if it takes shutting down the old, outdated shuttles to get a new design and an actual plan for another 'leap' into space I have no problem with that. I do think that the space program played a large part in bolstering the Military Industrial Complex and while I wouldn't trade the space program I think it is worthy to note that space funding feeds the beast of corporate greed in commercialized space. It opens new avenues for more military spending like military space vehicles, weapons platforms, and so on.

Don't mistake my point, even if we never had a space program the military industrial complex would have marched on spending taxpayer's money on fantasy weapons and growing more powerful over the years. The absence of the space program from the early days would not have crippled the power of that industry.

[Johonny]

12. Yes I am sadden by space exporation being commercialized

mostly because before this new Robber baron era it was insane to think of a person having enough money to privately make his own space station, moonbase, launch vehicle... It is the Robber Baron era all over again, this time instead of trains they are making launch vehicles and they want to own the future of space! (The good news is commercialization of space has to date not been very profitable without USA tax $$)