Ad Astra Per Aspera
NASA Supporters Fear Bush May Cut Space Plan (Washington Post): Just disheartening. This country does so much better when we spend taxpayer dollars wisely in pursuit of manned spaceflight—the direct and indirect economic benefits are great.
“Without risk, there’s no discovery, there’s no new knowledge, there’s no bold adventure. The greatest risk is to take no risk.”
– June Scobee Rodgers, wife of Dick Scobee, commander of STS 51-L, commenting on the 20th anniversary of the Challenger disaster.
Wise is your key word.
NASA still doesn’t get it, after all this time. Side with safety — with known results. Don’t gamble with people’s lives. It seems that they always get to that point AFTER people die. Apollo 1, Challenger, Columbia — every death marked a change in the business plan of the agency. That’s not wisdom. That’s people covering their a$$es. The President should sign off on reasonable risks for the Astronauts, and NASA should work to produce a vehicle that can meet those reasonable risks. NASA should not be allowed to decide reasonable risk and produce a vehicle that may or may not be audited to meet those risk levels they deem acceptable.
NASA needs to be downsized and replaced with a privately held space corporation that charters missions into space.
January 31st, 2006 at 06:22No, no, a thousand times, NO!
January 31st, 2006 at 06:26