The end of the space shuttle marks a retreat in America's ambitions
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  The end of the space shuttle marks a retreat in America's ambitions
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Author Topic: The end of the space shuttle marks a retreat in America's ambitions  (Read 1779 times)
Napoleon
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« Reply #25 on: July 22, 2011, 02:32:15 AM »

Hey look, more ignorance about libertarians!

Learn to take a joke, prude.
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dead0man
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« Reply #26 on: July 22, 2011, 02:44:25 AM »

Ahh, the old "it wasn't an insult, it was comedy" bit followed up by an insult.  Classy!
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Napoleon
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« Reply #27 on: July 22, 2011, 02:47:27 AM »

Ignorance is a more insulting word than prude, in addition to being less accurate.
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dead0man
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« Reply #28 on: July 22, 2011, 02:52:39 AM »

Really?  Everybody is ignorant, not everybody is a prude.
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Filuwaúrdjan
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« Reply #29 on: July 22, 2011, 07:16:57 AM »

How does the scrapping of decades-old technology mark a retreat in 'America's ambitions' (whatever they are)?
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Grumpier Than Uncle Joe
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« Reply #30 on: July 22, 2011, 07:44:15 AM »

How does the scrapping of decades-old technology mark a retreat in 'America's ambitions' (whatever they are)?

FTW
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Silent Hunter
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« Reply #31 on: July 22, 2011, 07:54:43 AM »

How does the scrapping of decades-old technology mark a retreat in 'America's ambitions' (whatever they are)?

FTW

Especially as they're still looking to go to Mars.
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opebo
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« Reply #32 on: July 22, 2011, 12:59:56 PM »

How does the scrapping of decades-old technology mark a retreat in 'America's ambitions' (whatever they are)?

Perception.
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Yelnoc
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« Reply #33 on: July 23, 2011, 10:15:05 PM »

I just wished there was a state-of-the-art vehicle to replace the Space Shuttle.  Sure, it was old and time to retire it, but American astronauts shouldn't have to hitch rides with Russian Cosmonauts to go to the ISS.

We could have saved enough money by allowing private companies to do the mundane space hauling and let NASA focus on science and exploration (which, after all, is their raison d'etre).  Allow private companies to build their own launch pads and focus on things like sending probes to Europa to swim through the moon's ice-covered oceans.  There are a million reasons to fund NASA and a million ways to do it without it hurting.
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memphis
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« Reply #34 on: July 23, 2011, 10:23:35 PM »

How does the scrapping of decades-old technology mark a retreat in 'America's ambitions' (whatever they are)?

FTW

Especially as they're still looking to go to Mars.
About as likely as an open, free, and tolerant Afghanistan.
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Middle-aged Europe
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« Reply #35 on: July 24, 2011, 09:29:40 AM »

We could have saved enough money by allowing private companies to do the mundane space hauling and let NASA focus on science and exploration (which, after all, is their raison d'etre).

NASA's raison d'etre was to beat the Russians to the Moon "by the end of the decade". Which was achieved in 1969. From thereon, they were constantly looking for another purposes to justify their existence. Sometimes with success, and sometimes not.
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True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)
Ernest
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« Reply #36 on: July 24, 2011, 03:01:49 PM »

We could have saved enough money by allowing private companies to do the mundane space hauling and let NASA focus on science and exploration (which, after all, is their raison d'etre).

NASA's raison d'etre was to beat the Russians to the Moon "by the end of the decade". Which was achieved in 1969. From thereon, they were constantly looking for another purposes to justify their existence. Sometimes with success, and sometimes not.

And never when it comes to the manned space program.  The idiotic manned asteroid probe that is the latest big idea for NASA being a case in point.  Could we do it?  Sure.  Could we do it more cheaply with an unmanned mission? Certainly.  Would it be worth doing, even as a unmanned mission? Probably not.  If we're going to spend that much money on space, let's do something really worthwhile, albeit with some significant risk. A permanent Martian colony is a worthwhile goal.  And I mean colony, not visit.  The people who go to Mars should be going there to settle, never to return to Terra.
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