NASA's new mission: public relations w/ the "Muslim world"

[Clinton Huxley]

CES, you know it's daft to cease funding for science programs and jobs, I know it's daft to cease funding science programs and jobs. Politicians know that if they need to reduce budgets, they'd better cut whatever will lose them the fewest votes in the next election.

As for the Constellation program, as far as I know it was underfunded from the start and its goals overly ambitious to say the least.

As for the Chinese - I mostly put that in to wind you up.........but watch this space.............

[Coito ergo sum]

CES, you know it's daft to cease funding for science programs and jobs, I know it's daft to cease funding science programs and jobs. Politicians know that if they need to reduce budgets, they'd better cut whatever will lose them the fewest votes in the next election.

If anything is irrelevant to the OP, it's a discussion of practical politics, and vote getting. We all know that there is a serious lack of understanding in the US, and probably the world, about the usefulness, benefits and merits of space exploration. Many people on both sides of the political spectrum see it as academic and of no bearing or purpose other than ego. So what? That doesn't make NASA's new "foremost mission" any less offensive and silly, and pathetic, sad and stupid.

Many things that gets politicians votes are fucking retarded.

As for the Constellation program, as far as I know it was underfunded from the start and its goals overly ambitious to say the least.

"Underfunded" is what the opponents of a program say is the state of affairs when not all the funds for a lengthy or long term project are already accounted for. In a 10-15 year project one does not allocate funds for the entire project because the project isn't going to spend all that money right away. That's why it's a 10-15 year project. It was not "underfunded" in the sense that it was not accomplishing its goals according to the plan.

The Ares rockets were done and being tested. They just launched Ares a month or two ago. The Orion was being built, and the program was proceeding forward. I am not sure what you're claiming was overly ambitious. You'll have to specify.

[JimC]

Thinking that these statements are controversial is pretty weak. It's like saying that former US government were wrong for reaching out to get other nations to work on the international space station. While I have no love for any religion, the reaction in the press to these statements does seem a little like racism and fear-mongering.

E.g., http://mediamatters.org/blog/201007060005

It's a very different thing to have a practical collaboration with other nations on real hardware compared to making a politically motivated "feel-good" statement to try to convince some deluded religion that America is not really the Great Satan...

[Clinton Huxley]

CES, you know it's daft to cease funding for science programs and jobs, I know it's daft to cease funding science programs and jobs. Politicians know that if they need to reduce budgets, they'd better cut whatever will lose them the fewest votes in the next election.

If anything is irrelevant to the OP, it's a discussion of practical politics, and vote getting. We all know that there is a serious lack of understanding in the US, and probably the world, about the usefulness, benefits and merits of space exploration. Many people on both sides of the political spectrum see it as academic and of no bearing or purpose other than ego. So what? That doesn't make NASA's new "foremost mission" any less offensive and silly, and pathetic, sad and stupid.

Many things that gets politicians votes are fucking retarded.

Unfortunately, in this instance, its the politicians who are in charge. I think you are getting hung up on this phrase "Foremost mission" and ascribing it an importance it doesn't really have. I'd agree it is sad and stupid but no more sad and stupid than most PR fluff.

"Underfunded" is what the opponents of a program say is the state of affairs when not all the funds for a lengthy or long term project are already accounted for. In a 10-15 year project one does not allocate funds for the entire project because the project isn't going to spend all that money right away. That's why it's a 10-15 year project. It was not "underfunded" in the sense that it was not accomplishing its goals according to the plan.

The Ares rockets were done and being tested. They just launched Ares a month or two ago. The Orion was being built, and the program was proceeding forward. I am not sure what you're claiming was overly ambitious. You'll have to specify.

Indeed, but its hardly the first space project to be cancelled. Blimey, we even tried to have a British space program once, got scrapped shortly after successfully delivering a satellite into orbit (Prospero). Point is, nothing is certain in this area and you may have a glossy brochure, a nice logo and some prototype hardware but you can be cancelled with a moments notice. I take all these big science projects with a pinch of salt.

[Clinton Huxley]

I might just put a fiver on the Chinese being the next on the Moon though.....

[Coito ergo sum]

I might just put a fiver on the Chinese being the next on the Moon though.....

Well, we certainly take the US out of the running by cancelling Constellation. Such a shame....

Fuck, if we could have taken just funded NASA with the "stimulus" funds....

[Clinton Huxley]

I might just put a fiver on the Chinese being the next on the Moon though.....

Well, we certainly take the US out of the running by cancelling Constellation. Such a shame....

Fuck, if we could have taken just funded NASA with the "stimulus" funds....

I think some of that stimulus package should have been spent on "Muslim Outreach" programs

And the rest on building a nuclear rocket.

[Coito ergo sum]

I might just put a fiver on the Chinese being the next on the Moon though.....

Well, we certainly take the US out of the running by cancelling Constellation. Such a shame....

Fuck, if we could have taken just funded NASA with the "stimulus" funds....

I think some of that stimulus package should have been spent on "Muslim Outreach" programs

I'm sure a lot of it went to things just as ludicrous.

$100,000 for socially conscious puppet shows in Minnesota
$2 million to build a replica railroad tourist attraction in Carson City, Nevada
$462,000 to purchase 22 concrete toilets for use in the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri
$3.1 million to transform a canal barge into a floating museum that will travel the Erie Canal in New York
$1.5 billion for a Carbon Capturing Contest
Montana received $2.2 million to install skylights in their state-run liquor warehouse.
The $800,000 given to John Murtha Airport which services a whopping 20 passengers a day and has, over the past decade, already received millions in federal funds.
$1 million was given to a Chicago dinner cruise company to “combat terrorism”
$6 million for a snow-making facility in Duluth, Minn.
And, of course, every project gets its own $300 road sign claiming: “This project was paid for by stimulus money.”
The list goes on and on....

And the rest on building a nuclear rocket.

A nuclear rocket would be awesome.

[Clinton Huxley]

NASA should build this......

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Or ... ropulsion)

[Coito ergo sum]

NASA should build this......

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Or ... ropulsion)

I say yes, but I am a big fan of ion drives anyway. Takes a little longer, but the design is simpler, and we don't get the political resistance to nuclear technology.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ion_drive

[Clinton Huxley]

NASA should build this......

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Or ... ropulsion)

I say yes, but I am a big fan of ion drives anyway. Takes a little longer, but the design is simpler, and we don't get the political resistance to nuclear technology.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ion_drive

I always liked project daedalus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Daedalus

[Coito ergo sum]

Krauthammer nailed it. "This is a new height of fatuousness...worst combination of group therapy, psychobabble, and imperial condescension....absolutely unbelievable."

Bingo.

[Coito ergo sum]

And, here is former NASA Chief Griffin who nails it big-time as well. http://fellowshipofminds.wordpress.com/ ... d-mission/

Former NASA Chief Criticizes Obama’s Muslim Feelgood Mission
July 7, 2010 · 2 Comments

FORMER NASA DIRECTOR SAYS MUSLIM OUTREACH PUSH ‘DEEPLY FLAWED’

By Judson Berger – FoxNews – July 6, 2010

The former head of NASA on Tuesday described as “deeply flawed” the idea that the space exploration agency’s priority should be outreach to Muslim countries, after current Administrator Charles Bolden made that assertion in an interview last month.

“NASA … represents the best of America. Its purpose is not to inspire Muslims or any other cultural entity,” Michael Griffin, who served as NASA administrator during the latter half of the Bush administration, told FoxNews.com.

Bolden created a firestorm after telling Al Jazeera last month that President Obama told him before he took the job that he wanted him to do three things: inspire children to learn math and science, expand international relationships and “perhaps foremost, he wanted me to find a way to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with dominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science … and math and engineering.”

Officials from the White House and NASA on Tuesday stood by Bolden’s statement that part of his mission is to improve relations with Muslim countries — though NASA backed off the claim that such international diplomacy is Bolden’s “foremost” responsibility.

Griffin said Tuesday that collaboration with other countries, including Muslim nations, is welcome and should be encouraged — but that it would be a mistake to prioritize that over NASA’s “fundamental mission” of space exploration.

“If by doing great things, people are inspired, well then that’s wonderful,” Griffin said. “If you get it in the wrong order … it becomes an empty shell.” Griffin added: “That is exactly what is in danger of happening.” He also said that while welcome, Muslim-nation cooperation is not vital for U.S. advancements in space exploration. ”There is no technology they have that we need,” Griffin said.

[Coito ergo sum]

Bolden said,

“We’re not going to go anywhere beyond low earth orbit as a single entity. The United States can’t do it, China can’t do it — no single nation is going to go to a place like Mars alone.” Are you feeling inspired?

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/nasa%E2% ... m-outreach

[Clinton Huxley]

Bolden said,

“We’re not going to go anywhere beyond low earth orbit as a single entity. The United States can’t do it, China can’t do it — no single nation is going to go to a place like Mars alone.”

He's right.