Was Obama Wrong to Cut Back NASA?

[NaasPreacher (C4K)]

I just can't believe that if the US govt could go from the conception of a lunar landing to having a man on the moon in eight years in the 60s free enterprise can't get a man to the space station in six years today.

 

[InTheLight]

Do you not realize that Russia has the sole method of transportation to the ISS right now, since the U.S. inexplicably retired the three remaining shuttles when they'd only been used through 12% of their life cycles? They were designed to be launched 400 times each. There were only 135 missions total. They could have been used for another 40 years!

The decision to mothball the shuttles was made by George W. Bush after the Columbia disaster back in 2004. There is now a contest between several competing private companies to develop a new style of shuttle. (I was at Kennedy Space Center in December.)

 

[InTheLight]

I just can't believe that if the US govt could go from the conception of a lunar landing to having a man on the moon in eight years in the 60s free enterprise can't get a man to the space station in six years today.

Seriously? You can't understand why the U.S. government's full set of resources and a national mission articulated by the President of the United States could accomplish something that private investors can't? Free enterprise is currently trying to develop a new style of space shuttle that is being overseen by NASA. I believe there is a deliberate slowdown of the schedule to develop this vehicle.

 

[church mouse guy]

I think that everyone in Europe realizes that the USA is in decline with little hope of reversal before 2016. The space disaster with Russia in charge of American lives is just one example of the stupidity of underestimating Putin, who has the free world in retreat at the moment.

 

[thisnumbersdisconnected]

The decision to mothball the shuttles was made by George W. Bush after the Columbia disaster back in 2004. There is now a contest between several competing private companies to develop a new style of shuttle. (I was at Kennedy Space Center in December.)

I am well aware of the competition. SpaceX is probably the leader in the race.

Bush may have proposed the retirement of the shuttles in 2004, but the formal decision didn't take place until 2010, and that was long before the shuttles had reached their life expectancy.

 

[InTheLight]

SEE: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/...rid7|htmlws-main-bb|dl1|sec1_lnk3&pLid=476003

It appears that one more issue will surface in the 2014 elections, as the GOP can now question the DNC President for cutting back on manned space exploration.

Obama depending solely upon the us and Russia's cooperation to work together in space, especially the ISS, has no come under great concern as Putin takes action to limit the US to use of rockets, and in bring the ISS to a close in 2020.

Maybe this is one reason Obama was hesitant to take strong action against the ruskies over the Ukraine. Nevertheless, whatever the reasons(s), the truth is we are being held hostage by Russia when it comes to manned space exploration!

Maybe private enterprise will make its way to the front and be the best thing since apple pie and ice cream, but until then, Pbama should never have put an end to NASAs manned exploration in space! Now we have nothing.

Once again you are mistaken in your allegations.

1. Bush, not Obama, canceled the space shuttle program after the Columbia disaster.

2. Obama actually increased NASA's budget compared to Bush's budget and it's holding steady.

3. Obama didn't end manned space exploration, he changed the mission. Bush wanted to go back to the moon and then go to Mars. Obama wants to go to an asteroid, then go to Mars. The vendor for the supplier of the heavy-lift rocket for this vehicle to carry men to Mars is supposed to be selected by 2015. Private enterprise will develop low orbit vehicles. This is area of the manned spacecraft missions that the U.S. has quit.

4. Obama actually extended the life of the ISS by funding it from its scheduled end of 2016 to 2020.

 

[InTheLight]

I am well aware of the competition. SpaceX is probably the leader in the race.

Bush may have proposed the retirement of the shuttles in 2004, but the formal decision didn't take place until 2010, and that was long before the shuttles had reached their life expectancy.

Bush proposed the retirement of the shuttle program and NASA implemented his plan. It was a done deal in 2004.

 

[NaasPreacher (C4K)]

Bush proposed the retirement of the shuttle program and NASA implemented his plan. It was a done deal in 2004.

Those doggone facts - always getting in the way of good discussion.

I doubt seriously the shuttle fleet could have flown till 2050. Two of the original fleet were lost in the first 30 years in only 130 some flights.

It was already unreliable.

 

[thisnumbersdisconnected]

Once again you are mistaken in your allegations.

1. Bush, not Obama, canceled the space shuttle program after the Columbia disaster.

And as I said in the post prior to this, it is you who are mistaken. In 2004, Bush did propose canceling the shuttle program in 2010, yes, but with the caveat that a replacement program be put in place. He outlined the HLV (heavy launch vehicle) program and the Constellation program, a return to the Moon venture. On April 15, 2010, it was the Little Marxist Dictator who canceled the shuttle program without having a replacement program in place, or even on the drawing board. He converted the Orion moon vehicle to a "rescue vehicle" for the ISS, which still has not been done. In fact, no work has been done on Orion since that day. He lied.

New York Times News Service: John Glenn opposes Obama's plan to cancel space shuttle program http://www.cleveland.com/nation/index.ssf/2010/06/john_glenn_opposes_obamas_plan.htmlhttp://www.cleveland.com/nation/index.ssf/2010/06/john_glenn_opposes_obamas_plan.html

WASHINGTON -- John Glenn, the first and oldest astronaut to ever orbit the earth, on Monday joined other astronauts in pressing the Obama administration to preserve the U.S. space shuttle program.

In a statement, Glenn criticized President Obama's proposed termination of space shuttles and the back-to-the-moon Constellation program.

Obama has proposed the terminations because, he says, the U.S. can't afford the programs.

Houston-based Johnson Space Center, the hub for work on Constellation, stands to lose as many as 6,000 jobs with the program's end and the $9 billion already invested in the project. Texas lawmakers are vehemently opposing the termination plan.

That last paragraph pretty much negates this view, that ...

2. Obama actually increased NASA's budget compared to Bush's budget and it's holding steady.

... which is so much horse hockey. Technically, he increased the budget. In the process he changed NASA from a space exploration agency to a foreign policy agency.

Fox News: Former NASA Director Says Muslim Outreach Push 'Deeply Flawed'http://www.foxnews.com/politics/201...walks-claim-muslim-outreach-foremost-mission/http://www.foxnews.com/politics/201...walks-claim-muslim-outreach-foremost-mission/

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.

That isn't a space mission, and it does not belong in the NASA budget.

3. Obama didn't end manned space exploration, he changed the mission. Bush wanted to go back to the moon and then go to Mars. Obama wants to go to an asteroid, then go to Mars. The vendor for the supplier of the heavy-lift rocket for this vehicle to carry men to Mars is supposed to be selected by 2015. Private enterprise will develop low orbit vehicles. This is area of the manned spacecraft missions that the U.S. has quit.

The Little Marxist Dictator is an idiot. The Moon provides a much less expensive launch platform, once a base is established there. Escape velocity from the Moon is 5,324 mph, compared to 25,000 mph from Earth. None of his "proposals" are going to happen because he wasn't serious about them anyway, as evidence by NASA's failure to meet numerous deadlines in reporting to Congress progress on the missions, despite hoopla revealing "design drawings" of the rocket supposedly going to Mars. "Design drawings" are garbage. They provide no engineering design information and are just pie-in-the-sky propaganda that doesn't have to meet any criteria or even be safe. In other words, its fantasy.

4. Obama actually extended the life of the ISS by funding it from its scheduled end of 2016 to 2020.

That was the initial designed obsolescence date anyway.

Here what veteran astronaut John Glenn said about the LMD's "budget increase" for NASA (from The New York Times News Service article above):

In his statement, Glenn said he opposes Obama's plan because:

• Eliminating the shuttle program will not save enough money and may be more expensive in the long term.
• The U.S. will have to rely on Russia to take its astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).
• The U.S. will fall behind other countries, such as China and India, in developing hi-tech spacecraft.
• The U.S. will lose its reputation as a leader in space technology and exploration.

Obviously every single one of those concerns expressed by Glenn four years ago are now coming to pass. The LMD has no intention of using NASA as Kennedy designed it and every U.S. president and Congress have since. He doesn't want to "waste" money on space, even if means letting Russia put a military base 238 miles over our heads ever 100 minutes.

 

[church mouse guy]

....Obama wants to go to an asteroid, then go to Mars....

And the American people want him to leave right away.

 

[thisnumbersdisconnected]

And the American people want him to leave right away.

That was a far better remonstrance than mine. :thumbsup: :laugh: :applause:

 

[NaasPreacher (C4K)]

And the American people want him to leave right away.

Okay - this deserved a chuckle

 

[righteousdude2]

Obama is still the reason!

Once again you are mistaken in your allegations.

1. Bush, not Obama, canceled the space shuttle program after the Columbia disaster.

2. Obama actually increased NASA's budget compared to Bush's budget and it's holding steady.

3. Obama didn't end manned space exploration, he changed the mission. Bush wanted to go back to the moon and then go to Mars. Obama wants to go to an asteroid, then go to Mars. The vendor for the supplier of the heavy-lift rocket for this vehicle to carry men to Mars is supposed to be selected by 2015. Private enterprise will develop low orbit vehicles. This is area of the manned spacecraft missions that the U.S. has quit.

4. Obama actually extended the life of the ISS by funding it from its scheduled end of 2016 to 2020.

Look, Bush did a lot of things, ITL, but Obama came into office to do things a new and different way. If he could get us out of Iraq, and finally Afghanistan, why couldn't he get the space shuttles out of mothballs? Use them for a few more years; and during that time spend the money designated for health care, on rebuilding a newer type of shuttle!

In his attempt to rewrite how things are done in America; he has also isolated us, and sent us back to the cold war days. Plus we now owe more to China than we will ever be able to pay back in your children and their children's lifetimes, and probably beyond that!

Obama could have done a lot of things differently, including leaving the health care alone, and simply setting up a government pay plan, to pay for the indigent when they need to get health care [that is already in place]. This could have been extended to those who had problems their insurance refused to pay for. The government could have set up a program to reimburse the insurance carriers for the catastrophic treatments, and by doing this, we still not have the disastrous monkey around or neck that is now and forever called Obamacare! Doing the above, would have saved this country money, and more importantly, the divisons that have sprung up from the elected to the electorate!

I am tired of hearing, "Bush did it!" The new guy on the block had the power to reverse Bush's mistakes, and he didn't. Instead, he, and all the liberals continue, six years later, to blame Bush when they can't take the heat for their own failings and mistakes!

Sure the shuttle had problems, but it was fixable, and an even better shuttle could've been built. But, we will never know, as NASA is grounded, and doing mediocre tasks to stay qualified for a paycheck!Any man or woman with any sense, in the POTUS position, would hae waited until the private sector had a viable soltion before tossing out the proven program! Even if Obama would have joined NASA with private sector, it would be better than having nothing! And that is what we have to show for all Kennedy did to push us toward outer space, NOTHING!

 

[NaasPreacher (C4K)]

I guess the original question should have been 'Was Obama wrong not to reverse Bush's NASA cutbacks?'

 

[thisnumbersdisconnected]

I guess the original question should have been 'Was Obama wrong not to reverse Bush's NASA cutbacks?'

:BangHead:​

Bush proposed expanding space exploration. As I detailed in that lengthy post yesterday, the Little Marxist Dictator titularly expanded NASA's budget, but did everything he could to curb the agency's mission so that space exploration is no longer viable, or a priority.