Oh yeah!

[tyvoq]

I was just reading some articles about interesting objects on mars. I was thinking about how great it would be if we could just send someone there to check these things out. That would greatly accelerate the research. Then I remembered, we ARE going to be sending a manned mission to mars this term! Bush promised! And when Bush says something,

Comments

[fandantium]

One big problem is that NASA and JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratories) are fighting a lot. NASA is in charge of manned exploration and JPL is in charge of remote / robotic research. Both want the funding, and are lobbying congress which controls the purse strings. In the end, much like the judicial nominations Bush is again pushing for, congress will be overly involved (even beyond what is constitutionally appropriate). Democrats in the house stand to block most research efforts by diverting finding to social programs. Even though we have control of the house, senate and executive, we do not yet have the super majority needed to over ride democratic Senate Filibuster on budget issues. Keep in mind that every Bush budget has been DOA in finance committee for this very reason. Let’s also remember what happened to Regan in the media, and the following political fire storm, with SDI. SDI would have been a fabulous opportunity to develop better space exploration techniques and provide for national defense at the same time, but Regan was

[starlion]

I believe it was John Pike, of globalsecurity.org, who once described the Bush "space plan" as "shutting own the space program, replacing it with pictures."

Unfortunately, Republicans believe that saying something, of itself, makes that something true. So if they say we're putting men on Mars, it's happening right now. And if you don't agree, then you're simply an anti-American socialist homosexual atheist who is with the "tersts. "

[fandantium]

The only thing I recall form the Clinton administration in terms of space exploration was the Hubble Space telescope. It was under design form the 70’s and was pushed ahead by in early 90s when Democrats had all the pull. That “accelerated” timetable resulted in some very serious problems with the optics of the satellite

NASA

[hughmanist]

First off let's get something straight here. As one who works at Kennedy Space Center I've seen the daily and yearly events that have transpired over the last fifteen years, and the Republican party has been the most resolute in cutting any and all funding for NASA. A congressman from Indiana, Tim Roehmer, led the charge during the Reagan years to kill the Space Station and the Shuttle program and they survived by a single vote. Just one. Under the first Bush administration they barely survived as well. Under the current Bush administration, the President himself cut funding completely for the three most important segments of the Space Station: the crew quarters, service module and science laboratory. The Station was originally designed to accommodate seven astronauts but has never been fully staffed to that level. The maximum capacity is now only three rather than a full complement. The science laboratory was never launched and attached since no crew is available to initiate and study the sciences required to live in space for

[fandantium]

Most of the problems with the international Space Station are the result of the ageing shuttle fleet being grounded due to the most recent disaster and the reliance on foreign governments to contribute. Now.. About that ting you said about the ISS only being capable of handling 3 people? Funny a press report released by NASA just today says that when the shuttle fleet begins flights next year, they plan to use ISS to harbor the entire crew of a shuttle if their is a question about the shuttle’s ability to return home. Surely the best and brightest at NASA wouldn’t have over looked such a simple flaw in their plan if the ISS was really only able to house 3 people