----- Original Message ----- From: "Reggie Bautista" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Saturday, February 08, 2003 10:54 PM Subject: Re: All Government Agencies Lie Some of the Time....
> Andy wrote: > > >I'm in favour of dropping the bathwater (NASA) but not the baby > >(Space) > > I agree with what Andy says here, even though I don't agree with how he > expanded on it in a later post. I disagree with most of what I read on the list regarding this subject actually > > I think the current NASA program has lots of problems, and doesn't do a > whole lot of science, Thats just plain wrong Reggie. "NASA doesnt do a lot of good science on the shuttle" would be more accurate even though it might be debated. But you have to recognise that NASA's contributions to astronomy if nothing else. NASA has several space observatories in operation currently including Hubble, a gamma ray observatory, an x-ray observatory and a couple of others IIRC. (Ronn?) NASA also spends a lot of money on materials science, biosciences, enviromental research, physics, computer sciences............ A visit to http://www.nasa.com will fill you in a bit. > and I wouldn't have much of a problem with many of the > current NASA programs being scrapped. But I do believe it is very important > that the government continue to fund a space program, particularly one that > is aimed at eventually putting human colonies (eventually, self-sufficient > colonies) in orbit and/or on the moon and/or other planets, if for no other > reason that if something catastrophic were to happen here on Earth right > now, the whole human race could be eradicated. Eventually, even if it isn't > for millions of years, we will need to leave this solar system if we intend > to continue to survive as a species. Given the likelihood that light speed > is going to be the speed limit for the forseeable future, the sooner we > start, the better. > While I contend that that is pretty much exactly what NASA already does (and would do more of if it were funded properly), I agree with the necessity of moving in that direction if for different reasons. I believe in establishing a presence in space............"Because We Want To" Explore the planets? Because we want to. Colonize and exploit the solar system? Cuz we wanna! In the course of time those who do these things will become wealthy. What is holding us back is timidity, laziness, and greed. Think about it a second. We have never built a single spaceship. Landing craft. Orbital craft. A few lunar orbiters and lunar landing craft. But never a true, actual spaceship. It is as if people are waiting for roads to be built for our wooden wagon wheels. Those "roads" will be the equatorial space elevators, and they are still a ways off. Until then we should set off across the prairie lashed to the horses we have and the horses we can get and do the things we want to do. Its not beyond our reach. And to think so is a failure of the imagination. xponent Unpaid Editorial Maru rob ________________________________ You are a fluke of the universe. You have no right to be here. And whether you can hear it or not, the universe is laughing behind your back. _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
