Obama Cancels Constellation Program

[ASUMountaineer]

Seriously........let the Republicans run everything and see how long this country lasts.

I think we tried that a short time ago. The Decade of Debacle.

The 1970s? Both parties are equally useless. But that's ok. I know it's all about the letter by the name for you guys.

[houndawg]

I think we tried that a short time ago. The Decade of Debacle.

The 1970s? Both parties are equally useless. But that's ok. I know it's all about the letter by the name for you guys.

No letter by my name, Cletus.

[ASUMountaineer]

The 1970s? Both parties are equally useless. But that's ok. I know it's all about the letter by the name for you guys.

No letter by my name, Cletus.

Your posts beg to differ, Bocephus.

[eagleskins]

NASA is the biggest waste of money under the government.

[Appaholic]

NASA is the biggest waste of money under the government.

Now, now....let's not shrtchange the Department of Education...

[death dealer]

I like it. And to borrow Ron White's thoughts, when we're done with Mexico we can spruce it up and sell it to the UAE. Think Dubai West.

You just paid for the whole project, because you know those guys will pay top dollar. Not to mention the serious upgrade to our Southern Neighbor...

What would the American people do, if we ran on a platform of capturing both Canada and Mexico, drastically improving the conditions in Mexico AND significantly reducing the national debt??

Can you say Major Third-Party Victory???

Yeah, but what do we do with all the damn mexicans and canucks? I say take Iceland. The chicks are way hotter, and you got those great hotsprings and stuff. The condition their in economically, we could probably get it for a steal!

[mcveyrl]

You just paid for the whole project, because you know those guys will pay top dollar. Not to mention the serious upgrade to our Southern Neighbor...

What would the American people do, if we ran on a platform of capturing both Canada and Mexico, drastically improving the conditions in Mexico AND significantly reducing the national debt??

Can you say Major Third-Party Victory???

Yeah, but what do we do with all the damn mexicans and canucks? I say take Iceland. The chicks are way hotter, and you got those great hotsprings and stuff. The condition their in economically, we could probably get it for a steal!

We just sold the Mexicans back to the Arabs. There's not enough Canucks to matter and the Mexicans bought enough beer to keep them stone drunk for a few years.

[death dealer]

Yeah, but what do we do with all the damn mexicans and canucks? I say take Iceland. The chicks are way hotter, and you got those great hotsprings and stuff. The condition their in economically, we could probably get it for a steal!

We just sold the Mexicans back to the Arabs. There's not enough Canucks to matter and the Mexicans bought enough beer to keep them stone drunk for a few years.

Well OK. Sounds like you guys have it all wrapped up. When can I move into my new digs in Whistler? I call first dibs!!

[49RFootballNow]

The problem with tanking the manned space program is:

1) Unmanned vehicles can not fix most things we put into space (think Hubble mirrors). Our unmanned stuff needs some human maintainence.

2) The space shuttles are done, unless you want to build new ones, which would be more expensive than Constellation.

3) We'll have to start riding on Russian and Chinese spacecraft when we DO need real people to fix our stuff.

4) We lose the knowledge base to put men in space and to advance that technology further.

I'm no fan of Big Gov, but the Space Program is part of National Defense and thus a Constitutionally justified expense. Which of course means the Chosen One thinks it's expendable.

[ATrain]

I like the idea of taking over Mexico. All that domestically produced oil = cheaper gas again = I can buy a jeep wrangler and get out of this winter hell that is southwest Virginia everytime it snows.

But in all seriousness, I am a huge supporter of NASA. The scientific and technological advances that have come from that agency have been huge for improving everday living as well as the economy. If we want to offset costs, I say lets just sell advertising on the rockets. Sure, they'll resemble NASCAR cars, but thats how a sport where you drive fast and turn left stays viable.

[Ibanez]

We have no business spending the kind of money we do to go back to the moon.

its not just about going to the moon, its about the steps after that.

Listen, in times of trouble you have to make sacrfices. What would you want, a moon mission or lower debt and the beginings of financial security?

[Pwns]

its not just about going to the moon, its about the steps after that.

Listen, in times of trouble you have to make sacrfices. What would you want, a moon mission or lower debt and the beginings of financial security?

I'm more than willing to make sacrifices. I wish Obama could vaporize the Department of Education and Department of Homeland Security. Why cut down on what is possibly the best long-term investment that we make for not only the country but really the whole world?

[ASUMountaineer]

Listen, in times of trouble you have to make sacrfices. What would you want, a moon mission or lower debt and the beginings of financial security?

I'm more than willing to make sacrifices. I wish Obama could vaporize the Department of Education and Department of Homeland Security. Why cut down on what is possibly the best long-term investment that we make for not only the country but really the whole world?

[Ibanez]

Listen, in times of trouble you have to make sacrfices. What would you want, a moon mission or lower debt and the beginings of financial security?

I'm more than willing to make sacrifices. I wish Obama could vaporize the Department of Education and Department of Homeland Security. Why cut down on what is possibly the best long-term investment that we make for not only the country but really the whole world?

Why the DoE?

[49RFootballNow]

I'm more than willing to make sacrifices. I wish Obama could vaporize the Department of Education and Department of Homeland Security. Why cut down on what is possibly the best long-term investment that we make for not only the country but really the whole world?

Why the DoE?

That's easy. The Department of Education educates no one. Now that's a waste!

[Ibanez]

Why the DoE?

That's easy. The Department of Education educates no one. Now that's a waste!

Wonderful response. That was as intelligent as, "It's the economy stupid!"

[houndawg]

I'm more than willing to make sacrifices. I wish Obama could vaporize the Department of Education and Department of Homeland Security. Why cut down on what is possibly the best long-term investment that we make for not only the country but really the whole world?

Why the DoE?

It would be a fair trade if DHS was gone too.

[ASUMountaineer]

Why the DoE?

It would be a fair trade if DHS was gone too.

Can we go ahead and put the icing on the cake by killing the Fed?

[49RFootballNow]

That's easy. The Department of Education educates no one. Now that's a waste!

Wonderful response. That was as intelligent as, "It's the economy stupid!"

How about this then. The Federal Government has no Constitutional legal authority to interfere in education in any way.

[CID1990]

I'm a big fan of the space program. This is disappointing, but the space program gets cut and then re-established all the time. We ditched the last two missions of the Apollo program because domestic affairs trumped what had become boring to the public.

A college acquaintance just came back down from the most recent shuttle mission, and he was slated to be heavily involved in the Constellation program. I'm sure he is very disappointed, too.

All that being said, I think it is ironic that small government conservatives would be opposed to this. NASA is, after all, a big government program. At the same time, I also find it ironic that liberals who claim to be in favor of all kinds of scientific discovery would support this. Also ironic is that it has been suggested that some of the slack in the space program dealing with maintenance and resupply of our current assets could be handled by private contractors. Personally, if this can work, then I'd be all for it, but it does seem like a reversal of roles for a liberal administration to be touting private enterprise as a way of carrying the near-earth orbit space program forward. I don't doubt that Bert Rutan could probably get a spacecraft into orbit at a fraction of what it costs the government, but it needs to be profitable. That might make some of the usual suspects grumble.

Could competition and free enterprise be the way forward in space? Could it keep up with the Chinese and Russians? The Russian program actually does rely a little bit on free enterprise by carrying paying passengers into space. The Chinese will undoubtedly continue their program on the government ticket. Time will tell if our space program will wither or if we'll find other ways to get up there.

[CID1990]

This is Krauthammer on the issue:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articl ... 00276.html

I find it interesting because of the numbers Krauthammer puts forth. I was not aware that we are talking only 3 billion dollars per year for the Constellation program. It sure sounds like chump change in today's numbers.

[native]

Why the DoE?

It would be a fair trade if DHS was gone too.

I am interested to hear you say so, Dawg. Why so?

[native]

I'm a big fan of the space program. This is disappointing, but the space program gets cut and then re-established all the time. We ditched the last two missions of the Apollo program because domestic affairs trumped what had become boring to the public.

A college acquaintance just came back down from the most recent shuttle mission, and he was slated to be heavily involved in the Constellation program. I'm sure he is very disappointed, too.

All that being said, I think it is ironic that small government conservatives would be opposed to this. NASA is, after all, a big government program. At the same time, I also find it ironic that liberals who claim to be in favor of all kinds of scientific discovery would support this. Also ironic is that it has been suggested that some of the slack in the space program dealing with maintenance and resupply of our current assets could be handled by private contractors. Personally, if this can work, then I'd be all for it, but it does seem like a reversal of roles for a liberal administration to be touting private enterprise as a way of carrying the near-earth orbit space program forward. I don't doubt that Bert Rutan could probably get a spacecraft into orbit at a fraction of what it costs the government, but it needs to be profitable. That might make some of the usual suspects grumble.

Could competition and free enterprise be the way forward in space? Could it keep up with the Chinese and Russians? The Russian program actually does rely a little bit on free enterprise by carrying paying passengers into space. The Chinese will undoubtedly continue their program on the government ticket. Time will tell if our space program will wither or if we'll find other ways to get up there.

It is a tough question for a small government conservative, indeed!

Perhaps the space program should qualify for continuation not only because of national defense considerations you suggest, but also for the productive applied research it spawns, which ripples through the economy.

The space program stands in stark contrast to the majority of government programs which seek to do for people that which they can and should do for themselves. For a small government conservative, NASA represents not only one of the few activities the government actually does well, it also does that which we cannot do for ourselves. NASA literally and figuratively lifts us up.

As Krauthammer concludes, "...Obama's NASA budget perfectly captures the difference in spirit between Kennedy's liberalism and Obama's. Kennedy's was an expansive, bold, outward-looking summons. Obama's is a constricted inward-looking call to retreat..."

[FargoBison]

JFK..

“The exploration of space will go ahead, whether we join it or not, and it is one of the great adventures of all time, and no nation which expects to be the leader of other nations can expect to stay behind in the race for space”; and “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills.”

Obama is just sad, this country is best when it is pushing itself into new frontiers. He will gladly spend billions for some cockamamie high speed train but won't give NASA a few billion to put manned space flight on solid ground for the foreseeable future. Instead he just outsourced something we have dominated to China and Russia, what a loser.

[houndawg]

It would be a fair trade if DHS was gone too.

I am interested to hear you say so, Dawg. Why so?

Because I would like to see smaller government and lower taxes; unlike the so-called conservatives around here, I don't believe that the way to achieve those goals is to give the miliary everything they want plus more they don't and cut only "social spending".

I don't see NASA having many options other than scaling back the manned programs and focusing on bang for the buck.