9.15.2008

The Politics of NASA

During World War II, the leaders of the Manhattan Project approached the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Al Gore, Sr., about needing money, saying that they needed this big expensive machine that will cost a huge amount of money and we don't know if the country can afford it because we are fighting a war.

Senator Al Gore, Sr. asked, "What part of Tennessee are you planning on building this big expensive machine in?" The Oakridge National Laboratory was the result of that conversation.

The scientists learned their lesson well. NASA has a contract in every Congressional district in the nation. Every one. The effect of that is costs are multiplied several times over because all of the work has to be split up into little pieces.

Why are we spending so much money to keep the NASA boondoggle afloat when we can't find the money or willingness to take care of our veterans from the oil wars? If we can achieve energy independence through Moon development and alternative fuels, we won't have to send anyone else to die for oil supplies.

If NASA won't spend money to develop the Moon to prevent fighting another oil war, we should at least spend the money helping veterans of the oil wars.



NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Fiftieth anniversary, new, Moon, Mars, America, Program, United States, Apollo, Ares, Orion, Launch, Vehicle, Constellation, Altair, Kennedy, Johnson, center, exploration, Science, economic expansion, settlement, Vision, ATK, astronauts, education, lunar, Lander, rover, LCROSS,SMART 1, LRO, Reconnaissance, Orbiter, Alliant Techsystems, Next generation, spaceships, spacesuit, mission, directorate, ESMD, Human, research, technology, development, commercial, orbital, transportation, project, prime, contractors, subcontractors, crew, booster, cryogenic, propulsion, life support, extravehicular, upper, stage, shuttle


Excite, Free, Google, Hotel, Music, New, Online, Sex, Yahoo

1 comment:

The Lazy Iguana said...

I am not convinced this moon thing will even work. The energy will have to be beamed a long distance. If they plan to use microwaves then the beam, even if it is focused into a laser beam on the moon, will not be a laser beam once it gets here.

The EU spent a bundle building a full scale experimental fusion reactor.