Subject:
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Re: Some good news for a change, maybe?
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Wed, 23 Jun 2004 17:03:56 GMT
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Viewed:
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1259 times
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Larry Pieniazek wrote:
> Imagine a different world in which we saw dozens of Saturn launches a year,
> building up space manufacturing infrastructure. By now we'd have the flying cars
> we were promised. (rhetorical comment)
>
> Killing off Saturn was a stupid thing to do, no matter who you pin the blame on.
Probably. But how many major aerospace endeavors come off exactly like they
sound on paper? Hindsight is always 20/20. I certainly wouldn't call the shuttle
program a huge mistake. Sure, it didn't deliver the promised goods, but I
believe the experience of designing, building, and flying a reusable spacecraft
will prove invaluable in the long run. Perhaps it should have been done at a
later date or in a different way as we see it now, but at some point in time it
just had to be done.
I agree though, we need good reasons to be in space. Profitability usually works
well in holding people's long term interests and commitment and it's true that
NASA hasn't done much in that respect. At the same time I'm not overly confident
that private industry is going to revolutionize spaceflight overnight. There's a
steep learning curve out there, but I guess you have to start somewhere.
Spencer
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Some good news for a change, maybe?
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| (...) Me either. At least not the idea of it, and the time was about right, or if anything. My issues are with the execution of it. Too many compromises for it to achieve the promised cost reductions that would have driven vastly greater usage.. (...) (20 years ago, 24-Jun-04, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: Some good news for a change, maybe?
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| (...) True. But it's difficult if not impossible to divorce NASA and Congress. NASA does what Congress tells it to do. (...) You're sort of trying to put words in my mouth here and I have to correct you, I'm afraid... No, the point is why (in 1969) (...) (20 years ago, 23-Jun-04, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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