Re: Lori Garver Spins Kerry's Opposition to Space

From: Jon Berndt (jsb_at_at.hal-pc-dot.org)
Date: 07/31/04 

Date: Fri, 30 Jul 2004 19:08:16 -0500

"Eric Chomko" <echomko_at_@polaris.umuc.edu> wrote in message news:cednd1

> To paraphrase Llyod Bensten during the debate with Dan Quail, where Quail

[It's "Quayle".]

> had eluded to being like Kennedy; W is no JFK!

Neither was Lloyd Bentsen [note spelling - first and last name]. Neither was
Carter. Neither was Clinton [Well, OK. He was a philanderer, too.] Nobody
lives up to the legend ... it's a pointless and irrelevant comparison.

> When W gave his space initiative speech it was at the one-year memorial
> of the Columbia disaster (at NASA HQ), not within months of his
> inauguration in a joint session of Congress as Kennedy had done.

Kennedy gave his "We choose to go to the moon" speech at Rice stadium in
Texas on a hot day in September, 1962, if that is what you were referring
to.

Jon wrote:
: Like the seemingly-impossible-at-the-time lunar goal that Kennedy boldly
: set, Kerry needs to elaborate at least the intent to set high and
: challenging goals that foster growth and discovery, and to support a
: focused, long-term vision for NASA if he wants to win support of that
group.

> Which group? The Florida-KSC, Alabama-MSFC, Texas-JSC types, or the
> Maryland-GSFC, Ohio-GSC, California-JPL types?

The "group" I am referring to is comprised of people like me, who decided at
a very young age exactly what they wanted to do (for me it was over 35 years
ago) and were inspired by the moon missions. I am referring to people work
in the space program now for NASA or contractors - people who could make a
lot more money if they worked in other industries, but people who are driven
by something other than financial rewards. I am referring to people who are
benefiting from John Kennedy's proclamations, which he glowingly outlined in
his speech at Rice stadium so many years ago:

"And finally, the space effort itself, while still in its infancy, has
already created a great number of new companies, and tens of thousands of
new jobs. Space and related industries are generating new demands in
investment and skilled personnel, and this city and this State, and this
region, will share greatly in this growth. What was once the furthest
outpost on the old frontier of the West will be the furthest outpost on the
new frontier of science and space. Houston, your City of Houston, with its
Manned Spacecraft Center, will become the heart of a large scientific and
engineering community. During the next 5 years the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration expects to double the number of scientists and
engineers in this area, to increase its outlays for salaries and expenses to
$60 million a year; to invest some $200 million in plant and laboratory
facilities; and to direct or contract for new space efforts over $1 billion
from this Center in this City."

Kennedy understood how this investment would give back (and still does):

"The growth of our science and education will be enriched by new knowledge
of our universe and environment, by new techniques of learning and mapping
and observation, by new tools and computers for industry, medicine, the home
as well as the school. Technical institutions, such as Rice, will reap the
harvest of these gains."

I am also referring to people who would benefit from this stated policy in
the VSE:

"Pursue commercial opportunities for providing transportation and other
services supporting the International Space Station and exploration missions
beyond low Earth orbit."

> Bush's whole focus is on manned spaceflight.

Not true. "The Vision for Space Exploration calls for a "building block"
strategy of human and *robotic* missions to achieve new exploration goals,
starting with returning the Space Shuttle safely to flight. The Shuttle
fleet will focus on completing the International Space Station before being
retired at the end of this decade." [Source:
http://www.nasa.gov/missions/solarsystem/explore_main.html]

Jon