Re: NASA begins moon return effort

From: ed kyle (edkyle99_at_hotmail.com)
Date: 08/12/04 

Date: 11 Aug 2004 19:15:05 -0700

"Perplexed in Peoria" <jimmenegay@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message news:<Q0WQc.242$Ow6.49858@newssvr28.news.prodigy.com>...
> "ed kyle" <edkyle99@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:88d21cfd.0408061105.491108ef@posting.google.com...
> > "curlyQlink" <paulfxfoley@earthlink.net> wrote in message news:<hr9Pc.5969$Jp6.957@newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net>...
> > > A truly looney idea.
> > >
> > > There was only one reason for the Apollo mission: to beat the Russians.
> > > Well, we beat 'em already.
> > >
> >
> > That was the reason then. There could be new reasons to go
> > the the Moon in the forseeable future (to beat China, for
> > example). But I don't see the U.S. going anywhere in space
> > as long as the current multi-hundred-billion-dollar-war/
> > terrorism footing exists. ...
>
> Yes, things were much quieter in the US during the mid to late
> 1960s.
>
> NOT!!!!

Despite the fact that the U.S. had a much more powerful economy
in the 1960s than it does now relative to the rest of the world
(it actually exported more than it imported at the time) the
Vietnam financial drain forced the cancellation of much of
NASA's planned Apollo program. NASA had to cancel Saturn
production in 1968, even before Apollo 7 was launched. The
great dearth of NASA projects during the 1970s was a direct
result of Vietnam.

The U.S. is a much weaker nation now than it was then, both
economically and, in many ways, military. I believe that
the massive costs of the current war, combined with the
$1.5 billion per day trade deficit that steadily drains wealth
and power out of the country, will prevent NASA from growing
its budget enough to launch a new Moon program for the
foreseeable future.

 - Ed Kyle

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