Re: I Dream of Jeanne

From: Eric Chomko (echomko_at__at_polaris.umuc.edu)
Date: 10/13/04 

Date: Wed, 13 Oct 2004 19:06:42 +0000 (UTC)

Paul F. Dietz (dietz@dls.net) wrote:
: Eric Chomko wrote:

: > : We save money. You know, that stuff we expend the finite and ever
: > : fleeting hours of our lives to earn?
: >
: > You really have no idea how budgets work, do you? Tell the DOD not to have
: > wars so we can save money.

: I eagerly await Eric Chomko's Miracle Financial Diet book, where it
: is described how you can save money by spending it.

Well the definition of investment states that you must spend money in
order to make money. I don't want the government investing per se. Do you
want the government to be capitalistic like a business?

: Look, the fact that money is wasted elsewhere in the budget doesn't
: give every dollar sucking leach a free ride in my bank account, mister.

No kidding. But you act like space exploration hasn't given us anything.

: > : And certain individuals will have to admit their boosterism of the last
: > : few decades was futile and misplaced. It'll be good for them.
: >
: > Your negative bias toward NASA is noted. Even I'm not as critical of the
: > DOD as you are of NASA.

: No, not biased, just realistic. The NASA fanboys, on the other hand,
: were by all evidence very detached from reality. Persistence in
: defending the indefensible is either a sign of bias or outright mental
: illness.

Are you against space exploration or just the way NASA does it? I don't
get you for one of the "if man was supposed to fly, then God would have
given him wings" types.

: > : JSC is being kept around, but NASA's workforce is aging and shrinking
: > : (with more use of contractors). Soon NASA will be experiencing large
: > : numbers of retirements. The natural way big bureaucracies like this
: > : go away is gradual shrinkage, and that seems to be the trajectory NASA
: > : is on.
: >
: > Until the Chinese space program takes off and the first commerical
: > spaceflight failure occurs. Besides do you think the unmanned segment of
: > spaceflight is a waste or only the manned segment?

: The unmanned segment is delivering clear value, as indicated by customers
: willing to pay for it (both in and out of government). I am refering to
: military, weather, and commercial satellites here.

Earth Science? Science in general?

: Why do you expect a Chinese manned space program to be any less of
: a boondoggle than the US government's manned space program?

Better goals, maybe? I think the notion of "endeavor" escapes you.

: > : I also suggest that the current government fiscal situation is not sustainable.
: > : The federal deficit is huge, and will balloon further as the baby boomers start
: > : retiring in about ten years. The US trade deficit is unsustainably large.
: > : I expect the dollar to crash within the decade, and lots of belts are
: > : going to be tightened. NASA will not be one of the last passengers thrown
: > : from the lifeboat.
: >
: > Yes, it would seem your hatred of NASA is so deep that you'd see the
: > bankruptcy of the US as a positive means of ridding the country of NASA
: > once and for all.

: Observation that a certain negative outcome may occur is not evidence
: that that outcome is desired, your slanderous and stupid accusation notwithstanding.

I'm entitled to my opinion, despite what you think of it. I reserve the
right for you to have yours as well.

: But, hey, continue to ignore reality, you're quite evidently very good at that.

The only thing real is your irrational dislike of manned spaceflight.

: > : So, if the next shuttle launch explodes on the pad, you think they'll
: > : fly them again after that?
: >
: > You seem pretty sure that the next shuttle launch will be a failure. I
: > don't believe that and the stats back me up.

: Notice that word 'if', Mr. Chomko? You apparently were not taught that
: word in first grade. Hint: it's not a synonym for 'when'.

'If' is a big word when discussing reality. You ought to try the latter
sometime.

: You made the statement that the shuttle will be flown until a replacement
: comes along. I was showing you scenarios in which that would not happen.
: Exploding a shuttle on the pad is one such scenario. This scenario has
: nonzero probability. This is not the same as asserting it is a likelihood.

There is always a risk when launching any rocket be it a shuttle or any
other type.

Eric

: Paul

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