Re: UFO causes delay of Shuttle landing (Re: News - Unknown object seen flying below Atlantis)

in article pan.2006.09.20.12.40.50.764471@xxxxxxxxx, Craig Fink at
WeBeGood@xxxxxxxxx wrote on 9/20/06 5:33 AM:

On Tue, 19 Sep 2006 23:35:16 -0500, Jorge R. Frank wrote:

I note that Bob Haller has posted another awesome pair of mutually
contradictory statements:

The 5 billion a year can be better spent on a NEW program!!

Keep the necessary launch crews and workers on payroll if necessary have
them fix up KSC.....

If you do the second it will eat up all the money from the first. It's
essentially the same state the program was in during the post-Columbia
standdown. This is because most of the shuttle program's costs *are* people
costs.

This has been explained to Bob many times before, but he is not sapient
enough to understand. I doubt it will sink in for him this time either.

I agree and disagree with both you and Bob here, contradictory statements. The
5 billion a year for 3 year, or 15 billion would be much better spent on
something else. A truly commercial Earth to LEO transportation industry comes
to mind. The only true way to make these funds available would be to lay off
everyone in the Shuttle Program. Something that people looking for a stable
employment until retirements really wouldn't want to do. And, these are the
people who are making our future space plans. So it's entirely understandable
if NASA's future plans incorporate all the same familiar things that they are
currently working on. Stable employment and retirement are key requirements to
these plans.

I like the idea of stimulating an Earth to LEO transport industry, but
transport to what? Why not finish ISS quickly so there would be a nice
bright easy to find island up there bristling with ports to dock to? It
would need all kinds of transport. I hope that ISS is completely turned over
to commercial interests when it's finished. Leave NASA to journey on.

Personally, I really love watching the Shuttle fly, enjoyed working on it.
It's a great vehicle, designed before my time as an aerospace engineer began.
It's also responsible for having delayed our quest to inhabit LEO by a decade
or two, and NASA's current plans for the Moon and Mars will delay us another
decade or two.

The reason you like the shuttle is that it is one kick-ass space transport
system. It is financially a loser which everything NASA does should be.
Government shouldn't be competing with business at all. But it is a good
system which should spawn something that looks like it, including the TPS
which is the best answer to getting out of orbit alive. I'm not sure people
understand how completely the shuttle has conquered reentry.

Development of a truly commercial Earth to LEO industry would really create
many more jobs than would be lost in a RIF at NASA.

Industry should be able to create many more jobs regardless of what NASA
does. Industry need to grow some balls. Industry should have been able to
rustle up many times the shuttle budget by now but all they can think about
doing is whining the the big bully NASA is stopping them. Why don't they
look at what NASA is doing and do it better and cheaper?

George Evans

.

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