NASA's job? Not research. It's landscaping and janitorial services

[D H]

The US Senate made a counterproposal to the budget cuts proposed by the House. From http://appropriations.senate.gov/news.cfm?method=news.view&id=7e62b4eb-ed09-4dd4-86f0-411534783127

At this level, NASA will not be provided any funds for requested but new long-range space technology research activities that have the potential to lead to new discoveries and new technologies that could improve life on Earth. However, it avoids an additional $412 million cut by the House that would disrupt ongoing science missions and cause layoffs of 4,500 middle class contractors who provide landscaping, IT, janitorial, and other services for NASA centers.

[nismaratwork]

The US Senate made a counterproposal to the budget cuts proposed by the House. From http://appropriations.senate.gov/news.cfm?method=news.view&id=7e62b4eb-ed09-4dd4-86f0-411534783127

At this level, NASA will not be provided any funds for requested but new long-range space technology research activities that have the potential to lead to new discoveries and new technologies that could improve life on Earth. However, it avoids an additional $412 million cut by the House that would disrupt ongoing science missions and cause layoffs of 4,500 middle class contractors who provide landscaping, IT, janitorial, and other services for NASA centers.

Sheesh... what a joke. I guess this is the gratitude that can be expected when people are largely unaware of the everyday items they would be without, except for NASA. Truly, with space exploration I think you have to put the cart before the horse, or...

... give up. We seem to be giving up.

[caffenta]

Sheesh... what a joke. I guess this is the gratitude that can be expected when people are largely unaware of the everyday items they would be without, except for NASA.

Yeah, you ain't kidding. I'd go completely bonkers if I didn't have borscht in a tube.

:biggrin:

[nismaratwork]

Yeah, you ain't kidding. I'd go completely bonkers if I didn't have borscht in a tube.

:biggrin:

Hey, that was the Russian Space Agency... I think we had grilled cheese in a tube or something desperate and awful.

Still... ceramics, corningware, velcro, all kinds of avionics, and more...

*sigh*

[D H]

While NASA does have plenty of spinoffs, it is very hard to justify NASA's existence in terms of these spinoffs. If that is the goal, it is better to target R&D monies directly at the problem at hand.

The same goes for space science. A lot of ground-based R&D could be funded simply by canceling a $100 million dollar space science project here, a $200 million project there. Those are small projects. NASA's flagship space science projects are multi-billion dollar extravaganzas nowadays.

Whether it is by means of human space exploration or unmanned space exploration, NASA's primary reason for being remains exploration. If our society has lost that explorative spirit then NASA doe have little left to stand on.

[nismaratwork]

While NASA does have plenty of spinoffs, it is very hard to justify NASA's existence in terms of these spinoffs. If that is the goal, it is better to target R&D monies directly at the problem at hand.

The same goes for space science. A lot of ground-based R&D could be funded simply by canceling a $100 million dollar space science project here, a $200 million project there. Those are small projects. NASA's flagship space science projects are multi-billion dollar extravaganzas nowadays.

Whether it is by means of human space exploration or unmanned space exploration, NASA's primary reason for being remains exploration. If our society has lost that explorative spirit then NASA doe have little left to stand on.

I know... it just seems that selling exploration is too hard these days. I find it viscerally abhorrent to see NASA reduced this way, with no real substitute in sight. For god's sake, Soyuz capsules for our astronauts? Ugh.