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81_Hokie

Joined: 03/16/2005 Posts: 3159
Likes: 1488


Behind schedule DUE TO manned program. To this day I don't know what the


shuttle got us. It seems like a project in search of a reason. Did Skylab do anything useful? I don't know that the ISS has done anything earth shattering (forgive space pun). I'm not saying we've learned nothing but I think our resources would have been better expended elsewhere. Could James Webb be in orbit if it had been more of a priority? Other orbital observers? Missions to other comets, asteroids, planets, moons? How about rovers on Europa and Enceladus? I would MUCH rather expend resources on an unmanned sample return mission to Mars than on seeing how algae grows in weightlessness.... again.

As for manned exploration, what is the goal, other than planting a flag and saying we did it? We could probably do 10 Curiosity missions for the price of a single manned mission to Mars, and that's to say nothing of the opportunities lost elsewhere due to constrained manpower.

I am 1000% in favor of exploration and NASA but these missions are so costly in dollars and the expertise so rare that we need to do it smartly to maximize what we gain.

(In response to this post by bourbonstreet)

Posted: 07/22/2020 at 06:32AM



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Current Thread:
  Probes are great. Agry ** -- HokieAl 07/21/2020 8:01PM
  I love anal probes ** -- FfxStationHokie 07/21/2020 8:16PM
  ^^Never been abducted^^ -- MP4VT2004 07/21/2020 8:03PM
  ...agry. Or at least a Lunar Station (orbital). -- bourbonstreet 07/21/2020 7:59PM
  I have a Milky Way ** -- TexasGobbler 07/21/2020 7:28PM
  Really? ** -- FfxStationHokie 07/21/2020 7:18PM
  Half a century +1 year and a day. -- Hokie CPA 07/21/2020 7:10PM
  ...this guy ?... -- chumley 07/21/2020 6:50PM
  Agree on next 50 yrs. ** -- ColoVT82 07/21/2020 6:47PM
  You left out solar radiation -- HokieJay 07/22/2020 1:51PM
  Chuckles, its down to 10.2 yrs now ** -- ColoVT82 07/21/2020 7:51PM
  Interesting debate -- RTFC 07/21/2020 10:12PM
  I prefer to think of -- RTFC 07/22/2020 09:14AM
  Valid points ** -- VTHokie2000 07/22/2020 09:15AM
  Just leave Europa alone! ** -- ColoVT82 07/21/2020 7:21PM
  What's going to happen? -- Hokie CPA 07/21/2020 8:13PM
  Yes! ** -- ColoVT82 07/21/2020 8:38PM
  Oh I agree with you asteroids are cheaper and humans -- VTHokie2000 07/21/2020 6:34PM
  We need to bring back Mars soil ** -- FfxStationHokie 07/21/2020 5:59PM
  --->has a mars meteorite, izzat enuff 🤔🌠 ** -- astrohokie 07/21/2020 6:46PM
  really? {/shun!!!} ** -- bourbonstreet 07/21/2020 8:01PM
  story? ** -- FfxStationHokie 07/21/2020 6:51PM
  Ha... -- astrohokie 07/21/2020 7:02PM
  How do you know we haven't gone further? -- EDGEMAN 07/21/2020 5:56PM
  We are waaaaay behind -- Baltimore Hokie 07/21/2020 5:47PM
  True, but there is nowhere practical to go -- Tafkam Hokie 07/21/2020 6:04PM
  Talk to China and India ** -- 133743Hokie 07/21/2020 7:33PM
  Talk to every country. Starting with ours... ** -- NokieHokie 07/21/2020 7:42PM
  The US is far ahead of the major players. In fact -- 133743Hokie 07/21/2020 8:21PM
  This link inside says otherwise... -- NokieHokie 07/21/2020 8:41PM
  27 month old story. The social and governance -- 133743Hokie 07/21/2020 9:08PM
  What? Like the overreaching"waters of the USA"? -- 133743Hokie 07/21/2020 10:24PM
  A lot of the world does much better. ** -- NokieHokie 07/21/2020 10:37PM
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  Takes a lot of light and water to grow food ** -- Hokie1992 07/21/2020 7:41PM
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  Studies with hydroponics on the iss are interesting -- Hokie1992 07/21/2020 10:46PM
  Raises hand....... -- GobblerCE 07/21/2020 5:11PM
  Spielberg got a better gig. ** -- vthhhi 07/21/2020 4:52PM

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