New space telescope to replace Hubble, and I'm not impressed
Those fine, hard-working people over at have provided us with yet another exciting leap into the world of science. It seems that as soon as the Hubble telescope developed technical problems, NASA in all its brilliant yet expensive wisdom, has dedicated some $4 billion American dollars to the , yet another far-reaching telescopic project. Let it not be said that the endeavor is unexciting, although the fourteen comments by Engadget readers embody none of that excitement. Here, let me get that; Ooooo, Aahhhh, Ohhhhh. There, that should do it.
With all due respect to the dozens of families who put food on their tables and send their kids to college based on the budget expenditures of our national space project, I must break from the ranks to step forward and say, "Hey!
Wait a minute!" Nobody ever asked me if I wanted another telescope! I never got to vote or fill out a questionnaire.
Heck, I didn't even get a dinner time call from a tele-surveyor. Maybe, just possibly, those of us who foot the bill would like to have some input into where that NASA money goes. Personally, I'm more interested in what's at the bottom of the Mariana Trench than looking at pictures of places to which mankind shall probably never be able to go.
As far as dumb ways to spend money goes, NASA ranks right up there with the best of them. I have yet to receive indication that our space program has been anything more than a bottomless, money-eating pit. Sure, they have provided us with some really cool artist's renderings of pictures sent back from space, but when you discount the couple of material discoveries that space experimentation has developed, I ask you to show me just exactly where has been the return on our investment?
The International Space Station is a bust and the moon is an inhabitable rock. Sure, we have accomplished a lot with satellites, but, if memory serves, those remain in orbit of our own puny planet.
So give me a break NASA and spend a couple years applying your resources to our own home domain.
There are plenty of fine projects here that are worthy of your resources and attention. Perhaps you could help in assuring that all the world's citizens have clean water to drink? I know that's not a real glamorous pursuit, but then again, neither is the toasting of astronauts above Texas.
1. Seems to me that NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) is focusing on *exactly* what it needs to be doing, if we're going by what it's called. Clean drinking water?
Department of Agriculture, perhaps? Also, I'm not sure, which 'Stock' is this post supposed to be 'Blogging' about again? Please, post opinion pieces on a personal blog, instead of using the AOL network to profess them.
2. NASA pays a lot of dividends since its inception back in the 50's. There is too numberous items to list .
Take Tang? the fake orange juice, hahaha but I am not kidding you , really, We sent astronauts up in the space to find out how to survive in the space and weightlessness. We sent them up there to observe above our obscuring atmosphere.
We sent a myraid of specialized instruments and specialized astronauts up there to develop new materiasl and even manufacture stuff that we couldnt on this hard surface with gravity tugging us and stuff down ...
We sent probes to distant planets and we are learning a great deal but not much is told to the public , i am sure. We are not exactly sending hot shot jet fighter jocks up in the space anymore. We are sending various professionals up there who just happens to be required to master the "Right Stuff" which becomes easier and easier now.
We have a huge space station up there that is somehwat inspiring. It made me wonder when we will eventually build a city up there of countless structures??
? It is as challenging to get sunk deep into the trenches under oceans as going up in the space. Oceans may be a more challenging frontier than space and that might be the reason why we view the space frontier as the less resistance.
..
3.
First off...
...
no one needs to ask YOU anything about OUR national space project. You pompous, arrogant horse's ass! Second, I hope N.
A.S.A.
continues to do what they do. They are N.A.
S.A..
...
(which has to do with aeronautics AND space) Third, why does N.A.S.
A. need to take care of the world's water needs or any other needs for that matter? Remember.
...
SPACE! Not that I would need remind a Lib-O-crat of anything..
..BUT.
...
there are plennnnty of other tax sucking, money draining programs in this country to be rid of. You know, the ones that "take care" of the lazy, drug using, disease carrying, child-breeding-baby-momma crap that infects our "home domain". (never mind the rest of the world) Come to think of it, maybe, we can get N.
A.S.A's help with those after all.
What kind of tree hugging shit is this anyway? Why don't you call your superhero, Al Gore, and let him handle it. 4.
I just love it when the readers get stirred up. But to call me a Lib-o Crat? Oh, if you only knew.
..
Thanks for stopping by! Gary E. Sattler
5.
As a side note: The water-recycling systems developed for the space shuttle and International Space Station are, as I understand it, now being developed into commercial applications for portable water refinement. So, essentially, NASA *is* helping provide clean drinking water to people, by paying to develop the technology, and then letting companies develop it into commercial products, which also creates an economic benefit. Same thing with portable defibrillators, also developed with NASA funding for the space shuttle, in case of a heart attack in space where they would not be able to get to a hospital in time.
Those devices are now in airplanes, schools, malls, and skyscrapers across the country, and have saved dozens if not hundreds of lives of people who might not have made it if they had to wait until paramedics arrived. There's the development of fire-resistant material that has since saved the lives of countless firefighters and rescue personnel. There's the zero-gravity experiments--including those conducted long-term on the International Space Station--that allowed production of crystalline forms of diseases and abnormal tissues, which aided in research into treatments and cures.
Cordless power tools were first developed by Black Decker using NASA funding and a request for something that could be used on the lunar surface. The smoke detector was created for NASA for use on Skylab. Studies with Hubble have allowed for amazing progress in our understanding of physics, NASA-developed satellite technology gave way to weather satellites, GPS, and Sirius and XM, and the upcoming Ares and Orion projects will continue developing technology that will likely save or better lives on Earth once it filters down.
What NASA spends money on, usually has benefits for the people on Earth, whether it seems like it or not. If you actually knew this stuff, maybe you wouldn't complain about NASA and the money that goes toward it.
6.
I think you meant "uninhabitable" when you were talking about the moon. :)
7. You are an absolute pompous moron.
1. 4 billion is nothing..
. you want to complain, how about you complain about a 400 billion dollar war that has ZERO relevance to our own country. 2.
NASA does more than space...
they do aeronautics in general. 3. I am very glad they don't ask idiot, non-experts on how scientific research should be done.
4. Why don't you do a little research before making such stupid claims as NASA contributing nothing other than artist rendered images.
8.
It amazes me the ignorance of some people. The space program has touched us in countless material ways. The computer you are typing on is directly related to the space program.
The cell phone you use is directly related to the space program. It is called miniature electronics developed for the space program that has been applied to commercial products. The TV you are watching is directly related to the space program.
Without satellites, you would only have local over the air TV. Hurricanes would kill thousands without weather satellites. With your logic, Columbus should have stayed at home.
Humans are all about exploration. Before saying stupid things, do some research.
9.
your ur a complete fuck head for saying any of that about N.A.S.
A. those guys are simply amazing and the things they do with there money is fantastic and one day cause of them we will be able to adventure into space
10. I am an educator who has had the benefit with other teachers to go to NASA to increase our ability to teach science using the latest technological advances.
Materials, transportation, instruction, lodging and NASA instructors have provided us with the training needed to further students interest and immersion into the science of aeronautics. It is an approach to learning enabling children of all ages to understand propulsion,Bernoulli's principle of flight, robotics, properties and principles of all fields of science. An emphasis focuses on the technologies to better steward our resources on earth and its relationship to the universe.
Personally, I've had children in my Middle school classes take to building airplanes and testing their structural strength and aerodynamics using a wind producing device. They have taken great joy in learning to use the computer technology to create architectural design using CAD. They also have applied computer and robotic technologies to compete with other schools in that particular discipline.
These are just a few examples of how NASA serves the educational progress of our children in school. The most exciting experience is having the experience of speaking to NASA flight specialists via Teleconferencing technology. In essence there are many things NASA does for the good of the nations children.
Many things most people have little or no idea that promote a greater opportunity for students to see the possibilities of a meaningful vocation in the many aspects of science. Personally the folks at NASA, including the kindness and the generosity of the Astronauts enriched my life as an instructor and more so the lives of my students. Indeed we had the experience of having instuction done by a complement of the nations astronauts.
11. I couldn't agree more with this opinion!!
! Besides spending billions of dollars that we don't have..
.NASA is also causing health problems now. Now, we must deal with rocket fuel in our water supply and on our agricultural products.
3000 people tested for perchlorate and 3000 tested POSITIVE. Excerpt below from ABC News. Full text at: "A study from the Centers for Disease Control last year tested almost 3,000 people who are representative of the U.
S. population. They found perchlorate in every single person," said Dr.
Anila Jacob of the Environmental Working Group. so how did something used to launch inter-continental missiles and the space shuttle find its way into our homes? At a hearing of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce this week, a government report was made public for the first time revealing that at sites in more than 25 states, perchlorate had leaked into the drinking water and soil.
About 65 percent of that contamination was attributed to the Department of Defense and to NASA. (see link above for more on this story.) 12.
Your arrogance is astounding. Why is this even on bloggingstocks? This has nothing to do with Wall Street, investing, or the stock market.
You're discussing the financial return on taxes spent on NASA, which is really an issue of politics, since unlike with a corporation, the goal is not monetary returns, but the pursuit of scientific gain in itself, which is much harder to assign dollar value to. NASA is attempting to apply resources closer to home, with the Ares and Orion projects geared toward returning to the Moon and Mars, as well as attempting to finish the ISS which you badmouth without understanding. The problem, if any, is a lack of capital, in business terms; people aren't investing enough in NASA for them to be able to do all that they really should be doing.
NASA's budget is much smaller, inflation-adjusted, then it was in the Apollo-era glory days, and they're responsible for a wide range of projects. How do they decide what to cut and what to preserve? And, most importantly, what makes you the judge of that, out of all people?
If you really, truly believe that NASA should do more to develop local human spacetravel, then instead of ripping on them, you should learn about the reality of their budget crisis, and use your ability to rant off-topic on this blog to advocate increasing funding to them so they have the resources to do it. They want to, but as any CEO would tell you, you can't do what you can't afford.
13.
You guy's are a regular riot but still good reads.
14. Wow.
It's expected I guess. Must be a NASA email alert going around to all NASA employees to comment in defense of themselves on this issue. Geez.
If any one of you were hurting in your pocket book, like us tax payers who must decide between gas and food, you'd shut your mouths about defending a new telescope. It's a telescope. Anything that can see farther than we've already seen is really just not a priority on tax-tayers
15.
This from a guy who helps out Billionaires by purchasing software and movie tickets.
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