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#1 Re: Not So Free Chat » Three cheers for Sam Dinkin! - Read this! » 2004-06-29 08:00:55

He lays out timelines of 150 years to 500 years. Leaders are thinking 6 months out to the next election cycle. This is all DOA.

If Bush took the entire NASA budget for the next 15 years and gave it to the private sector as visionary irrevocable prizes, he would not be remembered as the one who killed NASA.  That is no less revolutionary than his tax, terrorism and medicare drug policies.

His suggestions have some value, but most of them simply are not wedded to anything resembling reality. Sell our investment in ISS, then give the money to placate our partners? No amount of money is going to make them happy. No amount of money given to our foriegn partners is going to make the American people happy.

The oil for food program did not cost much and our allies seemed happy as clams to get their meager portion of the take.

Subsidize space? Sure, sounds good. Until we realize that we pretty much have the same thing now, with cost-plus contracts and the like. United Space Alliance? That's what the end result is for all of space with some of his proposals.

Yes, except they are doing what NASA wants instead of what they want.


He just shrugs and says, "change the terms of our treaty." As if it were that simple. [smack my forehead]. Buy Soyuz? If only it were that simple. Take government out of advanced research with the hope and prayer (that might get Bush's attention) that the invisible hand of free market takes over...

It is that simple.  Just withdraw from the treaty.  If Soyuz is too hard, take a hiatus while the prizes percolate.

While a few good ideas are presented, most of them are lost to the really bad ideas that make hime sound belligerent.

Take the good ones and run with them.

Sam Dinkin

#2 Re: Not So Free Chat » Three cheers for Sam Dinkin! - Read this! » 2004-06-29 07:48:20

He is calling for the end of NASA, ya know.

Not end of NASA--just end of NASA as we know it.

Sam Dinkin

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