Hold the presses! :-) - A media driven frenzy, perhaps?

Bill White · 2004-01-09 22:57:59

Two articles reviewed this evening suggest that today's media feeding frenzy concerning the President's "bold new vision" may have been overblown.

First, the ranking Republican of the House committee responsible for space says he looks forward to next week because, he wants to know what the President is thinking.

BOEHLERT STATEMENT ON FORTHCOMING PRESIDENTIAL SPACE POLICY ANNOUNCEMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C., January 9, 2003 - Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) today released the following statement on President Bush's upcoming announcement on space policy, scheduled for next week:
"I'm eager to hear the President's vision for a revived human space flight program and I look forward to getting the details next week. I applaud the President for focusing on this issue at a critical time in the history of the American space program. I appreciate the meeting we had with Vice President Cheney in the fall, as well as my ongoing conversations with NASA Administrator O'Keefe and other Administration officials regarding the future of space policy.
"I believe the United States needs a new vision for human space flight and that the human space flight program should be continued. I look forward to serious discussion about what the precise nature of that program should be, and I know there are a wide variety of opinions on our Committee and in the Congress about that. Any decisions on the future of manned space flight must be made in the context of budget realities, the continuing need for the reforms called for by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, and the need to keep NASA's unmanned space programs at the robust and productive level that has borne such remarkable fruits just this past week."

He is the fellow most responsible for getting the President's "vision" passed by the House of Representatives and he says he doesn't know yet what the details of that vision are going to be.

Curious.

Second, Frank Sietzen is the UPI reporter perhaps most responsible for breaking the ice on Friday's frenzy concerning "back to the moon" and "on to Mars." Today, he writes that the President's plan is for robotic lunar missions to begin by 2013.

Do I read this right?

Advancing space robotic technology will require much of the initial $800 million the president is expected to request for fiscal year 2005 as a down payment on his space plan -- it could be as much as $300 million to $500 million of the increase, sources said.
The new robots would be capable not only of exploring the moon in tandem with the visiting astronauts, but also of functioning independently from humans if necessary. Among the robotic systems under consideration would be automated facilities on the moon's surface to perform such activities as facilities construction and operation, power production and analysis of the lunar soil and minerals. The robots also would work in tandem with orbiting probes to map the moon's surface and identify its features in high detail to provide navigational aids for future landings.
Early versions of planning documents, which were shown to UPI, reveal the first missions to the moon under the new Bush initiative -- tentatively scheduled for 2013 -- would use robotic probes and orbiting spacecraft.

The first new lunar missions, scheduled for 2013, will use robots. Hey, I thought Radio Shack intended to send their own robot to the Moon before then.

= = =

In any event, the Moon and Mars did make prime time US media tonight, which is all good, IMHO.

Wowza, what a day!

= = =

A final thought, from an AP/Yahoo story:

Robert Zubrin, president of the Mars Society, agreed the moon should be a milepost toward the bigger mission. If Bush proposes a return to the moon and an expedition to Mars ? "someday" ? then Mars may well lose out.
But for the moment, he said he is "happy and preparing for battle."

Happy and preparing for battle? LOL! ;-)

Go! BOB Go!

:laugh:

Josh Cryer · 2004-01-10 07:52:30

Hehe, that's Zubrin for you.

I'd feel the same freaking way.

clark · 2004-01-10 12:11:27

go take a look at that old (last year) space direcetive held up in committee... something tells me it's due for a return, in some form.

Josh Cryer · 2004-01-10 12:14:20

I like robots.

Stu · 2004-01-12 13:33:18

Strange little article here...

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/artic … E_ID=36556

S

Bill White · 2004-01-12 15:10:06

Strange little article here...
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/artic … E_ID=36556
S

Dude, if you think that idea is a little strange, wait until I share my secret scenario with you. . .

Hee! Hee!

Rxke · 2004-01-12 15:34:49

Duh... 2 to 2.5 Trillion...

Do we have a higher bid?

That guy is seriously off his rocker... :angry:

I sure hope, *if* Bush does some kind of announcement, he gives a good cost-estimate, and let's hope it runs in the tens of billions, not the hundreds...

clark · 2004-01-12 15:41:20

$3.5 billion is coming from the Shuttle, after it is retired (2010-1013)

There will be an initial outlay of $800 million this year. Followed by a 5% increase to NASA budget (=$750 million) for the next five years (that's five percent per year)

5 years x 750 million = $3.75 billion dollars added to NASA budget by 2009. That totals to about $7-8 billion when ISS is complete.

The money for ISS will be redirected i have no figures for that now).

Space sciences will be revamped, and most funds will now go into Human space sciences- research that supports humans in space. Our earth sciences and astronomy are pretty much over until we get to Mars.

By the time we are read for the Moon, NASA will be looking at 10 billion dollars to send people there. Per year.

Bill White · 2004-01-12 15:45:32

By the time we are read for the Moon, NASA will be looking at 10 billion dollars to send people there. Per year.

Okay, that's enough. Especially if we are willing to buy non-NASA boosters, whether in rubles, francs or via PayPal.

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#1 2004-01-09 22:57:59

Re: Hold the presses! :-) - A media driven frenzy, perhaps?

#2 2004-01-10 07:52:30

Re: Hold the presses! :-) - A media driven frenzy, perhaps?

#3 2004-01-10 12:11:27

Re: Hold the presses! :-) - A media driven frenzy, perhaps?

#4 2004-01-10 12:14:20

Re: Hold the presses! :-) - A media driven frenzy, perhaps?

#5 2004-01-12 13:33:18

Re: Hold the presses! :-) - A media driven frenzy, perhaps?

#6 2004-01-12 15:10:06

Re: Hold the presses! :-) - A media driven frenzy, perhaps?

#7 2004-01-12 15:34:49

Re: Hold the presses! :-) - A media driven frenzy, perhaps?

#8 2004-01-12 15:41:20

Re: Hold the presses! :-) - A media driven frenzy, perhaps?

#9 2004-01-12 15:45:32

Re: Hold the presses! :-) - A media driven frenzy, perhaps?

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