So the next major task for NASA in the development of manned space exploration is to successfully send astronauts to an asteroid (and, I presume, safely back to Earth). By 2025. By presidential order. Some like this idea in that it would be more of an intermediate step to a future longer trip to Mars and would give NASA, scientists, and engineers the opportunity to develop the kind of long-term life-sustaining technology for deep space travel. Detractors of the plan say that the low-gravity moon would have been a much better location to establish a base and an optimal platform to launch later deep space flights. That idea, generated by our previous president George W. Bush, was cancelled by our current president Barack Obama, who stated that we didn't need to go to the moon because we've "already been there". And hence HIS presidential order to go to an asteroid (pick an asteroid, any asteroid) by 2025.
But what makes Barack Obama so much higher, mightier, and more authoritative in his orders and decisions regarding space exploration than George W. Bush? And what's keeping his successor to the presidency, possibly Mitt Romney, from canceling HIS agenda and laying out a new one (or nothing at all)?
Obama erred badly, in my opinion, by scrapping Bush's plan to return to the moon. For one, it has created a completely avoidable brain drain of talented scientists and engineers who see our space priorities unsupported by the government. Why hang around if you're not wanted, and why embark on a long-term, intricate, and very demanding project when some politician down the line can just arbitrarily cancel it with some flippant language? I wouldn't blame anyone for not sticking around...
But supposing, against my suspicions, that Obama's successors stick with his space exploration agenda and actually support an asteroid mission to its completion, I'm all aboard with it. But the problem is, how will anyone know for sure that succeeding presidents WILL support the mission? After all, THIS president completely rejected the previous one's proposed mission! For some reason, Obama decided to maintain close continuity with Bush's war efforts but rip apart his predecessor's worthy goals for space exploration.
Like I said, I think Obama messed up on this one...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
In the same week, I read of a mission to the Asteroids and an article on Russia's intention of de-orbiting the ISS in 2020...What a waste. Especially considering the [I]tremendous[/I] expense of lifting a payload out of Earth's gravity well.
ReplyDeleteLet's use the existing structures of the ISS to save both money and time. Mount control, propulsion, additional shielding, power systems and the (planned/spoken of) new aux vehicle(s). Put the new crew in-place and move it out of orbit on the round trip to the asteroids. We can park it again and resume it's present observational duties or expand it yet again and use to to to Mars when it returns. The ISS is already there, and has proven that it can support a number of crewmembers for extended periods safely, albeit with periodic supply and trash missions. Using this platform will give the planned mission a major boost and may allow it to happen in considerably fewer than 15 years at much less cost. We all need positive, pro-active news...more so now than ever. Both NASA and the world in general would benefit. Let us do this!
I wonder whether the Russian people in general are as apathetic about their space program as we are about ours. The only time, it seems, that either population group cared at all was when they saw each other as mortal enemies engaged in a "death race" for technological supremacy (during the Cold War).
ReplyDeleteYes, I want some positive, proactive news, too. But we need to find a new way to frame space exploration that captures the public's imagination and puts pressure on the politicians to support important projects instead of cutting funding for them or canceling them altogether.
I agree with you: the ISS should be used as much as possible to its greatest advantage before being allowing to simply fall back into Earth...