Armstrong, Cernan and Lovell on NASA cuts

[CID1990]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/fo ... gacy_n.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'm ambiguous on this subject, because I think NASA in the recent past has been akin to owning a boat: it is a big hole in the water that you throw money into. There was and is a lot of waste at NASA. Plus, the time has come to prioritize spending.

That said, I don't think anyone can argue the scientific value of the various programs that NASA has headed up since the 1960s.

This article was interesting not so much because of the sunject, but because Neil Armstrong put his name to it. Armstrong has been very quiet and reclusive since leaving NASA, and he has largely stayed out of the public eye.

[GannonFan]

NASA has kind of been their own worst enemy. Didn't think big enough - the Space Shuttle has been a successful program, but at the end of the day, what did we accomplish? We basically have a science lab in orbit. That's not going to inspire people or lead to significant technological advances, and if people aren't being inspired and if we aren't advancing technology, they aren't going to value the space program. A permanent base on the moon would've been a good thing to follow up on, and that could've led to deeper space travel. At some point we'll need to refire the kindle of excitement around space and space travel/exploration, but it seems like we may miss a generation before we can do that again, especially now that economies have slowed down as they have.

[grizzaholic]

They should make beer/spirits in space. That way they can sell it on Earth and make BANK.

[citdog]

[YoUDeeMan]

They should make beer/spirits in space. That way they can sell it on Earth and make BANK.

Hmmmm...you might want to consult 89Hen about making beer in space. The idea of marketing "zero gravity" beer might blow some purist's minds.

Of course, that would make it almost a Coor's Light.

[AZGrizFan]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/fo ... gacy_n.htm

I'm ambiguous on this subject, because I think NASA in the recent past has been akin to owning a boat: it is a big hole in the water that you throw money into. There was and is a lot of waste at NASA. Plus, the time has come to prioritize spending.

An $18.69 billion hole, to be exact.

[grizzaholic]

They should make beer/spirits in space. That way they can sell it on Earth and make BANK.

Hmmmm...you might want to consult 89Hen about making beer in space. The idea of marketing "zero gravity" beer might blow some purist's minds.

Of course, that would make it almost a Coor's Light.

I will consult 89Hen if I need to know how to smell my own farts, if I need to know about how to be a snob, and if I need to know how to take a sentence full of facts and make them fiction.....So I will not ever be consulting him.

[CID1990]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/fo ... gacy_n.htm

I'm ambiguous on this subject, because I think NASA in the recent past has been akin to owning a boat: it is a big hole in the water that you throw money into. There was and is a lot of waste at NASA. Plus, the time has come to prioritize spending.

An $18.69 billion hole, to be exact.

I'll bet you we could throw 1/18th that amount of money at Burt Rutan and Richard Branson and they'd have a permanent base on the moon in 10 years.