Obama/McCain and space exploration

[cheerfulgreek]

Does anyone know what Barack Obama or John McCain's spending plan will be for the space program? I'm just wondering, because I was just thinking about the speech former President Bush gave on space exploration. It was sometime in the late 80s. I think I was about 5 or 6, but I remember his speech was in regards to committing the nation to a sustained program of human exploration of the solar system and permanent settlement of space. I remember him speaking about (as I can remember) the need for more than a 20 year plan, of a long range continuing committment to space exploration. I do know it was because of him that the Space Exploration Initiative was created. I actually thought it was an excellent start, but it was all downhill from there.

I don't know why, but for some odd reason, all the talk about going to Mars disappeared. Exploring Mars was supposed to take place in 2000, then I heard 2008, now I'm hearing 2012. I'm just wondering if Obama or McCain will follow through with it, or if anything was mentioned about it. I'm not sure of the cost, but I'll bet it would be far less than the money that's being wasted in Iraq.

I know I won't be here to see it, but I definitely think Mars is where the action will be in the next century.

[LightBulb]

A friend who works at NASA told me that Obama wants to cut NASA's funding drastically. I researched this a bit a while back and found people writing that this was terrible because it would keep new people from beginning careers at NASA. Essentially, this said that when NASA started getting sufficient funding again, it would start back years behind schedule because a new set of people would have to be trained.

I don't know McCain's stance on this.

[cheerfulgreek]

Originally Posted by LightBulb

A friend who works at NASA told me that Obama wants to cut NASA's funding drastically. I researched this a bit a while back and found people writing that this was terrible because it would keep new people from beginning careers at NASA. Essentially, this said that when NASA started getting sufficient funding again, it would start back years behind schedule because a new set of people would have to be trained.

I don't know McCain's stance on this.

o.k. I like Obama a lot and I totally agree with most of the things he's said, but to cut back NASA's funding totally does not make any sense at all! If he makes it in office, (and I still want him to) he's going to have to change this. Seriously. I don't even think it would cost that much. I mean, the United States has on hand all the technologies required for undertaking within a decade an aggressive, continuing program of human Mars exploration. I think we actually can reach Mars with relatively small spacecraft launched directly to Mars by boosters embodying the same technology that carried astronauts to the Moon eons ago. I don't see why he would want to cut funding. It's not like we're just beginning. I think we could be ready to go within the next 5-10 years, without spending a ton of money.

[AGDee]

Page 10 of Obama's Science and Technology plan talks about NASA. It sounds to me like he considers it important.

http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/issue...eetScience.pdf

[CrackerBarrel]

Originally Posted by AGDee

Page 10 of Obama's Science and Technology plan talks about NASA. It sounds to me like he considers it important.

http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/issue...eetScience.pdf

Originally Posted by Obama Fact Sheet

...engages international allies and draws on expertise in the private sector.

There are the code words for cut funding for ya.

[madmax]

Originally Posted by LightBulb

A friend who works at NASA told me that Obama wants to cut NASA's funding drastically. I researched this a bit a while back and found people writing that this was terrible because it would keep new people from beginning careers at NASA. Essentially, this said that when NASA started getting sufficient funding again, it would start back years behind schedule because a new set of people would have to be trained.

I don't know McCain's stance on this.

NASA is a waste of money. If NASA thinks their work is so important then let them sell their discoveries and fund themselves.

I hope the new President cuts NASA's budget. If I was President NASA would not be going to Mars unless there was oil there. We have our top scientists collecting rocks from Mars. They should be working on energy. If they develope a cheap fuel source then let them keep part of the profits and they can go back to collecting space rocks.

[cheerfulgreek]

Originally Posted by madmax

NASA is a waste of money.
If I was President NASA would not be going to Mars unless there was oil there.

NASA's a waste of money??? and sending troops to Iraq isn't?

How do you know there isn't resources that can be used on Mars?

[PhiGam]

Originally Posted by cheerfulgreek

NASA's a waste of money??? and sending troops to Iraq isn't?

How do you know there isn't resources that can be used on Mars?

This is a thread about NASA, don't make it into something else.
There would have to be a resource worth the cost of obtaining it, which would be over $10,000 per POUND.

[LightBulb]

Originally Posted by PhiGam

This is a thread about NASA, don't make it into something else.

Thanks for saying this. It's not like we have to either continue the war in Iraq or work on taking people to Mars. Theoretically, we could do one, neither, or both, so the war is really not relevant.

[JonoBN41]

This is not a thread about what WE think about space exploration (or Iraq), it's about what the CANDIDATES think about space exploration. Once the readers know that, they can - in part - base their opinions of the election on the candidates' viewpoints.

So far, no one has explained McCain's view of space exploration.

[DaemonSeid]

Originally Posted by cheerfulgreek

NASA's a waste of money??? and sending troops to Iraq isn't?

How do you know there isn't resources that can be used on Mars?

A few reasons why atually.

1. We are decades away from setting up a permanent base there to even see if we can survive there for long periods.

2. We may be at least a century away from even being able to refine and ferry anything we find there and bring back

3. With the way we are wasting money here on EARTH tearing shyte up we won't ever be able to do one or 2....not at least in my lifetime.

[Senusret I]

Yeah.....I kind of don't care about space exploration.

[AGDee]

I value space exploration and it has brought us a lot of technological advances that became mainstream. There's also a lot of research happening out there. However, given the crises we're in right now, I don't see it as an "essential" as I do other programs.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by AGDee

I value space exploration and it has brought us a lot of technological advances that became mainstream. There's also a lot of research happening out there. However, given the crises we're in right now, I don't see it as an "essential" as I do other programs.

Yeah, I think it's way down on the list.

[preciousjeni]

From the Tampa Tribune:

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/aug...tells-space-c/

A Modified Proposal

In response, Obama campaign spokeswoman Adrianne Marsh said his decision not to delay the Constellation program by at least five years to 2020 or later "is not a reversal."

Rather, she said he has modified an earlier proposal that creates a "win-win" scenario by keeping Constellation on track while funding the early education program through alternative spending offsets.

Although she could not provide dollar-for-dollar trade-offs, Marsh noted that other ways the campaign has identified to help pay for the early education program are reforming and reducing earmark spending and reforming federal contracting procedures.

Meanwhile, the Democratic National Committee was hitting back at McCain. In a statement, the committee said it is McCain, not Obama, who must explain past positions on NASA and space programs.

"Once again, John McCain and his campaign have decided to take the low road rather than defend his own record on NASA issues," DNC spokesman Damien LaVera said. "Not only has McCain voted to take funding from NASA to fund other priorities, but his 'fantasy' plan to pay for making the Bush's tax cuts permanent by freezing discretionary funding and vetoing every bill with earmarks would cost the Mars mission millions."

Obama has consistently expressed support for education, particularly in the areas of math and science. If we weren't in such a financial pickle, I have a feeling he'd pump plenty of funding into NASA.