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- Raptor007, on 06/24/2009, -3/+44What does Tom Hanks have to say about it? After his terrifying experience on Apollo 13, I'd like to hear his opinion.
- Raptor007, on 06/24/2009, -0/+38I can see why Aldrin would be disappointed; he must have assumed that the Apollo 11 moon landing was the beginning of great things for NASA, but now it seems like that was their peak.
- Lucas123, on 06/24/2009, -2/+30If I was NASA, and Buzz Aldrin said "hey, your plan is wrong." I'd listen.
- RogerStrong, on 06/24/2009, -3/+21He's looking at it as an engineer. He plan won't happen, because there's politics involved too:
The Shuttle's primary mission was to keep the standing army of Apollo technicians employed. 30 years later, the primary mission of Ares/Constellation is to keep the standing army of Shuttle technicians employed. This is the real meaning of "shuttle-derived" - it's close enough that the manufacturing facilities and technicians can switch easily and quickly from Shuttle to Ares.
Congress approves NASA's budget line item by line item. NASA knows to spread a project across many states and congressional districts - it drives the price of the project way up, but that's the cost of getting the project appoved.
A switch to Atlas/Delta EELVs makes sense, but the money savings come through the massive lay-offs from ending Shuttle/Ares. Congress won't approve of any plan with massive layoffs. - arunforce, on 06/24/2009, -1/+16While Buzz is highly experienced Astronaut, and I mean no disrespect...
I wouldn't listen if I was NASA. I'd say, I put him on the moon, I'd say I'm a collective hive of the brains of pretty smart people (rocket scientists, physicists, astronomers), and that he is just an Astronaut and had little to nothing to do with the knowledge required to actually GET to, LAND on, and GET BACK safely from the moon. - inactive, on 06/24/2009, -1/+11Why? Buzz Aldrin is Buzz Aldrin because of NASA.
- Quarterbrew, on 06/24/2009, -2/+11If that's what NASA said, then their history is pretty darned wrong. Buzz Aldrin graduated 3rd in his class at West Point with a Bachelor of Science, and received a doctorate in Astronautics from MIT. I'd put his brain against most any at NASA.
And since Aldrin was the Command Module PILOT of a spacecraft that actually WENT TO, LANDED ON, and GOT BACK safely from the moon, I'd say he knows more about what's required to do this than someone in Houston who didn't. - ProfessorRiffs, on 06/24/2009, -0/+9He didn't go there for himself.
- unknownpoltroon, on 06/24/2009, -3/+11OF course we can do better. But the idiotcracy doesn't want the money "wasted" on buck rogers stuff, when there are guns to buy at home. No one ever points out that a properly funded space program could solve most of our resource problems, but that would involve thinking and planning beyond the next election.
- inactive, on 06/24/2009, -1/+9"I dare you to do better, enlist in Starfleet!"
- EddiePotato, on 06/24/2009, -3/+11That would be like Apple taking advice from the Hi I'm a Mac dude in the commercials.
- Bloodwine, on 06/24/2009, -0/+7The rovers have far exceeded most peoples' expectations of their return on investment. Mars rovers showcase NASA's potential and success, not its failure.
Also, Steve Jobs really isn't the visionary you make him out to be. He is good at taking other people's work and making it marketable and stylish, but he isn't some prophetic visionary. - RogerStrong, on 06/24/2009, -0/+6Agreed.
The main driving force behind colonies in the new world was to claim territory, both for governments and for private ownership. With territory come the resources it contained, from gold to beaver pelts.
But with the moon and Mars, no-one can claim territory. Until that's changed, we're missing the incentive to fund a colony. We need some way for a country to stake out land on the moon and Mars equivelant to it's share of Earth.
Sure, the wealthy countries would get there first, but this would lower the costs and risks for the others. - NMRgentleman, on 06/24/2009, -1/+7"He plan won't happen, because there's politics involved too."
There always is. This is why we need to get creative and try to find some way to get the private sector move involved in space. I don't mean by granting them contracts to build equipment for NASA - I mean making them want to go to space on their own. Right now the only way they can make money is with satellites or the occasional super-rich tourist.
No, I'm not sure exactly what we should do. Google's "Lunar X Prize" is probably a good start: http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/ - EddiePotato, on 06/24/2009, -1/+7Libertarian alert!
- feelmypimphand, on 06/24/2009, -2/+7Dude... :-O
- Hu99, on 06/24/2009, -1/+6NASA really needs to rethink why they even have a space policy. They don't seem to know whether they're a moneymaking transport service for satellite companies or a true research institute.
Perhaps splitting NASA into two separate divisions focusing on each of these functions would result in some clearer thinking. - Rudegar, on 06/24/2009, -1/+6steve took his liver :O
- TopherT, on 06/24/2009, -0/+4I've always wanted NASA to spend more time looking into more ambitious projects to make the cost of escaping the gravity well cheeper. This penny ante rocket and expensive space plane ***** doesn't seem to be getting us anywhere. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-rocket_spacelaunc ...
- roadtripguy, on 06/24/2009, -2/+6Dude are you ***** serious? You think Buzz Aldrin is a ***** actor? Wikipedia *****.
- EddiePotato, on 06/24/2009, -1/+5He went there for our sins.
- eadnams, on 06/24/2009, -2/+6***** NASA. Humanity can do better. We need to stop thinking like little organizations in little countries, on little continents, and start all working together for ***** like this.
- thegrizz51, on 06/24/2009, -0/+4Actually, the rovers were built at the University of Arizona. NASA just footed the bill. Go Wildcats!!!!
- Coven, on 06/24/2009, -0/+410 every day items you can thank NASA for:
Invisible Braces
Scratch Resistant Lenses
Memory Foam Mattresses
Ear Thermometer
Shoe Insoles
Long Distance Telecom
Adjustable Smoke Detectors
Runway Safety Grooves
Cordless Power Tools
Water Filters
http://science.howstuffworks.com/ten-nasa-inventio ...
I'd say our ROI was pretty good with our space program. - Coven, on 06/24/2009, -0/+3"And since Aldrin was the Command Module PILOT"
Yes I'm nitpicking.
He was the LM pilot. - executorzz, on 06/24/2009, -0/+3Isnt the purpose of another moon mission to test out some of the new equipment for an eventual trip to mars?
- Bloodwine, on 06/24/2009, -1/+4guns to buy at home? that seems like a thinly veiled shot at conservatives. the reality is that most Americans are too short-sighted and self-interested to really see that to survive as a species we have to get off this damn rock.
people want our government to spend money on short-term projects and projects that yield immediate gratification, not stuff that might help us years or decades down the road. - Coven, on 06/24/2009, -0/+3...the past
- davolama1401, on 06/24/2009, -0/+3Just like Marlon Brando, NASA peaked too early...
- DoktorRob, on 06/24/2009, -0/+3We don't spend a single dime in space! There are no Starbucks there!
All that money we "spend" goes to JOBS and TECHNOLOGY here in on Earth and especially in the U.S. - Hoogs, on 06/24/2009, -0/+3I just think it's sad that we haven't really made any progress since going to the moon. We should be colonizing it and going to Mars by now. I know it's easy for me to be an armchair critic, but whatever. I'm just a college student who never really "got", or got into, physics.
- Bloodwine, on 06/24/2009, -1/+4Hopefully the private sector will come to the rescue in terms of real innovation. I know they are about to begin development on the first ever spaceport, which is pretty exciting.
Don't get me wrong, I still respect and appreciate NASA. They still accomplish a lot, such as the Mars rovers, but it is a bit silly that we landed on the moon 40 years ago and have pretty much stagnated since then. - gloomybear, on 06/25/2009, -0/+3Planet-killing asteroids and gamma ray bursts work in spatial resolutions, not informational patterns. Humanity's long term survival means getting off this "little blue dot" and being able to survive in interplanetary/interstellar space.
- gweedo767, on 06/24/2009, -0/+3Actually Orion + Ares I only gets us back to LEO. You need Ares V to get to the moon.
- newerakb, on 06/24/2009, -1/+4And if colonizing the nearest of planets is preposterous, then so is the entire existence of NASA, because what the hell else is the purpose of giving billions in taxes to a space program?
Expensive ships to go collect far away rocks is retarded. We have rocks here, thank you very much. - frequentFlyer, on 06/24/2009, -0/+2What's up with his huge hands?
- unknownpoltroon, on 06/24/2009, -0/+2It was an unveiled shot at the ridiculous military industrial complex we have now. You may take it as a shot against both sides.
- lex0429, on 06/24/2009, -1/+3i am going to assume that was supposed to be a sarcastic comment, if not Digg should perm ban you
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzz_Lightyear - spish, on 06/24/2009, -1/+3NASA needs their own rocket experience.
- hplasm, on 06/24/2009, -1/+3Explanation:- you are not as much of a photographer as you like to think you are.
- Gigs, on 06/24/2009, -0/+2I like what he says about one way tickets only for Mars astronauts, but wow that would be a mind-*****. Then again at least I would have a chance to get away from Scientologists. But what about geriatric care as the astronauts got older?
- SwordFish666, on 06/24/2009, -1/+3How does solar thermal energy ( the picture ) relate to US space policy?
God damn random pictures... - jgzman, on 06/24/2009, -0/+2I think Will Ferrell peaked the first time noise came out of his mouth. Everything since then has been downhill.
- stopbrorape, on 06/24/2009, -1/+3And what the hell is this doc101?
"However continuously living the lifestyle of "homosexuality" is someone that abuses Grace. Which then, in conclusion, shows they can't be a believer." - executorzz, on 06/25/2009, -0/+2Holy crap, lighten up son...
- tradun, on 06/25/2009, -0/+2See what Buzz is talking about with the Jupiter Direct:
http://www.directlauncher.com/ - hpodity, on 06/24/2009, -0/+2Yes, however we're not going to get to mars in rockets constructed of the ***** we find at yard sales now are we, and that kind of attitude will just mean that we will never get there at all. There will alway be other "current" issues no matter what year we are in, we could travel to mars in the next ten years, there is no need to wait for technology to improve, there is no need to wait for the situation at home to get better, because it won't. We have to say, as a people, that we're not going to procrastinate nor sacrifice the future of the human race because we want to deal with the "current" issues first, this is a current issue, we have the ability to do this now so why aren't we doing it?
- jgzman, on 06/24/2009, -1/+3Enjoying that fire department, are we?
- Bluesky0010, on 06/24/2009, -0/+2A professor that I had, who also worked for the apollo missions in the past, said NASA isn't doing a good job anymore. NASA is mismanaged. We shot a person to the moon a while ago (on technology that is less complected than a lot of little kids calculators or gaming consoles), this ***** should not be as complicated as their making it to repeat.
- stopbrorape, on 06/24/2009, -1/+3Why have you dugg only one thing in the past two years?
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