[thechat] Is NASA lost in space

[Ben Dyer]

At 02:45 PM 2/3/2003, you wrote:
>http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/5094080.htm
>
>This dude says NASA is wasting money. Discuss.

Probably.

His conclusions are incorrect and many of his facts are, too, but, yes,
NASA wastes a lot of money.

His biggest error is in assuming that removing that funding and applying it
elsewhere could benefit other programs, which is bull.  If there's one
thing the government refuses to learn, it's that throwing money at a
problem doesn't make it go away.

I think that opening the space program to more corporations would improve
things by creating competition...but I think that about the Post Office as
well.

The only thing that might help the space program is tourism, but we're a
long, long ways off from that.  When I was younger I thought it would've
happened by now.  Now I question if it will ever happen in my lifetime.

Bottom line, I think NASA has created many benefits, but many of them are
intangible (mostly improvements in existing technologies, making wide-eyed
kids dream about space, etc.).  Until they can prove tangible benefits to
the government and corporations (i.e., "There's gold in them thar
craters"), we're never going to make any headway with extending the space
program.

Of course, another Space Race with China might kick the U.S.'s butts into
gear...  I seriously doubt that our government would want taikonauts to be
the first people on Mars...then it really would be the "Red Planet."  Yuk yuk.

--Ben