[thechat] Is NASA lost in space

[Erika Meyer]

Dyer wrote:
>Bottom line, I think NASA has created many benefits, but many of them are
>intangible

NASA puts a fun face on development of new military technologies.

>(mostly improvements in existing technologies, making wide-eyed
>kids dream about space, etc.).

welfare program for space geeks.
We can't even figure out how to live well on earth wtf are we doing in space?

>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.

if it's greed, it leads.

>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...

If we could get both our governments to relocate to Mars, that might
make it all worthwhile.

I'd feel sorry for the Martians, though.

Erika
--

<old injun joke>
When NASA was preparing for the Apollo project, they did some
astronaut training on a Navajo Indian reservation.

One day, a Navajo elder and his son were herding sheep and came
across the space crew. The old man, who spoke only Navajo, asked a
question which his son translated. "What are these guys in the big
suits doing?"

A member of the crew said they were practicing for their trip to the
moon. The old man got all excited and asked if he could send a
message to the moon with the astronauts.

Recognizing a promotional opportunity for the spin-doctors, the NASA
folks found a tape recorder. After the old man recorded his message,
they asked the son to translate it. He refused.

So the NASA reps brought the tape to the reservation where the rest
of the tribe listened and laughed but refused to translate the
elder's message to the moon.

Finally, the NASA crew called in an official government translator.
He reported that the moon message said, "Watch out for these guys;
they have come to steal your land."
</joke>