Far too often our space policy has been quick to cancel a program without reaping the benefits of our investment.
This was part of the answer to a question about what to do with the ISS but you could read into it that it applies to things like SLS/Orion.
It really doesn’t make sense to get rid of the ISS. There are a lot of good reasons thrown around but IMO, the best one is because there isn’t an operational replacement. The “Gap” for human launch has been a terrible drag on NASA and our country. Having a gap between getting rid of the ISS and having an operational space station to replace it would be even worse.
It is worth mentioning that privatizing ISS does not equal “getting rid of” it. Whoever buys it will have some useful use for it and may still be willing to rent space (pun not intended) back to NASA.
Not that this helps with the unending congressional jobs program.
You’re overthinking things. At the end of the day, Cruz is a TX Senator. JSC is in Texas. Pretty much the only thing JSC has left to do is run ISS. Do the math.
Ted Cruz is going to be the Richard Shelby of ISS for the same reasons Richard Shelby is the Richard Shelby of SLS.
Yeah, that’s a good analogy.
We can explore the moon, while continuing ISS. We can even explore the moon, while continuing SLS.
I think we change ISS funding around to time we start to send crew to the Moon. And I think it is best that within a few years of doing lunar crew exploration, we then transfer to Mars crewed exploration.
So, with ISS, thru lunar crewed to crew Mars, we have continuous human flight program.
So presently we start a robust robotic lunar exploration, and will continue this robust robotic program by having robust Mars robotic program, that enables the mars crew program. And still have robust robotic mars program when crew are living on Mars.
It does seem that have to do something with ISS, by the time we sending sending crew to Mars. Or maybe before lunar crew is finished. And likewise, at such time frame, do something with SLS.
Cruz utters some nice-sounding generalities. But when it comes to specifics, I cringe:
* Asked why space is important, he begins with “It generates tens of thousands of jobs across Texas and across the country.” OK, reason No. 1, then is pork.
* He complains that “canceling Constellation … cost thousands of jobs and wasted billions of dollars” — so he thinks it should have continued? Really?
* Several times he talks about Mars (much more than the moon), claiming that in the 2017 authorization “both houses of Congress unanimously confirmed that we are going to Mars.” Does he really believe that NASA is on the road to Mars?
Oh, and by the way, he still hasn’t come out against Orion/SLS, has he? Maybe he could have been forgiven before on the grounds that he was running for president, but not now.
Far too often our space policy has been quick to cancel a program without reaping the benefits of our investment.
This was part of the answer to a question about what to do with the ISS but you could read into it that it applies to things like SLS/Orion.
It really doesn’t make sense to get rid of the ISS. There are a lot of good reasons thrown around but IMO, the best one is because there isn’t an operational replacement. The “Gap” for human launch has been a terrible drag on NASA and our country. Having a gap between getting rid of the ISS and having an operational space station to replace it would be even worse.
It is worth mentioning that privatizing ISS does not equal “getting rid of” it. Whoever buys it will have some useful use for it and may still be willing to rent space (pun not intended) back to NASA.
Not that this helps with the unending congressional jobs program.
You’re overthinking things. At the end of the day, Cruz is a TX Senator. JSC is in Texas. Pretty much the only thing JSC has left to do is run ISS. Do the math.
Ted Cruz is going to be the Richard Shelby of ISS for the same reasons Richard Shelby is the Richard Shelby of SLS.
Yeah, that’s a good analogy.
We can explore the moon, while continuing ISS. We can even explore the moon, while continuing SLS.
I think we change ISS funding around to time we start to send crew to the Moon. And I think it is best that within a few years of doing lunar crew exploration, we then transfer to Mars crewed exploration.
So, with ISS, thru lunar crewed to crew Mars, we have continuous human flight program.
So presently we start a robust robotic lunar exploration, and will continue this robust robotic program by having robust Mars robotic program, that enables the mars crew program. And still have robust robotic mars program when crew are living on Mars.
It does seem that have to do something with ISS, by the time we sending sending crew to Mars. Or maybe before lunar crew is finished. And likewise, at such time frame, do something with SLS.
Cruz utters some nice-sounding generalities. But when it comes to specifics, I cringe:
* Asked why space is important, he begins with “It generates tens of thousands of jobs across Texas and across the country.” OK, reason No. 1, then is pork.
* He complains that “canceling Constellation … cost thousands of jobs and wasted billions of dollars” — so he thinks it should have continued? Really?
* Several times he talks about Mars (much more than the moon), claiming that in the 2017 authorization “both houses of Congress unanimously confirmed that we are going to Mars.” Does he really believe that NASA is on the road to Mars?
Oh, and by the way, he still hasn’t come out against Orion/SLS, has he? Maybe he could have been forgiven before on the grounds that he was running for president, but not now.