"over 8,000 NASA workers who could see their jobs eliminated as the last shuttle launches in February 2011"

We'll never have a manned space program again. Oh, we'll rent Soyuz capsules to transport astronauts to and from the ISS for another decade. But it's over. The people who make it work are gone and they won't be back.

bulldg4life: With the free market, the private sector will pick up the slack.

What little private investment there is in space research has stood on the shoulders of public research. If we had waited around for the private sector to start investing in space research, we wouldn't have put someone on the moon, developed sophisticated satellite technology, or reaped any of the great benefits of our space research. If we wait for them to continue to invest, we'll lag far behind since corporations invest the lion's share of their money in things that are easily monetized while the vast majority of space research has no opportunity for immediate profit.

THE PRIVATE SECTOR IS NOT THE ANSWER TO EVERY FARKING PROBLEM.

FuturePastNow: We'll never have a manned space program again.

I'm eagerly awaiting the final Shuttle delay before explosion

Sudo_Make_Me_A_Sandwich: bulldg4life: With the free market, the private sector will pick up the slack.

What little private investment there is in space research has stood on the shoulders of public research. If we had waited around for the private sector to start investing in space research, we wouldn't have put someone on the moon, developed sophisticated satellite technology, or reaped any of the great benefits of our space research. If we wait for them to continue to invest, we'll lag far behind since corporations invest the lion's share of their money in things that are easily monetized while the vast majority of space research has no opportunity for immediate profit.

THE PRIVATE SECTOR IS NOT THE ANSWER TO EVERY FARKING PROBLEM.

Space is a problem?

Sudo_Make_Me_A_Sandwich: THE PRIVATE SECTOR IS NOT THE ANSWER TO EVERY FARKING PROBLEM.

Ditto

bulldg4life: FuturePastNow: We'll never have a manned space program again.

With the free market, the private sector will pick up the slack.

Why haven't they done anything big yet? There's been plenty of time. Was it because big NASA was hogging all the airspace?

justoneznot: Sudo_Make_Me_A_Sandwich: bulldg4life: With the free market, the private sector will pick up the slack.

What little private investment there is in space research has stood on the shoulders of public research. If we had waited around for the private sector to start investing in space research, we wouldn't have put someone on the moon, developed sophisticated satellite technology, or reaped any of the great benefits of our space research. If we wait for them to continue to invest, we'll lag far behind since corporations invest the lion's share of their money in things that are easily monetized while the vast majority of space research has no opportunity for immediate profit.

THE PRIVATE SECTOR IS NOT THE ANSWER TO EVERY FARKING PROBLEM.

Space is a problem?

Yes, Mooninites.

Need to fight them there so we don't fight them here.

This marks the end of America... IMO. Have fun China!

Did they get Kate Capshaw's autograph? Lea Thompson?

Well, the Teahadists should be happy.

This is going to cut government spending by a fair amount. And also reduce the overall size of a very large government agency.

High fives all around!

If the moon had been made of oil and gold, we'd have mechs surrounding saturn by now. It ain't. When someone figures out ways to profit off of manned space trips beyond 'it's for the science,' we -- whomever those earth folks may be -- will be out there. Until then, we enjoy our unmanned goodies.

Smeggy Smurf: I'm eagerly awaiting the final Shuttle delay before explosion

I know it's a running gag, but it would be a national knife twisting in the back for that to happen again.

Fundamentally, chemical powered rockets are bombs. We are never getting anywhere without a fundamental change in propulsion technology which will likely not happen in anyone's lifetime without a fundamental breakthrough in physics.

Sexy Republican Girl: justoneznot: Sudo_Make_Me_A_Sandwich: bulldg4life: With the free market, the private sector will pick up the slack.

What little private investment there is in space research has stood on the shoulders of public research. If we had waited around for the private sector to start investing in space research, we wouldn't have put someone on the moon, developed sophisticated satellite technology, or reaped any of the great benefits of our space research. If we wait for them to continue to invest, we'll lag far behind since corporations invest the lion's share of their money in things that are easily monetized while the vast majority of space research has no opportunity for immediate profit.

THE PRIVATE SECTOR IS NOT THE ANSWER TO EVERY FARKING PROBLEM.

Space is a problem?

Yes, Mooninites.

Need to fight them there so we don't fight them here.

As sure as I am that many of those positions were a result of bureaucratic bloat, I'm still saddened -- as an American and a human -- to see us removing ourselves from so much research and exploration.

A few points/questions, if anyone could comment.

1) I wonder how much this will really save us in the long run. I mean, to start these kinds of programs back up again in the future seems like it will require a pretty massive capital reinvestment. Or has this just been the long-term goal of the space program and now it is simply in a planned lull until other breakthroughs are first accomplished?

2) I, obviously, don't know a lot about NASA's progress in reaching Mars and beyond -- but they always at least seemed to be moving in the right direction. If you were to ask me who is on the right track (in general): DHS, SEC, the Pentagon (with it's decades of funding fighter jets that will never come to fruition), whoever was supposed to be monitoring this Deepwater Horizon business, or NASA, I would tell you NASA, without a doubt. Cutting NASA now seems like the federal equivalent of cutting firefighters and police officers before local governments will touch their pet social programs.

3) What does this show children about the importance of learning math and science (haven't we supposed to have been working on this for a few decades now)? Billion dollar bailouts to smooth talkers on Wall Street with political connections. Millionaire athletes/musicians/performers (and, no, I am not one to argue with what these people make). Cutting of NASA -- NASA! The face of science, technological advancement, and discovery to America's youth. We will gladly back off the spending for science and knowledge (as well as the American pride we all have in our history of space exploration) but we will never touch the defense budget.

Business is business but how much more short sighted are our politicians going to get?

Welcome to Obama's America.

It's libtards that have made this possible -- George Bush sought to put humans on Mars, while Obama does NOTHING.

Times like this make me wonder if progressive Conservatism will save our planet.

I deny trolls to respond. My decision is final. Good night.

I wonder if any of the shuttles will end up on government auction like the old diesel submarines do from time to time. I know I'd place a bid.

/once hugged a solid rocket booster at NASA Michoud.

Blaxabbath: how much more short sighted are our politicians going to get?

election years are far too close together.

And politicians should not be allowed to have them further apart.

Sudo_Make_Me_A_Sandwich:

THE PRIVATE SECTOR GOVERNMENT IS NOT THE ANSWER TO EVERY FARKING PROBLEM.

FTFY

PrYgMMa: once hugged a solid rocket booster

// once stroked a gemini lander at Dulles
/ thats some good stroking

cyclebiff: Welcome to Obama's America.

It's libtards that have made this possible -- George Bush sought to put humans on Mars, while Obama does NOTHING.

Times like this make me wonder if progressive Conservatism will save our planet.

I deny trolls to respond. My decision is final. Good night.

The government sucks at fighting wars too. Privatize the Military^TM

Thank you.

If the alternative is a system of rail-launched airbreathing scramjets, staged with an efficient rockets and topped off with VASIMR, solar sails, electrodynamic tethers and the like, I'm more than ready for the shuttle to be gone. When the Air Force pulled out after Challenger, the whole program should have been scrapped.

cyclebiff: It's libtards that have made this possible

Your and idiot.

When you realize we spend almost as much every year on potato chips as we do on NASA, you begin to get a sense of our priorities.

I know the shuttle is a flying brick, but the day of the last launch I will literally shed a few tears...I grew up watching them and continue to do so today. I will miss that flying heap...

rdyb: an efficient rockets
aw, Fark

NASA-The Sky's The Limit!

I guess China wins the race to Alpha Centauri unless we nuke their capital

Blaxabbath: As sure as I am that many of those positions were a result of bureaucratic bloat, I'm still saddened -- as an American and a human -- to see us removing ourselves from so much research and exploration.

A few points/questions, if anyone could comment.

1) I wonder how much this will really save us in the long run. I mean, to start these kinds of programs back up again in the future seems like it will require a pretty massive capital reinvestment. Or has this just been the long-term goal of the space program and now it is simply in a planned lull until other breakthroughs are first accomplished?

2) I, obviously, don't know a lot about NASA's progress in reaching Mars and beyond -- but they always at least seemed to be moving in the right direction. If you were to ask me who is on the right track (in general): DHS, SEC, the Pentagon (with it's decades of funding fighter jets that will never come to fruition), whoever was supposed to be monitoring this Deepwater Horizon business, or NASA, I would tell you NASA, without a doubt. Cutting NASA now seems like the federal equivalent of cutting firefighters and police officers before local governments will touch their pet social programs.

3) What does this show children about the importance of learning math and science (haven't we supposed to have been working on this for a few decades now)? Billion dollar bailouts to smooth talkers on Wall Street with political connections. Millionaire athletes/musicians/performers (and, no, I am not one to argue with what these people make). Cutting of NASA -- NASA! The face of science, technological advancement, and discovery to America's youth. We will gladly back off the spending for science and knowledge (as well as the American pride we all have in our history of space exploration) but we will never touch the defense budget.

Business is business but how much more short sighted are our politicians going to get?

A long time ago Spinoza noted that if people are not free to do science, the liberty of the nation falls apart.

This is pretty much what the right-wing has tried to ensure in America. Science has become unbelievably politicized (global warming, stem-cell research, evolution ...), and science education so undervalued.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia is consumed with the question of the starting quarterback, and the rest of America with celebrity judges.

Panem et circensis.

Too drunk to conclude

Don't worry as soon as we figure out nuclear fusion with helium 3 we will be going to the the moon in droves.

GleeUnit: I have a good buddy who works as a composites engineer at SpaceX. Trust me, there is no shortage of private sector interest in space exploration.


Cool story, bro.

davidphogan: cyclebiff: It's libtards that have made this possible

Your and idiot.

You know who's in the White House when this program ends and lays people off?
That's right.
Coincidence?

Obama wants the shuttles turned into mosques.

EL_FABREZ: bulldg4life: FuturePastNow: We'll never have a manned space program again.

With the free market, the private sector will pick up the slack.

Why haven't they done anything big yet? There's been plenty of time. Was it because big NASA was hogging all the airspace?

It is entirely possible NASA was crowding out enough talent out of the private sector to hamper private development. The pool of people who are both talented and interested in the field isn't infinite.

It is quite possible that many of the people who are laid off by NASA will find jobs with the private space sector now.

The government isn't an answer to all problems.

Oh, please. Spare me the melodrama.

While it's unfortunate that a bunch of people will lose their jobs, I hardly think NASA employees will have a hard time finding work.

As for "what this means for America", well, it means we'll stop throwing money into a pointless endeavor. Unless we're terraforming Mars or setting up a Dyson Sphere on the moon, there's no reason why we should be noodling around in space while there are major problems yet to be solved here on Earth.

The space shuttle was an ancient piece of technology from the 1970s, and it's about time we killed that program. Oh, sure, the space race gave us a lot of technological advances in the 1960s and 1970s, but what has space exploration done for us lately? What amazing help for humankind has come from examining rocks on a barren world we can't even reach with a manned expedition?

I know the space program has its fans, and I know some of you all sat in front of the TV as kids and watched shuttle launches and rocketships propelling men to the moon, and it caused a lot of you to dream of being an astronaut, but honestly, what the hell good is an astronaut in the grand scheme of things today? Really. Name something that astronauts do for our people these days, aside from building good will in the ISS. They're not advancing science much anymore. They're not discovering much of anything useful. They're not inspiring patriotism versus the evil Red menace. Mostly, NASA has figured out that space is huge, cold, mostly empty, and impossible to travel comfortably for our species, and that this isn't going to change any time soon.

The space race was never about science or discovery; It was about one-upping the Soviets, which it turns out, could probably have been done with a VW van and a giant slingshot.

So while I feel momentarily sad for the people who are losing what is most certainly a cool job where they get paid way too much to do almost nothing of value to humankind, I think shutting down the shuttle missions was the right thing to do.

Let's take another shot at space once we can actually handle it, have the right equipment for real interplanetary missions, and have something to gain besides "understanding". It might also be nice if we took care of things like providing health care and ending poverty before shooting privileged people into space to collect rocks and run niche experiments in a weightless environment.

You want to explore something? Explore the oceans. We barely know what's down there. We should probably know 100% of our own planet before setting sights on another one.

And in case you think my opinion is too harsh, that's fine. It's still closing down. It's over, and that means that in some way, I'm right and you're out of luck. Your dreams of sipping tang and flying to Mars are over for the time being. Deal with it.

jonnnney: Don't worry as soon as we figure out nuclear fusion with helium 3 we will be going to the the moon in droves.

You mean as soon as the Chinese figure that out.

cyclebiff: Welcome to Obama's America.

It's libtards that have made this possible -- George Bush sought to put humans on Mars, while Obama does NOTHING.

Times like this make me wonder if progressive Conservatism will save our planet.

I deny trolls to respond. My decision is final. Good night.

And good riddance.

Gyrfalcon: Well, the Teahadists should be happy.

This is going to cut government spending by a fair amount. And also reduce the overall size of a very large government agency.

High fives all around!

Meh...

I'm not what they would call a hard core conservative, but despite my belief that government should be kept at an absolute minimum wherever possible, it should be given enough to flourish in areas where private investment and industry don't work.

There are not enough immediate benefits in space exploration to justify the massive startup costs, but nevertheless it is an important task to undertake for the purposes which were mentioned upthread (satellite technology, propulsion, etc.) Plus, the jobs it supplies aren't token positions given to a bunch of morons unable to compete in the private sector, these are farking rocket scientists and astronauts we're talking about here. They deserve their salaries.

The original goal of the shuttles was basically weekly affordable trips. That goal was missed by a country mile. They are basically white elephants. However we should have had replacements 10 or 15 years ago.

China has a lot more cash to do it, but they have already wiped out one city with an errant rocket.

cyclebiff: Welcome to Obama's America.

It's libtards that have made this possible -- George Bush sought to put humans on Mars, while Obama does NOTHING.

What's the point to going to Mars. What do you intend we do once we get there?

We can't breathe there. We can't mine the planet as travel back and forth takes too long to be worth the minerals. We can't set up shop there because it's a hostile environment. There's really nothing on Mars worth sticking around for, and the cost of setting up a base on Mars is ridiculously oppressive.

Honestly: WHAT THE HELL IS THE POINT OF GOING TO MARS!?!?

Is it just for bragging rights! Is it to satisfy your need for the world to seem more "futuristic"? What do you hope to gain from a manned mission to Mars?

Space is empty, and vast, and because of the frailties of our species will will never be able to reach another planet capable of supporting our kind of life. Reality isn't like Star Trek or Star Wars. We're not going to be setting up a galactic empire. If we make it to Mars, we'll look around, say, "Yep, it's an inhospitable shiathole, just like we thought!" and we'll head back to Earth to study rocks for another 30 years.

There's nothing on Mars.

ZeroCorpse: Oh, please. Spare me the melodrama.

While it's unfortunate that a bunch of people will lose their jobs, I hardly think NASA employees will have a hard time finding work.

As for "what this means for America", well, it means we'll stop throwing money into a pointless endeavor. Unless we're terraforming Mars or setting up a Dyson Sphere on the moon, there's no reason why we should be noodling around in space while there are major problems yet to be solved here on Earth.

The space shuttle was an ancient piece of technology from the 1970s, and it's about time we killed that program. Oh, sure, the space race gave us a lot of technological advances in the 1960s and 1970s, but what has space exploration done for us lately? What amazing help for humankind has come from examining rocks on a barren world we can't even reach with a manned expedition?

I know the space program has its fans, and I know some of you all sat in front of the TV as kids and watched shuttle launches and rocketships propelling men to the moon, and it caused a lot of you to dream of being an astronaut, but honestly, what the hell good is an astronaut in the grand scheme of things today? Really. Name something that astronauts do for our people these days, aside from building good will in the ISS. They're not advancing science much anymore. They're not discovering much of anything useful. They're not inspiring patriotism versus the evil Red menace. Mostly, NASA has figured out that space is huge, cold, mostly empty, and impossible to travel comfortably for our species, and that this isn't going to change any time soon.

The space race was never about science or discovery; It was about one-upping the Soviets, which it turns out, could probably have been done with a VW van and a giant slingshot.

So while I feel momentarily sad for the people who are losing what is most certainly a cool job where they get paid way too much to do almost nothing of value to humankind, I think shutting down the shuttle missions was the right thing to do.

Let's take another shot at space once we can actually handle it, have the right equipment for real interplanetary missions, and have something to gain besides "understanding". It might also be nice if we took care of things like providing health care and ending poverty before shooting privileged people into space to collect rocks and run niche experiments in a weightless environment.

You want to explore something? Explore the oceans. We barely know what's down there. We should probably know 100% of our own planet before setting sights on another one.

And in case you think my opinion is too harsh, that's fine. It's still closing down. It's over, and that means that in some way, I'm right and you're out of luck. Your dreams of sipping tang and flying to Mars are over for the time being. Deal with it.

If i could give you a standing ovation for reading my mind I would.