"The story of lunar exploration started with one man - a man with a dream."
"One of these days, Alice. Bang. Zoom. Straight to the moon."
"Wow! I never realized the first astronauts were so fat."
"That's not an astronaut, it's a TV comedian! And he was just using space travel as a metaphor for beating his wife."

Bad Astronomer? Disagreeing with a Republican? Nothing new here.

Also, you gotta like a science article that links to thinkprogress.com for evidence. Might as well have linked to the Onion.

Oh wow, thanks Discover for pointing out the blindingly obvious: that Newt Base Alpha is a hideous, dumb pipe dream. What's next? A shocking expose that reveals Newt to be an unelectable piece of excrement?

Frank N Stein: Bad Astronomer? Disagreeing with a Republican? Nothing new here.

Also, you gotta like a science article that links to thinkprogress.com for evidence. Might as well have linked to the Onion.

Oh, and before you all get bent out of shape: BA's politics are pretty clear, as he discusses and gives his opinion many times in the blog. He has a pretty clear liberal slant (which is fine BTW). However, considering that he's a scientist, it's amazing that he is upfront and strong about his political views. It's amazing because he's just setting himself up for a confirmation bias, something that he should clearly know about.
I think that this clouds his mind when he tries to combine politics and science.

I think Gingrich may have inadvertently given away the .01%er's escape plans in the event of natural catastrophe or plebeian uprising.

*snert*

Oh come on you guys. At least Newt is thinking outside the box on this one. Maybe we should elect him.

/derp

I'm an idea man Chuck, I get ideas, sometimes I get so many ideas that I can't even fight them off! Edible paper! Hauling Supreme Court justices in front of Congress to explain themselves! Mix the mayonnaise in the can, WITH the tunafish? Or... hold it! Chuck! I got it! Take LIVE tuna fish, and FEED 'em mayonnaise! Oh this is great! What about poor children? Instead of janitors, we could just give the little tykes some mops and toilet brushes and they could clean up after themselves! Oh, this is big!

Note to self: Call SEIU

Well duh.

Frank N Stein: Frank N Stein: Bad Astronomer? Disagreeing with a Republican? Nothing new here.

Also, you gotta like a science article that links to thinkprogress.com for evidence. Might as well have linked to the Onion.

Oh, and before you all get bent out of shape: BA's politics are pretty clear, as he discusses and gives his opinion many times in the blog. He has a pretty clear liberal slant (which is fine BTW). However, considering that he's a scientist, it's amazing that he is upfront and strong about his political views. It's amazing because he's just setting himself up for a confirmation bias, something that he should clearly know about.
I think that this clouds his mind when he tries to combine politics and science.

Do you disagree with any of BA's points, or is this a standard "attack the messenger" deflection?

I think the problem is that, when offered a moonbase, pundits start exclaiming how its being done the wrong way.

I wouldn't fear the nationalism that gets the space programs checks signed. Apollo was all aggression, gratuitously grandiose vision, a display of power and America first hu-rah that came closer to the spirit of Star Trek than the following shuttle and ISS years ever managed. It evolved our capabilities while breaking down international barriers and it was exploring new territory at breakneck speeds.

You could have it again for less than the price of a stealth fighter program.
...or you can never have it, if you keep looking every gift horse in the mouth.

The better approach would have been to take the Gingrich plan seriously and then look at the other candidates, as well as the incumbent, and ask "What will you do to top that?"

it really is amazing how afraid you libs are of him. is it his charisma or his ideas that scare you so much? Or both?

Soup4Bonnie: I'm an idea man Chuck, I get ideas, sometimes I get so many ideas that I can't even fight them off! Edible paper! Hauling Supreme Court justices in front of Congress to explain themselves! Mix the mayonnaise in the can, WITH the tunafish? Or... hold it! Chuck! I got it! Take LIVE tuna fish, and FEED 'em mayonnaise! Oh this is great! What about poor children? Instead of janitors, we could just give the little tykes some mops and toilet brushes and they could clean up after themselves! Oh, this is big!

Note to self: Call SEIU

Micheal Keaton would be proud.

way south: You could have it again for less than the price of a stealth fighter program.

That's the problem - half the price of a stealth fighter is a trillion dollars.

I guess Newt is in favor of more government spending this week.

America can, should, must, and will blow up the moon.

jackthezomber: it really is amazing how afraid you libs are of him. is it his charisma or his ideas that scare you so much? Or both?

Snicker

way south: I think the problem is that, when offered a moonbase, pundits start exclaiming how its being done the wrong way.

I wouldn't fear the nationalism that gets the space programs checks signed. Apollo was all aggression, gratuitously grandiose vision, a display of power and America first hu-rah that came closer to the spirit of Star Trek than the following shuttle and ISS years ever managed. It evolved our capabilities while breaking down international barriers and it was exploring new territory at breakneck speeds.

You could have it again for less than the price of a stealth fighter program.
...or you can never have it, if you keep looking every gift horse in the mouth.

The better approach would have been to take the Gingrich plan seriously and then look at the other candidates, as well as the incumbent, and ask "What will you do to top that?"

You can't complain on one side that there is too much government spending during hard times on one side of your mouth then complain that we need a grand vision to make a moon base in our lifetime.

A bullet train across the US is more of a moon shot today than an actual Moon Shot 2: Electric Boogaloo would be.

Impasse: America can, should, must, and will blow up the moon.

[m1.mattters.com image 480x360]

WE'RE EARTHLINGS, LET'S BLOW UP EARTH THINGS!

All2morrowsparTs: You can't complain on one side that there is too much government spending during hard times on one side of your mouth then complain that we need a grand vision to make a moon base in our lifetime.

Well Gingrich did say in the debates yesterday that you set priorities and goals. You can increase funding in a couple of places while reducing spending overall. Or is this a challenge by the left that if you increase NASAs budget you have to increase the budget for the study of blowfly mating rituals by the same %?

There is nothing too technologically advanced about building a lunar base. Funding would just have to be tripled (at least) to cover the upkeep of a base. Then add another $100 billion to set it up. Honestly it's not that much compared with the 'Stimulus' that was passed for all of the awesome infrastructure improvements I see popping up everywhere around me. Oh, wait that didn't do jack shiat, it was just spent on propped up union pensions.

Any other science NASA wants to retain would have to be also added to that triple increase.

All2morrowsparTs: A bullet train across the US is more of a moon shot today than an actual Moon Shot 2: Electric Boogaloo would be.

As Tea Party Governors Walker and Scott would quickly inform you, a bullet train requires maintenance and that costs money, whereas a moon base would be maintained by a private interest that would face competition and therefore lower costs and save Medicare.

STFU Phil. The only reason we can't build a base on the moon is NASA's budget. You aren't pro-moon colonization, your're anti-human space travel, period. You cheered Constellation's demise because you said it's too expensive.

I don't see you pointing out to the ten people that read your awful blog that we spend many multiples of the amount needed for a moon base on elective wars.

The fact that astronomers like you deride every idea related to a government space program might explain exactly why the U.S. was more advanced in this area in the 1970's than it is today.

1. Cut funding for NASA over a period of many years.
2. Complain that NASA isn't doing anything cool anymore.
3. MOON BASE

Nocebo: [images2.fanpop.com image 300x225]

WE'RE WHALERS ON THE MOON
WE CARRY A HARPOON
BUT THERE AINT NO WHALES
SO WE TELL TALL TALES AND SING OUR WHALIN' TUNE

As long as Gingrich keeps chumming the water with himself, I will continue to post this:

Frank N Stein: Oh, and before you all get bent out of shape: BA's politics are pretty clear, as he discusses and gives his opinion many times in the blog. He has a pretty clear liberal slant (which is fine BTW). However, considering that he's a scientist, it's amazing that he is upfront and strong about his political views. It's amazing because he's just setting himself up for a confirmation bias, something that he should clearly know about.
I think that this clouds his mind when he tries to combine politics and science.

Maybe he doesn't find politics or science as mysterious as you do.

While a inhabited moon base sounds cool I have yet to hear of any economic, scientific, or military purpose that couldn't be done much cheaper with robots.

The Bad Astronomer: Frank N Stein:
Oh, and before you all get bent out of shape: BA's politics are pretty clear, as he discusses and gives his opinion many times in the blog. He has a pretty clear liberal slant (which is fine BTW). However, considering that he's a scientist, it's amazing that he is upfront and strong about his political views. It's amazing because he's just setting himself up for a confirmation bias, something that he should clearly know about.
I think that this clouds his mind when he tries to combine politics and science.

Setting myself up and allowing it to happen are two very different things, however. If you have evidence of it actually happening, OK, but until then I'll accept your comment as advice, not results.

Which they're really suppose to be (in my own, abrasive way)

Other than that, I really do enjoy your blog (and reference it when I'm debunking the latest "Mars to be bigger than the moon on X date" story some of my friends like to pass along.

All2morrowsparTs: way south: I think the problem is that, when offered a moonbase, pundits start exclaiming how its being done the wrong way.

I wouldn't fear the nationalism that gets the space programs checks signed. Apollo was all aggression, gratuitously grandiose vision, a display of power and America first hu-rah that came closer to the spirit of Star Trek than the following shuttle and ISS years ever managed. It evolved our capabilities while breaking down international barriers and it was exploring new territory at breakneck speeds.

You could have it again for less than the price of a stealth fighter program.
...or you can never have it, if you keep looking every gift horse in the mouth.

The better approach would have been to take the Gingrich plan seriously and then look at the other candidates, as well as the incumbent, and ask "What will you do to top that?"

You can't complain on one side that there is too much government spending during hard times on one side of your mouth then complain that we need a grand vision to make a moon base in our lifetime.

A bullet train across the US is more of a moon shot today than an actual Moon Shot 2: Electric Boogaloo would be.

Bullet trains aren't the stuff of legend that you will tell your grand kids about. They don't spur the same level of innovation and are never going to return money on the kind of investment that's required to make them happen. They don't expand the nations territory.
Our infrastructure also wasn't developed with mass train transit in mind. You'd get more out of automating cars and switching to a hydrogen or electric power system.

At any rate, the Gingrich plan is a combination of government program and offering prizes to spur development. A push and pull style of development that will at least match our competitors goals while keeping private space development moving.

It's not a perfect plan, but it is a plan.
That it came from a lead candidate means you could use his ideas to spur other offerings... Which is the more important thing here.

If not a moon base, what are they offering?
Let's get their ideas on record and see if they even believe in planning for the future.

/saying "FARK space, let's build a cho-choo!" is probably not what the public wants to hear.

way south: It's not a perfect plan, but it is a plan.

No. It's an idea. I guarantee that if someone actually bothered to challenge Newt on the idea that he wouldn't be able to articulate how it should go down except in the vaguest of terms. These are, not coincidentally, the only terms upon which it makes the slightest bit of sense.

Seriously: a race to the moon for cash and prizes so we can "beat China" and build a moon base? That's not a plan, it's a delusion.

Eddie Adams from Torrance: All2morrowsparTs: You can't complain on one side that there is too much government spending during hard times on one side of your mouth then complain that we need a grand vision to make a moon base in our lifetime.

A Moon Base will pay for itself.

We'll be greeted as liberators.

We'll get Visa and Mastercard to run the whole thing and use school children as labor for the project when they aren't busy in Moon School.

way south: At any rate, the Gingrich plan is a combination of government program and offering prizes to spur development. A push and pull style of development that will at least match our competitors goals while keeping private space development moving.

The author addresses that in the link he provided in the article.

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/2012/01/27/the-newt-onian-mech a nics-of-building-a-permanent-moon-base/

Of course, the elephant in the room for this mega-X Prize is where would that money come from, specifically? What part of NASA would get eviscerated to free up a couple of gigabucks? Either NASA takes on the Moon mission internally and has to sacrifice other projects to do it, or you gut NASA to get the money for the private sector to do it. Either way NASA gets crippled.

Well, I'm sure Newt will fire all the rocket scientists who tell him his plan is nuts and get some good god fearing republican rocket scientists to accomplish his goals.

Frank N Stein: The Bad Astronomer: Frank N Stein:
Oh, and before you all get bent out of shape: BA's politics are pretty clear, as he discusses and gives his opinion many times in the blog. He has a pretty clear liberal slant (which is fine BTW). However, considering that he's a scientist, it's amazing that he is upfront and strong about his political views. It's amazing because he's just setting himself up for a confirmation bias, something that he should clearly know about.
I think that this clouds his mind when he tries to combine politics and science.

Setting myself up and allowing it to happen are two very different things, however. If you have evidence of it actually happening, OK, but until then I'll accept your comment as advice, not results.

Which they're really suppose to be (in my own, abrasive way)

Other than that, I really do enjoy your blog (and reference it when I'm debunking the latest "Mars to be bigger than the moon on X date" story some of my friends like to pass along.

Wait, wait. Are you telling me that The Bad Astronomer is the Bad Astronomer?

*checks profile*

That's, like...amazing, dude.

I'm not voting for any candidate that promises anything less than a Death Star. I kind of imagine it unfolding thusly...

"Faux News has just learned from sources inside NASA that it has confirmed the presence of intelligent life in space. We turn now to our Faux News Extraterrestrial Analyst."

"They say they are intelligent, but if they are intelligent, couldn't they also be 'intellectuals'? ... and couldn't that also mean they could be COMMUNISTS?!?!

What has Obama done to keep us safe from this imminent alien communist menace in the three minutes since the discovery was announced? NOTHING! I hear he's planning a speech. Mr. President, We don't NEED another speech... we need a weapon capable of destroying whole planets.

Where is the leadership on this critical issue to national security? Only Newt Gingrich has had the foresight to prepare for this inevitable struggle.

All we need now is eleventy trillion dollars, and our analysts say it can be entirely funded by an across the board tax cut.

Reagan had Star Wars, and only Newt can bring us a fully operational Freedom Star.

We'll be right back with this breaking news after our shocking Faux News Exclusive, "Ten more things you didn't know you should be afraid of."

All2morrowsparTs: jackthezomber: it really is amazing how afraid you libs are of him. is it his charisma or his ideas that scare you so much? Or both?

Snicker

His ideas. Next question, please.

Mugato: Newt supporters...really? Seriously, really?

AH-HOO-HOO-HEE-HEE



I'MO F*CK DA MOON

Soup4Bonnie: I'm an idea man Chuck, I get ideas, sometimes I get so many ideas that I can't even fight them off! Edible paper! Hauling Supreme Court justices in front of Congress to explain themselves! Mix the mayonnaise in the can, WITH the tunafish? Or... hold it! Chuck! I got it! Take LIVE tuna fish, and FEED 'em mayonnaise! Oh this is great! What about poor children? Instead of janitors, we could just give the little tykes some mops and toilet brushes and they could clean up after themselves! Oh, this is big!

Note to self: Call SEIU

This is Chuck to remind Soup4Bonnie to shut...up.

/A top 10 comedy, on this there can be no debate.

jackthezomber: it really is amazing how afraid you libs are of him. is it his charisma or his ideas that scare you so much? Or both?

Yes, we fear him. He makes us cry. Please, please, do not nominate him. Do anything but that. Please don't have Newt run against Obama. That will turn us into a sodden, sobbing mass. Please don't put Newt up against Obama!

moanerific: . Honestly it's not that much compared with the 'Stimulus' that was passed for all of the awesome infrastructure improvements I see popping up everywhere around me. Oh, wait that didn't do jack shiat, it was just spent on propped up union pensions.

In my town, it was spent on non-union contractors to rebuild all the collapsing downtown area.

It spruced the place up really nice-like. The brand new library helps out a lot, too.

Impasse: America can, should, must, and will blow up the moon.

[m1.mattters.com image 480x360]

ABIAN MASS-TIME EQUIVALENCE FORMULA m = Mo(1-exp(T/(kT-Mo))) Abian units.
ALTER EARTH'S ORBIT AND TILT - STOP GLOBAL DISASTERS AND EPIDEMICS.
ALTER THE SOLAR SYSTEM. REORBIT VENUS INTO A NEAR EARTH-LIKE ORBIT
TO CREATE A BORN AGAIN EARTH (1990)

/he was crazy, but still RIP