[FPSPACE] No money to put astronauts back on Moon by 2020; Moonnot a realistic goal--Augustine Panel

[Jens Kieffer-Olsen]

-----Original Message-----
From: David Portree [mailto:dsfportree at hotmail.com] 
Sent: Sunday, August 16, 2009 2:08 AM

> I don't think that asteroids - detection and deflection - offer
> a challenge substantial enough to support our space program at
> anything like its present level. In any case, our program
> shouldn't be dominated by any one goal. What space has to offer
> is diverse, so our program needs to be diverse. Of course, we
> can't do everything there is to do. 

 [snip]
 
 Asteroid deflection would constitute a very substantial challenge,
 if Apophis - or a similar-sized mate - were detected to be on track
 to collide with Earth this century.

 Fortunately that scenario is very unlikely, and therefore it would
 be madness to spend money on asteroid deflection any time soon.

 Asteroid detection costs peanuts in comparison, and makes extremely
 good sense to anyone who cares for the well-being of individual humans
 as well as for humanity as a whole. Once a small asteroid is detected
 and the impact area identified, ships can be notified and evacuation
 planned.  

 So yes, I agree with you that space programs should be diverse. For
 one thing ISS offers a platform for experiments related to manned
 space travel. Odd that NASA seems heading for a situation where they
 need the Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy to make the small hop up
 there! 

--
Jens Kieffer-Olsen
Slagelse, Denmark