[FPSPACE] Augustine Panel Latest -

[David Portree]

Mark:

 

I'm distressed, assuming that this account of the Augustine process is accurate. Humans to asteroids/Mars moons is neither easy nor cheap. It won't be cheaper than humans on the moon. Furthermore, neither asteroids nor Mars moons actually needs humans. Asteroids and asteroidal satellites are cool exploration destinations precisely because they can be explored cheaply using robots, yet are diverse enough to keep us busy for a while. And, if we want we can invoke the "fear factor," try to convince everyone that we have to explore asteroids right now or one will come and get us. That's intellectually dishonest, but when has that ever mattered in the formulation of space policy?

 

We need to get past this notion that ISS is a bad thing. ISS is needed if we're to launch humans to faraway places. We've got a stunning amount of groundwork to do. We've hardly used it properly so far. It's been an exercise in assembling large structures in the most challenging, costly, stupid way possible, and it's doubtful that we'll ever do it the same way again, but now that we have it, let's make it work for us. The alternative is more decades in LEO.


Of course, the happy thing here is that the NYT's space coverage generally gets it wrong. I'm an NYT fan, but they have an anti-space agenda and they don't know enough to carry it out well.


David S. F. Portree

dsfportree at hotmail.com
dportree at usgs.gov
 
http://robotexplorers.blogspot.com/
http://beyondapollo.blogspot.com/
 
http://astrogeology.usgs.gov/About/People/DavidPortree/
 



 


Date: Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:37:18 +0200
From: astronautix at gmail.com
To: fpspace at friends-partners.org
Subject: [FPSPACE] Augustine Panel Latest -


Augustine Panel: Budget realism = No Ares 5, no moon/Mars / only deep space human exploration would be of asteroids, Mars moons
 

Note also: plans must match future budgets...
 
Shocking! What a way to run NASA!
 
Also note: ISS sucks oxygen out of all exploration plans:
 
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/31/science/space/31nasa.html

 
-- 
Mark Wade
Encyclopedia Astronautica
http://www.astronautix.com/
astronautix at gmail.com 

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