[FPSPACE] Augustine Panel Latest -

[John]

Note also that the article is apparently based on a preliminary report  
from a subcommittee, not a final concensus of the whole commission.

We have seen some evidence of less-than-perfect coordination between  
subcommittees so far, so be careful in overinterpreting this or any  
such account just yet.

Don't mourn or celebrate yet. Let the commission finish first.

John Charles
Houston, Texas

Sent from my iPhone

On Jul 31, 2009, at 10:04, David Portree <dsfportree at hotmail.com> wrote:

> 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
>
> Windows Live™ SkyDrive™: Store, access, and share your photos.  
> See how.
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