[FPSPACE] Future course of US spaceflight

[David Portree]

To me it's a no-brainer. To ensure the long-term health of our space program, you'd want to do things that are relevant to the most US citizens possible, to build on your successes, and to build toward the future, in that order. 

 

So, what's relevant? Not a lunar outpost.

 

I'd make this the (admittedly startrekian) NASA mission statement:

 

"To seek life in space and to protect life on Earth." 

 

Easily stated, admits a lot of projects, and appeals to a lot of thinking people (and maybe some non-thinkers, too).

 

Three NASA mission focii: wide-ranging robotic missions including space observatories, Earth studies from a space perspective, and space station missions aimed at biomedical studies and experience building. If we build a decent CEV, we can use it for occasional "glamour" missions like observatory servicing. 

 

Bear in mind that we're competing with much that's far more significant to the US citizenry than space. The recession, job losses, the demise of the US auto industry, health care, American Idol. Space funding is not an entitlement. 


David S. F. Portree

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




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