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who cares about politcs having NASA putting the american flag on mars and be the first country to ever set foot on another planet would be a major milestone for man and 35 billion is nothing.
It should have happened 20 years ago... And 35 billion is nothing. How much did we spend in Iraq on a war chasing a group of people that weren't there, and WMDs that didn't exist there?
Just at first glance, I don't care for the NASA design. To me, it looks like the public housing in "The Fountainhead" after the politicians and sycophants got after it. Five engines, continuing use of SRBs. Seven distinct components to fail, not including tank and guidance. I also don't understand the reporting that says the thing will use the space shuttle engines, which are more powerful than the Saturn 5 engines. That doesn't pass my fact check. We HAD a heavy lift vehicle in the Saturn 5. Other than retooling to make more, there is little chance for contractors to pad the books. The wheel is old technology as well. It is reliable, it works, and we know HOW it works.
who cares about politcs having NASA putting the american flag on mars and be the first country to ever set foot on another planet would be a major milestone for man and 35 billion is nothing.
I think finding life on Mars would be a much more important acheivement than having a flag waving contest. Why post a flag there at all? If "we come in peace for all mankind", why bring politics into it?
If Elon Musk gets there before NASA does, what flag do you think he will post?
I think finding life on Mars would be a much more important acheivement than having a flag waving contest. Why post a flag there at all? If "we come in peace for all mankind", why bring politics into it?
If Elon Musk gets there before NASA does, what flag do you think he will post?
If he values his American citizenship? I think I know...
If he values his American citizenship? I think I know...
My point is that if we do these things "for all Mankind" it just doesn't seem appropriate to raise nationalism in that manner. When you consider that it is highly unlikely that the United States will get there without co-operation amongsts all its space partners, raising an American flag on Mars just doesn't seem to be likely to happen.
The bigger worry with the Space Launch System (SLS) is specific to the rocket itself. The SLS was born not on the drafting tables of NASA engineers but in the halls of Congress.
Quote:
The lawmakers even dictated performance metrics for the rocket—an initial launch capacity of 70 to 100 tons, expandable to at least 130 tons—lest NASA should design a rocket to meet its own objectives. Congress also dictated that wherever possible the SLS should include technology from the space shuttle, whose own design comes from the 1970s, and from Constellation.
I hope the Senate Launch System fails. Its like making a boat to drive on a highway.
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