Damn! That would be incredible. I have been to one shuttle launch years ago and we were miles away. We still felt the earth tremble beneath our feet. It was an incredible experience and I'd love another chance at feeling those emotions again. Gotta run but I will think about this and see it if fits in my schedule for one of these launches. Thanks for the offer!

I too lament not just the present administration's lack of vision regarding space exploration, but decades of neglect after such a promising beginning. George W. Bush, in fact, had it right.

I blogged about this in July of 2008 as Bush's term was winding down (in pre-meltdown days), but my weird blog software (Thingamablog) makes it hard to post a link, and I think it wasn't read much so I hope you don't mind if I repost it here...it may restimulate this discussion into some further fragmentations...

Sunday, July 20, 2008
Why George W. Bush is the Best President Ever
Now that we're in the last six months of the 2nd Bush's presidency, discussions of his presidency have evolved into discussions of his legacy.

In those discussions--whether at work, in social settings, or online--for a couple months now I've been uttering variations of "George W. Bush will go down in history as the worst emperor since Caligula."

It usually gets at least a chuckle. Or, the online version of a chuckle, which is the almost-always exaggerated "LOL".

Yes, it's my cute, twisty, nouveau variation on the now hackneyed "worst president ever" label that we hear bandied about so often. Clever, isn't it, how it combines executive overreaching, incompetence, and self-delusion into a single quippable expression? With faint shadows of the excess and decadence that led to the decline and fall of the Roman Empire?

But recently, by sifting through the events, the causes and effects, the variety of outcomes and stimuli that our leader and his administration have acted on over the past 7.5 years, I have found myself experiencing inklings...feeling little twitches of doubt, gasping at the edge of realizations, teetering at the brink of a complete topsy-turvy....

And I've found myself approaching a singular conclusion. Well, I'm there now.

I was completely wrong.

In fact, George W. Bush is the best president we've ever had in the United States of America.

But the man is so brilliant, so self-effacing, so humble, so unagrandizing that nobody in our time will actually ever know that, far from being the "worst president ever" or the "worst emperor since Caligula," GW is actually saving the planet, saving the United States, saving North America--indeed saving humankind itself from a horrible fate.

How? You ask HOW CAN THIS BE? How can George "Heckuvajob, Brownie!" Bush, how can G.W. "Mission Accomplished!" Bush, how on earth can "Dubya" be so good, so clever, as to LOOK LIKE the worst sort of mixture of cronyism, incompetence, inarticulence... spend-like-a-democrat tax-like-a-Reaganist, walk-and-talk-like Larry the CableGuy (with less humor and less intelligence)...how can he seem like such a clear-cut incompetent, yet be the Best President Ever?

Let's begin the overview by asking a question...

What do the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Katrina fiasco, the financial crises, rising inflation, Enron, and the falling dollar have in common?

Answer: They're tightly linked to energy industries, mostly petroleum and natural gas.

I know, it's no secret that Bush and Cheney, and many of the rest of the cronies, are tied in with oil or energy.

But what I'm saying is that what looks like bungling may actually be intentional. Notice how our country's blood and treasure and anguish in Iraq were supposed to get us some oil in return, to at least partially defray those huge economic costs--but it didn't happen? How we all have less money, or to put it another way, how money in general has less value than it did 8 years ago? How the fall of Enron (an energy trader) resulted in strictures on business that further erode our pocketbooks and discourage new development of traditional energy resources like oil and petroleum? How a couple of hurricanes--and a bungled response--in the refining belt accellerated the major disruption of the oil crisis which has resulted in the cost of crude oil rising from $23 to $140 per barrel during the past 7 years?

People have observed these connections before.

But I've finally figured out why. Why it all fits.

Bush has a double-secret stealth plan, and every different plank of that secret plan was designed, and implemented, throughout important material facets of our society, to increase the cost of energy, especially fossil fuels.

Why does this make Bush the best president in history?

Because he recognizes that humankind will need massive reserves of energy within the next two to three generations, when the earth's population doubles to 14 billion, then doubles again--

We'll need the the gas, the oil--the energy--not for the silly purposes of ferrying those 14-billion people around in big burping steel vehicles, commuting 5 or 10 or 50 miles to work, or to orthodontic visits and soccer games, or more crucial needs such as plowing and cultivating Idaho and Nebraska in their entireties to feed the teeming billions, or to desalinate the oceans to slake their thirsts...

There is an even more dire, more crucial need than that...

The double-secret stealth plan is this:

Drive the price of oil, and energy in general, up, way up, because we're using it all up way too fast, and for frivolity and folly. If gasoline costs $5, $7, $11! a gallon, we're going to find another way to get to work, or change the way we live, and we're going to use a lot less, and leave more energy in the ground.

Yes, I know, I can see you out there nodding your heads, you think I'm going to say "Bush is doing this because he and his friends will reap from this windfall." But remember, I am arguing that he's The Best Ever, not a greedy profiteer.

Only two, maybe three generations from now, there will be a generation that must rise to a momentous challenge. With 15, 18, 20 billion humans on this watery, ever-warming rock, this specific future generation will have to rise, literally, from within the binds of gravity, and select, and terraform, and colonize another world.

If there's no escaping this planet, there's no escaping the stark conclusion that there's no escape, period.

In January 2004, George W. Bush let leak a little glimmer of his double-secret stealth plan when he stated We're goin' to Mars...and beyond. He was ridiculed, accused of fantasizing during times of crisis, pipe-dreaming when we need to focus on the all-too-real problems of our own world. But it was a visionary's vision. As Columbus raised his eyes to the horizon, Bush raised his to the stars.

But how are we going to get there--or even to the moon or Mars--if we've fried up all of Earth's energy reserves solo-commuting to work in Hummers, drag racing those jet-fuel dragsters, Jet-skiing the Choptank inlet, and flying to St. Louis for that 30-minute meeting that would've been a slam-dunk in teleconference mode?

So why, you might say, why didn't he just come out and make changing our whole way of life a central thrust of his presidency? Why the secrecy?

That's the brilliance of the whole thing. It wouldn't have worked.

We didn't elect Al Gore, we elected George W. Bush . We didn't learn our lesson after the oil crises in the mid and late seventies, did we? We didn't want to face the truth eight years ago, and we don't want to start now.

We had to be forced. Taken firmly by the shoulders, and turned to face the music. It had to be a Double-Secret Stealth Energy Plan, and Dubya had to look like a stumbling, mumbling, backwoods yet fortunate-son buffoon, or it never would have worked.
That sacrifice, and the accomplishment (energy demand is reportedly already decreasing) of the objective, is why George W. Bush must, eventually, in some distant time, be recognized as the Bestest President Ever.

Perhaps that generation, that special near-future generation that must engineer an escape, a great migration almost unfathomable in its challenge and scope, will look back, and understand.

****

The financial meltdown, and oil price drops, have unfortunately undone all of GW's visionary reverse psychological strategy. Obviously, he overdid it, dang it! But then, the meltdown's undone a lot of things I guess.

It sounds like Obama hasn’t completely given up on manned space flight:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8623691.stm

etudiant wrote:It sounds like Obama hasn’t completely given up on manned space flight:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8623691.stm

We can hope, but the plan, just announced to use the Orion crew vehicle as an emergency escape vehicle is odd as there already are Russian vehicles which serve that purpose? Additionally, why would it take 15 years to develop heavy lift vehicles. It only took 8 years to get to the moon from scratch?

Time will tell, but social, and economic conditions, and public apathy led to the premature demise of the Apollo program? It is hard to believe that, given our current economy, and lack of a clear mission, their will be any near term focus on human space travel.

I wonder if the loss of manned space flight would be so bad. Both the costs, and the risks, of sending people into space are enormous. And many of the functions that astronauts can perform are increasingly being taken over by robotics. Reducing costs means, in theory anyway, more resources for other missions. I suppose there is more prestige in manned missions, but I think that automated flights have done an impressive amount of science.

This is similar to the situation in aviation. In some situations computers or ground controllers do a better job than onboard pilots. Apparently the US Air Force is now training more remote control pilots for unmanned drones than it is conventional ones. Commercial airliners today are automated extensively, to the point where onboard computers can override pilot decisions in some circumstances. William Langewiesche wrote about this in his book Fly By Wire:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss? ... ly+by+wire

Minor thread drift again, but thanks for mentioning William Langewiesche. I read the name and thought where have I seen that. The Atlantic. He wrote the excellent series of articles on the 9-11 clean up in NYC that became the book "American Ground".

I remember reading years ago that pilots of the F-18 (I believe) were disgruntled with the fly by wire system on the aircraft. All the flight controls (stick, rudder, throttle, flaps) were inputs to the onboard flight computer. They were not connected to the actual control surfaces. What I recall was that the computer would not permit actions that violated engineering limits of the airframe. That sounds nice until you are in a bad situation in air combat and the computer decides that the integrity of the airframe is worth more than your life. Well there is always the ejection seat.

I suffer the same worries in my car. Throttle by wire, VSA can apply brakes to any wheel, anti-lock brakes, brake assist, transmission selector really only a computer input. More and more we are driving a computer...that drives the car. But I don't have an ejection seat. I haven't particularly followed the Toyota ordeal, but was told by a friend that there was a suspicion that the problem was related to all of these various automated systems.

etudiant wrote:I wonder if the loss of manned space flight would be so bad. Both the costs, and the risks, of sending people into space are enormous. And many of the functions that astronauts can perform are increasingly being taken over by robotics. Reducing costs means, in theory anyway, more resources for other missions. I suppose there is more prestige in manned missions, but I think that automated flights have done an impressive amount of science.

This is similar to the situation in aviation. In some situations computers or ground controllers do a better job than onboard pilots. Apparently the US Air Force is now training more remote control pilots for unmanned drones than it is conventional ones. Commercial airliners today are automated extensively, to the point where onboard computers can override pilot decisions in some circumstances. William Langewiesche wrote about this in his book Fly By Wire:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss? ... ly+by+wire

Need to differentiate between deep space exploration and near earth exploitation. No arguement that deep space is the place for unmanned exploration but near earth orbit, especially a permanent orbiting Space Station is something that could really benefit the earth in numerous ways.

The following appeared in the comments section of the Florida Today Newspaper. Neither were written by me

Obama’s April 15th Speech at Kennedy Space Center
2 Comments | Posted by Rocketman in Space

Credit: Florida Today

"I watched with great interest Obama’s speech at Kennedy Space Center and had to take a few days to think about how I would reply to it.

I think the first thing that needs to be covered is the ending of the Shuttle Program. I have found, that when I discuss Obama’s new space policy on different forums, such as NASAWatch.com, the first thing thrown up is that Obama did not decide to end the Shuttle Program. That is correct. President George Bush made that decision over 6 years ago.

"The employees and contractors at all of the NASA centers have had 6 years to prepare for the ending of the Shuttle Program. Many of my former co-workers have done what I’ve done by pursuing a higher education, improving their resumes, saving money for lean times, and improving their work skills in order to be more marketable and possibly be hired into the Constellation program. Many of my classmates I went to school with while pursuing my Masters degree were fellow workers. We knew and accepted that the Shuttle Program would end in September of 2010.

"Criticizing Obama’s new policy for NASA and our country is not about the Shuttle Program, but about our nation’s Human Space Flight Program overall. Constellation was to be the successor. A program that would have taken us beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO), back to the Moon to learn to live on another world and develop new technologies, while providing our nation with a new ship that was designed to transport our astronauts for the next 30-40 years. Now, for the second time in our nation’s history, we are throwing away the Moon and for the first time in 50 years we are throwing away our Human Space Flight Program and our leadership in space exploration and technology.

"Obama started out his day visiting the KSC area by avoiding the workers. Though NASA and United Space Alliance had sent down word that no personal opinions of the employees would be allowed (also no twitter, Facebook, or talking with the media) would be allowed or tolerated, many of the workers, from what I’ve been told, had left their jobs briefly to line the road and express their “opinion” of Obama’s new policy. But Obama the coward took a back route in from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station to get to his teleprompter at the Operations and Checkout Building many miles away from the workers.

"Obama did visit one spacecraft, the untested Falcon 9 rocket that will be test launched by Space X next month at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Elon Musk, the founder of the Internet PayPal, owns Space X. Space X has had three launches so far; all of them with a smaller rocket, and two of those have failed. The Falcon 9 rocket has never flown and is uncertain yet how well it will fly, but Obama is betting on this particular company and rocket to fly our astronauts someday in the far distant future to the ISS and back.

"Obama packed his audience with only supporters and several captive current astronauts. These astronauts are not allowed to voice their opinion about his plan or they could jeopardize their careers with NASA. Obama and NASA, to lend an illusion of legitimacy to his plan, used them as props. In fact, only one retired astronaut is on record supporting Obama’s plan, and he not only got to attend, but to fly on Air Force One. That astronaut was Buzz Aldrin. The rest of the Apollo astronauts, including Neil Armstrong, Jim Lovell, Harrison Schmitt, and Gene Cernan, are on record being against the plan and were not invited.

"The only congressional politicians invited were Florida Senator Bill Nelson and Congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas (who represents the Kennedy Space Center and north Brevard County). Both are Democrats and support Obama’s plan. Left out were Florida’s Republican Senator George LeMieux and Republican Congressman Bill Posey (who represents south Brevard County), both who oppose the plan. For supporting Obama’s plan and selling out the KSC workers and our nation’s Human Space Flight Program, both Bill Nelson and Suzanne Kosmas got to fly with the President on Air Force One.

"Another guest of Obama was Al Neuharth, who is the owner of USA Today and Florida Today Newspapers. This may explain why the Florida Today newspaper has not been fighting actively for their readers and the local workers. I will leave that up to you to decide if Florida Today sold out Brevard County, as did Senator Nelson and Congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas.

"Though to be fair, Mr. Neuharth did write an editorial a few days later for the local paper criticizing Obama’s plan. I am not sure if he thought things over or if he wanted to keep his local customer base by playing both ends. Either way, it’s quite easy to sum up that Florida Today did not do their job for their community by asking and demanding answers from Obama with some hard questions on April 15th, or any time leading up to it.

"Another person in attendance, and privileged Air Force One passenger, was the new NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden. Mr. Bolden is a former Shuttle Astronaut and a former general in our armed services. Mr. Bolden went out of his way to give a very “glowing” introduction for Obama. It was so “glowing”, that I half expected a priest to show up and marry the two.

"I used to have great respect for Charlie Bolden as an astronaut, and though it was Senator Bill Nelson that was his patron and got him the administrator job, I still thought he would do fine. I had no idea he would sacrifice his honor and integrity and sell out our nation by being the instrument of Obama in killing our Human Space Program. I often wonder how he can look the astronauts and workers in the eye at Johnson Space Center and the other space centers around the nation when he walks the hallways. I know from visiting Johnson Space Center recently and talking with some of the employees there that they share the same view of him and Obama as the people at KSC do. I cannot begin to imagine being hated by so many thousands of your peers as Mr. Bolden is right now.

"When I first heard Obama’s speech, I thought someone had put a Star Trek Movie on his teleprompter. It was so out of touch with reality that I am sure there had to be many seasoned aerospace workers watching on TV shaking their heads wondering if Obama was proposing to build a Star Ship Enterprise and applying for the position of Captain Kirk’s role. In fact, Leonard Nimoy, Spock of Star Trek Fame, once said in response to a question about Obama, “But why does he believe that the president is sincere when he says he supports NASA and human spaceflight? Nimoy had a simple explanation, “I know for sure that he’s a Star Trek fan because when I met him for the first time three years ago he did this” and put up his hand in the iconic Vulcan salute. “So that did it for me.”” Obviously Mr. Nimoy confuses a man being a fan of a Science Fiction TV show for being a supporter of Human Space Flight. As we have found out with Obama’s actions, that is just not true."

Obama’s Speech


Credit: Patriot Post

"After thanking his guests and Air Force One passengers for coming, Obama named most of the previous Human Space Flight Programs done by NASA; Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. He left out Skylab and the Shuttle Program. Another thing he left out that was glaring to me was the “name” of his Human Space Flight Program. If you can’t define your space goals well enough, you can’t name it. Constellation had defined goals and had a name not only for the program, but the individual rockets, manned capsule, and lunar lander. (Ares I, Ares V, Orion, and Altair) All past programs had well defined goals and names for their programs, but not Obama’s.

"He then spent a few minutes discussing the history of NASA and what it has contributed to our country and world. He then defended himself saying, “I am 100 percent committed to the mission of NASA and its future.” Nice words, but his actions speak much louder and that is where Obama is found lacking. He acknowledged the concerns and worries of the aerospace community and the people in our nation who follow our space program and who wonder what it’s future will be. But, he so far had not mentioned our Human Space Flight program, just “space program” in general.

"Obama then went on talking about the lack of support in the past for NASA saying, “But we can also see it in other ways: in the reluctance of those who hold office to set clear and achievable objectives…” That is partially true. Currently NASA only receives ½ of 1 cent in funding from the federal tax dollar. But, when George Bush changed NASA’s Human Space Flight program to Constellation, he did set up “clear and achievable objectives” such as a heavy lifter, crew module, and setting foot on the Moon by 2019 to learn to live there, before moving on to Mars.

"Obama then got to the “meat” of his program and outlined his “new” program:

"Increase NASA’s budget by $6 Billion over the next five years.
That is good, but since NASA’s budget is decided year by year, it is a promise I don’t anticipate him or Congress keeping, especially after the 2012 election.

"Ramp up robotic exploration of the solar system.
Ummm….we have been doing that for over 50 years with great success and what does that have to do with Human Space Flight?

"Send a probe to study the Sun’s atmosphere.
Ummm…we have SOHO already there for a number of years studying the Sun’s atmosphere and once again, what does that have to do with Human Space Flight?

"New scouting missions to Mars.
Ummm…we already have those missions on the books, being built, and prepared for delivery to Mars and once again, what does that have to do with Human Space Flight?

An advanced telescope to follow Hubble.
Ummm….that one is already being built and it’s called the James Webb telescope, and once again, what does that have to do with Human Space Flight?

"Earth based observation from satellites to improve our understanding of our climate and our world.

"Ummm….we already do that and have done that for over 50 years. And, once again, what does that have to do with Human Space Flight?

"We will extend the life of the International Space Station (ISS) by more than five years and use it to conduct advanced research, as well as testing and improving our capabilities in space.
"Ummm…we are already doing that and have been for over 10 years thanks to the Shuttle Program. Sigh, at least this has something to do with Human Space Flight though right now we will be paying the Russians over $55 million per astronaut for a ride there.

"Work with private companies to reach the ISS and make getting to space easier and cheaper.
"Well at least that’s Human Space Flight Program, but no private company has ever, nor will in the near future, place a Human crew into LEO. Maybe he means they will develop transporter technology like on Star Trek?

"Change Orion’s purpose from being the main six man crew capsule and space craft for the next 30-40 years as intended by the Constellation Program to it becoming a simple pressurized capsule to use as an escape craft from the ISS if there is any problems requiring evacuation. That way, we don’t have to depend on the Russians for an emergency evacuation.
"This is a classic bait and switch folks! After September, we will be dependent on the Russians for a ride up to the ISS. We are already dependent on the Russians for a ride home during an emergency by a contract with them when the ISS was started over 10 years ago. Currently there are two Soyuz craft docked at the ISS just for that purpose. That is part of Russia’s responsibility as our partners. I can’t see the Russians forbidding our astronauts to evacuate with them if there is an emergency. Sigh, at least it’s Human Space Flight related
Claims that early in the next decade we will be sending up many more astronauts to space on an unknown and unspecified spacecraft and launcher.
Starship Enterprise? Well at least its Human Space Flight related.

"Claims that by 2025 we might go to an asteroid in a new, un-designed spacecraft “designed for long journeys to allow us to begin the first ever crewed missions beyond the Moon into deep space.”
"Again, Starship Enterprise? At least it’s Human Space Flight related.

"By the mid-2030’s he believes he can send humans to orbit Mars and return them home.
Does he expect to be dictator for life? Or does he expect all of us to forget by the mid-2030’s? At least its Human Space Flight related but very vague.
“Our goal is the capacity for people to work and learn, operate, and live safely beyond Earth for extended periods of time, ultimately in ways that are more sustainable and even indefinite.”
"Ummm…that is Constellation’s goal and the reason for going back to the Moon. To learn to live on another world that is three days away before moving on to Mars. Did this guy plagiarize parts of George Bush’s speech from six years ago?
"He claims his “program” has “clear aims and goals.”

"Who is taking our astronauts up? What are our astronauts flying on? Where are our astronauts going again? When are they going again? Are you still watching Star Trek on your teleprompter Mr. Obama?
"Obama then went on to explain why we were not going back to the Moon. “But the simple fact is, we have been there before.” Well he’s right. With all 6 Apollo missions, our astronauts spent about total of one week on the surface of the Moon. I am sure that most folks wouldn’t consider one-week total visit to the Moon as an appropriate amount of time to learn to live on another planet. But, Obama seems to think so. So, with a week of Moon living under our belt, he thinks we should visit an asteroid 15 years from now for a day or two, and orbit Mars 25+ years from now for just a few orbits. Sureeeeeeee.

"Obama claims his new unnamed program will create more than 2,500 jobs at KSC and have a potential for generating more than 10,000 jobs nationwide but has no evidence to back that figure up. Let’s say he’s right and does create 2,500 jobs at KSC, he’s still in the hole because over 10,000 jobs and another 30,000 indirect jobs will still be lost at KSC and the Brevard County area alone. This doesn’t even count the damage done at the other space centers nationwide.

"He also promised a $40 million initiative for the displaced workers at KSC, but Florida Today is already reporting that about 3.2 million will actually be used to retrain aerospace workers while the remaining amount will be used to pay for staff over seeing this money and “…tax incentive dollars for the film industry, as well as tax breaks for aircraft and boats.” Well spent already huh?

"After his short speech, Obama left for Miami to attend a fundraising function at Gloria Esteban’s home. He dedicated hours to this fundraising while dedicating about 30 minutes killing our nation’s Human Space Flight Program.

"Summary

"Obama is a liar. Pure and simple. I know some of you are offended to hear him called a liar, but he is. He is also a coward for not facing the people whose hopes and dreams for our Human Space Flight Program are being destroyed by this man and his accomplices in Congress and NASA.

"There is no new Human Space Flight Program. There is just a poorly written Powerpoint, lacking in specifics or even a name, posted on Obama’s teleprompter. No ship, no hardware, no employees, nothing but crap.

"There is no destination, no idea what NASA is really going to do with Human Space Flight besides just give it up. Even his promise of jobs is a lie. He will throw some money towards KSC to hire a few folks to slap on a few new coats of paint on the buildings, and after the 2012 election, lay them all off and close KSC pretty much for good and our entire Human Space Flight Program.

"Though Obama was able to get one doddering 80-year-old astronaut to back him, he could not get the other astronauts that were free to speak or the thousands of rank and file aerospace workers to back him. They know what his plan truly is, to end America’s Human Space Flight Program after 50 years of leadership.

"In my humble opinion, there are some things that could be done to save America’s Human Space Flight Program:

"Increase NASA’s budget to 1 cent of every tax dollar.
"Give NASA a 10-year budget so they don’t have to compete each and every year for a new budget. NASA wastes considerable resources and time every year fighting for next year’s budget. Giving them a 10-year budget would ensure stability and ensure NASA has an administration that is concentrated on Human Space Flight instead of extending their careers at the expense of our nation and the aerospace workers who make these dreams come true.
"The enormous amount of money saved from not having to lobby Congress every year could be applied to Human Space Flight.

"Bring back Constellation. It is not too late. The equipment is still there, the workers are still there, and the designs are still there. This program had clear goals and milestones unlike Obama’s PowerPoint plan.

"Fire Charlie Bolden and his upper management staff at NASA. They sold out our nation and our Human Space Flight Program ceding our leadership in technology and space exploration to Russia and China. They do not deserve to be stewards of America’s Space Program.

"Lessons Learned:

"Elections do matter. When you continue to re-elect people to Congress over and over again without giving thought about their job performance, it does have consequences. When you elect a man who has never managed a McDonalds to manage our country, there are consequences. There are over 10,000 people at KSC that can attest to the fact elections have consequences.

"You can’t change NASA’s mission every time there is a new administration. Human Space Flight Programs require at least a decade long or longer commitment by the nation. Our nation already has six years and $10 billion dollars invested in Constellation with substantial work done and goals met though Bush, Obama, and the Democratic Congress has consistently underfunded it. There is a very good reason why it’s called “Rocket Science.”

Stahrwe wrote:Need to differentiate between deep space exploration and near earth exploitation. No arguement that deep space is the place for unmanned exploration but near earth orbit, especially a permanent orbiting Space Station is something that could really benefit the earth in numerous ways.

Well said. The human desire to explore, conquer and understand keeps us strong, diverse and evolving. All our eggs are in one basket when we limit ourselves to just the planet Earth. This sounds silly to people that don't think on a larger scale about mans place in the universe. I think it takes a study of cosmology to fully appreciate how fragile our existence really is here on Earth. A meteor can end it all and we currently have no way to stop a massive meteor from striking us. It is time for us to move off this planet and spread our eggs around...just in case something causes the basket to drop. And we cannot master manned space flight by concentrating on sending robots into space. Robotic, unmanned missions surely have their place, but we should never stop striving to spread out into the galaxy and beyond.

KSC Employee Update:

STS-134 Launch Date Moves for AMS Magnet Swap
Space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission to the International Space Station is being retargeted for no earlier than mid-November so scientific teams can change the magnet used by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, or AMS, for its observations. AMS is the primary payload for STS-134. A new exact target launch date has not been set yet.

The launch of space shuttle Discovery’s STS-133 mission currently remains targeted for Sept. 16, but managers will continue to assess its readiness for flight and make changes as appropriate. The next shuttle flight, Atlantis’ STS-132 mission targeted for launch May 14, remains on track with no changes.


STS-132 Commander Ken Ham, in orange, puts on his communications carrier in the White Room at Launch Pad 39A during the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, or TCDT, on Saturday. Ham is leading a veteran crew of astronauts who will carry the Russian-built Mini Research Module-1 to the International Space Station. The launch is the last one scheduled for space shuttle Atlantis, which first flew in 1985.

Atlantis Launch Preps Pick Up After Successful TCDT
Preparations for the STS-132 mission to the International Space Station continue on pace for a targeted liftoff on May 14 at 2:19 p.m.

The six veteran astronauts who will fly shuttle Atlantis successfully completed their launch dress rehearsal called the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, or TCDT, on Saturday morning. They returned home to Houston on Saturday afternoon to continue training for their mission. Workers at Launch Pad 39A moved the Russian-built Mini Research Module-1 into the payload bay of Atlantis on Sunday.

Ken Ham is commander for the flight, which is the last one scheduled for Atlantis. Tony Antonelli will serve as pilot, while Michael Good, Piers Sellers, Steve Bowen and Garrett Reisman work as mission specialists. Reisman, Bowen and Good will perform three spacewalks on the station to install a backup communications antenna and replace several batteries on the station's truss.

Hubble 20th Anniversary Video OnlineThe Hubble Space Telescope, one of NASA's crown jewels, celebrated its 20th anniversary in space Saturday. Kennedy Space Center produced a video to highlight the milestone. Go to the Kennedy Home Page http://www.ksc.nasa.gov and click "View Video" to watch it.

I had an opportunity to view the HST in the O&C Building before it launched.