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2009-01-02 Science & Technology

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Posted by Anonymoose 2009-01-02 15:24|| || Front Page|| [2 views ] Top

#1 Let's just hope the Pentagon dominates, if this happens.

In the early days of the Shuttle, USAF used NASA to launch key recon satellites. That only lasted for a couple launches before the Pentagon made a very compelling case for getting mission criticial payloads out of NASA's hands.

And don't even get me started on SpaceLab ....

Posted by lotp 2009-01-02 15:53|| 2009-01-02 15:53|| Front Page Top

#2 Dangit, who leaked this? Now the Arab Street is going to know that the International Space Station is really a orbiting burger joint designed to space drop the whopper straight to the troops in Afghanistan by order of Operation Orenthal James.

Posted by swksvolFF 2009-01-02 16:08|| 2009-01-02 16:08|| Front Page Top

#3 Wouldn't it be better to merge NASA with the state department in a bin?

Posted by Bright Pebbles 2009-01-02 16:25|| 2009-01-02 16:25|| Front Page Top

#4 Back in the 70s when the DoD budget was gutted in a fitful payback to the uniform military for obeying their orders during Vietnam, big healthy chunks of the budget were handed over to NASA to cover their overruns on the Shuttle. Since the Shuttle was to be THE launch vehicle for mil sats, it was done. Eventually, the AF who had the mission got a separate unmanned rocket to do the job because the Shuttle had further delays and delivery issues. Another case of work moving to relative competency?

Posted by Procopius2k 2009-01-02 17:50|| 2009-01-02 17:50|| Front Page Top

#5 DoD has already acquired DoS major responsibilities. Seen an ambassador negotiate lately? How about CJCS or a command chief? Likewise, DoD now runs FEMA. DoD should think twice about how much it wants to garner. DoS and mil launches make sense. NASA scientific, manned space flight? Not so much.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2009-01-02 17:58|| 2009-01-02 17:58|| Front Page Top

#6 NS, consider the likelihood that China will establish bases on the moon that they don't openly admit are military. It's a goal of the regime and I don't put it past them.

Posted by lotp 2009-01-02 19:23|| 2009-01-02 19:23|| Front Page Top

#7 The mission FEMA picked up [and fumbled to a noticeable degree] was originally DoD's. The pols wanted a new patronage office and underfunded and stretched DoD was happy to hand off in the late 70's [note well - Donk President and Donk Congress]. As Katrina showed that when the do-do gets chin deep for the pols, guess who they turn to. Work eventually flows towards competency.

Posted by Procopius2k 2009-01-02 19:46|| 2009-01-02 19:46|| Front Page Top

#8 I'm a boatload more worried about the Chinese PLAN than their moonbase. I suspect they'll have had a revolution before they set up their first base. And even if they haven't what's the military value? And what military assets could have been bought instead of the moon base?

The DoD should keep focused on military issues, not expanding its reach into FEMA and manned spaceflight or scientific space exploration. The military's approval rating is high because they do their job well. They should not get defocused. Stick to your knitting.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2009-01-02 20:01|| 2009-01-02 20:01|| Front Page Top

#9 I should have assed, Remember the '70s. Things will change yet again.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2009-01-02 20:02|| 2009-01-02 20:02|| Front Page Top

#10 The DoD should keep focused on military issues, not expanding its reach into FEMA...

Considering that we're likely to have a mass casualty event due to a WMD attack in the not too distant future. Who do you want handling the response, old FEMA, or a DoD managed FEMA?

Posted by Big Glavirong2891 2009-01-02 20:38|| 2009-01-02 20:38|| Front Page Top

#11 Except maybe....that AARPA/DARPA thingy that turns up other thingies, like this thingy.

Posted by Procopius2k 2009-01-02 20:39|| 2009-01-02 20:39|| Front Page Top

#12 I think it may be a good idea to merge them. Weapons of the future could very well be space-based, taking out our satellites and leaving us deaf and blind to threats or zapping anyone out of line with lasers. I still don't like the sharing of rocket science with China, Russia, the EU, Japan, and Brazil, as has been done with the Space Station. I'm told the moon contains an element that could be a new source of energy and they all want control of it.The military understands the threats and damages espionage does where as rocket scientists are usually clueless outside their own field of expertise. Most engineers are true Dilbert's and and even naive about depraved human nature and the damages one well-armed nut could do. BTW, the CIA payroll has been concealed within NASA's budget for some time, too, as they are not accountable to Congress or get public scrutiny like FEMA programs and others do. It may be a very wise move for several reasons.

Posted by Danielle 2009-01-02 20:40|| 2009-01-02 20:40|| Front Page Top

23:42 JosephMendiola
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