Author Topic: What do you want from NASA?  (Read 15569 times)

Offline J05H

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What do you want from NASA?
« on: 04/30/2007 02:28 pm »
Self explanatory subject. What do you want from NASA?

I want top quality space science, exploration beyond what private adventurers are capable and cutting edge technology research. I don't want a state-run shipping service.

What do you want?

Josh

Offline Martin FL

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Re: What do you want from NASA?
« Reply #1 on: 04/30/2007 02:33 pm »
I want them to be the key focus point of exploration space craft development and the world leader in utlizing the moon and Mars.

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Re: What do you want from NASA?
« Reply #2 on: 04/30/2007 02:36 pm »
Manned and unmanned exploration of every corner the solar system.  Telescopes.  Scientific research of the earth and sun from space.  Blue sky R&D across all engineering fields.  To go where no one has gone before.  Maybe something with fins on it.

Offline Celeritas

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RE: What do you want from NASA?
« Reply #3 on: 04/30/2007 02:53 pm »
"Manned and unmanned exploration of every corner the solar system. Telescopes. Scientific research of the earth and sun from space. Blue sky R&D across all engineering fields. To go where no one has gone before. Maybe something with fins on it."

I agree 100% with bhankiii.  Especially with the fins part.   :)

Offline Christine

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RE: What do you want from NASA?
« Reply #4 on: 04/30/2007 02:57 pm »

Besides continuing the science they are doing now, five things.

1. Scrap the vomit comet. Preferably on tuesday.
 
2. Immediately leave the space transportation business. Not just LEO, the lander designs have clearly shown that Marshall can't build efficient systems for lunar missions either.

3. As soon as a commercial alternative is available, give the ISS to the europeans and russians and cut all funding to the program. Build no more human habitable hardware ever again. Ever. Both the Space Shuttle and Space Station Freedom/Fred/Fe/ ISS should be ample proof of why this is a good idea.

4. Devote a substantial portion of the agencies resources on non-chemical propulsion technology development. No more powerpoints, I want them to fly boilerplate designs (without driving up costs and getting the program cancelled by bolting on scientific payloads), and I want them to fly often.

5. Develop a low mass fission reactor for lunar and exploration missions in both the 100kWe and MWe range.


Offline Jim

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RE: What do you want from NASA?
« Reply #5 on: 04/30/2007 04:30 pm »
Quote
Christine - 30/4/2007  10:57 AM

 As soon as a commercial alternative is available, give the ISS to the europeans and russians  

can't be done

Offline Jim

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RE: What do you want from NASA?
« Reply #6 on: 04/30/2007 04:34 pm »
Quote
Christine - 30/4/2007  10:57 AM

Besides continuing the science they are doing now, five things.

1. Scrap the vomit comet. Preferably on tuesday.
 
2. Immediately leave the space transportation business. Not just LEO, the lander designs have clearly shown that Marshall can't build efficient systems for lunar missions either.

3. As soon as a commercial alternative is available, give the ISS to the europeans and russians and cut all funding to the program. Build no more human habitable hardware ever again. Ever. Both the Space Shuttle and Space Station Freedom/Fred/Fe/ ISS should be ample proof of why this is a good idea.

4. Devote a substantial portion of the agencies resources on non-chemical propulsion technology development. No more powerpoints, I want them to fly boilerplate designs (without driving up costs and getting the program cancelled by bolting on scientific payloads), and I want them to fly often.

5. Develop a low mass fission reactor for lunar and exploration missions in both the 100kWe and MWe range.


Get real and suggest something viable.  These ideas are just as bad as fanatsy ideas like "go to the moon next month"

Also MSFC hasn't  designed any landers

Offline E_ E_ H

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Re: What do you want from NASA?
« Reply #7 on: 04/30/2007 04:36 pm »
Josh I must say I find myself slightly perplexed by your two Threads. In one you propose "Surgical Strikes" and Militarised Space, and in the other you're asking about what we want from NASA? What's your angle?
Ground control to Major Chris....

Offline Jim

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Re: What do you want from NASA?
« Reply #8 on: 04/30/2007 04:41 pm »
Quote
E_ E_ H - 30/4/2007  12:36 PM

Josh I must say I find myself slightly perplexed by your two Threads. In one you propose "Surgical Strikes" and Militarised Space, and in the other you're asking about what we want from NASA? What's your angle?

They are two separate and distinct uses of space that can coexist and are not mutually  exclusive.    He is asking for what a specific agency should do and the other questions what other military uses they forsee.


Space is just an extension of the atmosphere.  It is not a 'pure' conflict free area

Offline Christine

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Re: What do you want from NASA?
« Reply #9 on: 04/30/2007 04:42 pm »
Jim the OP asked what I wanted, not what I thought was politically feasible. Secondly, if it's not Marshall, which center came up with the current LSAM plans?

Offline Jim

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Re: What do you want from NASA?
« Reply #10 on: 04/30/2007 04:56 pm »
Quote
Christine - 30/4/2007  12:42 PM

Jim the OP asked what I wanted, not what I thought was politically feasible. Secondly, if it's not Marshall, which center came up with the current LSAM plans?

ESAS

Offline J05H

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Re: What do you want from NASA?
« Reply #11 on: 04/30/2007 05:06 pm »
Quote
E_ E_ H - 30/4/2007  12:36 PM

Josh I must say I find myself slightly perplexed by your two Threads. In one you propose "Surgical Strikes" and Militarised Space, and in the other you're asking about what we want from NASA? What's your angle?

As Jim pointed out, it's to mentally split "space" into various constituent components. The next two threads will be for Big Aero and NewSpace, I may also do one for OGA - other government agencies (FAA). A lot of "space" discussion confuses who-does-what in space.

I am not proposing anything. I ask a question of everyone, then give a short answer of my own to start the discussion. I don't neccessarily support FOBS or Space Marines, but it's a good way to stimulate the synapses.

Offline Christine

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Re: What do you want from NASA?
« Reply #12 on: 04/30/2007 05:19 pm »
Thanks Jim. I just did a little followup and googled the final ESAS report and found the core members page. It turns out that just about every center was involved, Expand Marshall in my original post to all centers.

Offline vt_hokie

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RE: What do you want from NASA?
« Reply #13 on: 04/30/2007 05:26 pm »
A picture is worth a thousand words!   :laugh:


Offline maskims

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Re: What do you want from NASA?
« Reply #14 on: 04/30/2007 05:29 pm »
I want consistency in the future of space exploration, especially manned. All may not agree with Ares/Orion, but now that it's on, they could really do great things.

I want support for private space initiative. COTS is brilliant in my opinion and SpaceX and other such companies are my generation's Apollo with less glamour if you ask me.

And maybe a spot for a French astronaut on the first Mars mission ;).

Offline simonbp

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Re: What do you want from NASA?
« Reply #15 on: 04/30/2007 05:30 pm »
Quote
Jim - 30/4/2007  11:56 AM

Quote
Christine - 30/4/2007  12:42 PM

Jim the OP asked what I wanted, not what I thought was politically feasible. Secondly, if it's not Marshall, which center came up with the current LSAM plans?

ESAS

Check this presentation, and the associated thread; the JSC and MSFC concepts given make a bit more sense than the "Uber-LEM" that ESAS recommended:

http://www.aiaa-houston.org/cy0607/event-22feb07/Connolly_AIAA_2-20-07.pdf

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=6795&posts=36&start=1

Simon ;)

Offline Jim

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Re: What do you want from NASA?
« Reply #16 on: 04/30/2007 05:32 pm »
Quote
Christine - 30/4/2007  1:19 PM

Thanks Jim. I just did a little followup and googled the final ESAS report and found the core members page. It turns out that just about every center was involved, Expand Marshall in my original post to all centers.

And you are basing this on what experience?

Offline Shorty Powers

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Re: What do you want from NASA?
« Reply #17 on: 04/30/2007 05:46 pm »
1. Let we American taxpayers have our space program back.  Quit hosting billionaires/multi-millionaires on ISS, making it apparent that our space program is for elitists and the super-rich.  To that end, quit selling high-priced "launch tickets" (formerly free NASA-issued launch passes) and allow  us access to watch vehicles WE pay for lift off from facilities WE paid for on real estate WE paid for.  (Hey, NASA, ever heard of an "OPEN HOUSE?"  Stage a few!)  Quit allowing Delaware North Park Services to turn KSC Visitor Complex into a Disney-esque (read that, "Mickey Mouse") attraction, and quit charging exorbitant admission prices and my firstborn to get in the door.

2. Fix their little problems and light the candle (whatever the "candle" happens to be...Shuttle/Ares/EELV + Orion/robotics/etc.).  To take four decades to return to the Moon using "available technology" is ludicrous and bordering on criminally negligent.  I would like to see our teams return to the lunar surface BEFORE I get my greeter job at Wal-Mart.

3. Offer Scotty Carpenter and Wally Schirra "victory lap" Shuttle missions like they did Glenn.  Let Scotty go up there and write some prose, poetry, or just philosophize from the Heavens like he tried to do on Aurora 7.  I don't think Schirra would want to go, but I'm willing to bet Carpenter would.

There now...my thoughts on this Monday afternoon.
"This is Mercury Control..."

Offline Jim

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Re: What do you want from NASA?
« Reply #18 on: 04/30/2007 05:52 pm »
Quote
Shorty Powers - 30/4/2007  1:46 PM
(Hey, NASA, ever heard of an "OPEN HOUSE?"  Stage a few!)  

Had one last year.

Anyways, that is what the bus tours are for

"Quit hosting billionaires/multi-millionaires on ISS".  That is a Russian issue, not NASA's

"vehicles WE pay for lift off from facilities WE paid for on real estate WE paid for"  Try using that argument for VAFB.  The world has changed, can't tell the difference between John Q. Public and the bad guys


Offline William Barton

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Re: What do you want from NASA?
« Reply #19 on: 04/30/2007 06:07 pm »
I'd like to see a comprehensive program of unmanned exploration throughout the solar system, and manned expeditions to wherever we can get to (NEOs, Mars, main-belt, Jovian trojans, etc.). Maybe turn over the US components of ISS to NSF and let them buy services and rides from low bidders? Leave exploitation of any resources discovered and/or colonization of wherever to whoever wants to do it. I'd like to see the goal of the US civilian space program to be the delivery of a large, manned, long-stay expedition to Saturn's moons by 2050 or so. We can practice for it by going to all that other stuff. At least it'd be a goal that wouldn't slip away because it's too soon or doesn't have any interim payoff. "We're going to Saturn. But meanwhile here's this really cool spot on Mars we found..."

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