RE: [MLUG - DISCUSSION] space shuttle explodes?

[Jonathan King <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

On Mon, 3 Feb 2003, Heivilin, Jim wrote:

> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: King, Jonathan W. 
> > Subject: Re: [MLUG - DISCUSSION] space shuttle explodes?
> <snip>
> > finish the ISS.  But the ISS is one of the more bizarre and useless 
> > projects ever conceived of.  There are so many worthwhile 
> > space research projects around it's absolutely stunning we've hit 
> > on two of the more useless and risky ones.
> > 
> I don't see how an orbital station can be considered useless but I'm not
> terribly familiar with it's goals and progress.

Well, if you look at the history of and plans for the ISS, I think it 
would be easy to see the problem here.  The project is hideously 
expensive, way behind on its timeline, inefficient for most of its 
scientific goals, and dependent on dozens of shuttle missions that have a 
fairly well-established failure rate of on the order of 1%.

> However you have to consider the human factor which is necessary to
> secure funding.

Oh, I know this is exactly why people are in such a hurry to do manned 
space exploration.  But the sad truth of the matter is that the 
manned program is so frighteningly expensive that it is difficult to 
see how having one has really benefited the unmanned program, which 
secures funding through the "way cool photographs of outer space" angle.

> Robots may be entirely more capable for certain missions or tasks but
> tax payers can't relate to them very well (except for our type of
> taxpayers - technoweanies - and we aren't sufficiently numerous to fund
> much). Astronauts are *still* sexy to the American public and so are
> necessary.

I'm not sure robots are currently capable enough for certain kinds of 
missions, but that is an excellent argument for funding more robotics.
People do find robotics really interesting, too, and like the "we'll send 
robots where it is too dangerous to send people" angle.  Heck, this is 
also the golden age of materials science; we should be able to do much 
better with the development of advanced heat shielding.  One day, we can 
look forward to manned space programs that are two or three orders 
of magnitude safer than today's.  And we will get to them more cheaply 
(and maybe even more rapidly) by foregoing the current efforts.

jking


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