Thursday, July 9, 2009

Chill

A chill is in the air. But it's July, you say, how can that be? And how can global warming be causing the cooling? And just as new E Street leadership gets a warm greeting from the theater's major benefactors?

Sometimes humans are slow to sense subtle clues resulting in major shifts of policy happening right under their noses. When the leaves change color in the fall, we barely notice until the bright reds and oranges are in full display. Occassionally, we sit a little longer after the light turns green until it grabs our attention. Even now we are not picking up on the language being used to describe our space faring future by those who intend to lead it.

"Build. Enhance. Inspire."

Extend ISS. Study our climate. More R&D.

The clues are all there.

Human space flight is headed for the meat locker.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

We will get a new vehicle EELV, Shuttle C derv. etc... The people in congress will not let Human Space Flight slow to a stop

Anonymous said...

also look at how that shifts NASA's poltics.

Exploration:= Ares, Constellation, Orion, Altair, J-2X, are all spending in JSC, MSFC, SoCal, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida,,,,

If you look at Climate Research, and planetary science, where is that getting spent? Ames, JPL, GSFC, Maryland, Northern Cal,

Where is the speaker of the house from? SF Bay? Where is the most powerful NASA Appropriator? Md.
Where is the new money going to move to ? Langley, Wallops, Baltimore,,,,,

BobM said...

As I predicted long ago, if a Democrat won in 2008, Constellation would get reduced to being a mere ISS ferry vehicle, ISS operations would be stretched out, and all lunar, Mars, and beyond work would become "Advanced Studies"...again.

Yawn. Artemis, we hardly knew ye.

Unknown said...

So if human space flight goes to the meat locker, what happens to all those KSC support jobs in the swing state of Florida?

Does anyone think maybe that will be a consideration in the Administration's direction after the Augustinians present their findings?

Anonymous said...

I noticed that too. Looking at the objectives of the new administrator, there was no Moon!

We would use what we have and extend the use of ISS. Extend the shuttle contracts and use proven hardware.

Okay. I don't mind continuing to use the shuttle provided that we go back to the previous tank design, the one that didn't shed its skin all the time.

The objectives closely reflect the recent solar activity - very few sunspots meaning a quiescent period. A return to NASA's roots, getting back to basics. Emphasizing aeronautics but again, no manned flights beyond LEO.

It is what wasn't said that spoke the loudest. In a week, the minions at the Lazy B will feel the results of the words that were not said. For them, manned space flight will become a nightmare as they are shown the door for the last time.

Anonymous said...

"We choose not to go to the moon. We choose not to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because we are weak ....."

Obama is no John eFfing Kennedy.

Wish I Could Say said...

You lost me with this one.

The witnesses did talk about exploration, and commercial human spaceflight. The challenge is to do it in a way that's relevant, not just a nostalgic and doomed-to-fail attempt at repeating the past.

Give Norm's panel a month... change is coming.

And the only thing going into the deep freeze is the dead carcass of the Emperor's plan.

Anonymous said...

If human spaceflight is Constellation, then it deserves to go in the meat locker.

A group that keeps getting time and budget estimates wrong is either incompetent or negligent. Combine that with a public that doesn't know or care about this project.

It deserves to be killed. I would rather look at pictures of the moon on google than pay for the meal tickets of failed rocketeers.

Anonymous said...

War is hell boys. This is what happens when you recycle the same NASA engineering managers at MSFC over and over and over and over....

Anonymous said...

I wonder how many of the minions will line up to speak to the Augustine Commission after next Friday? Will they beg for a continuation of the program in order to be re-employed or will they stand up and tell the truth about the program because they have nothing more to lose?

If NASA didn't get it right with Ares and Constellation, what makes anyone think they can get it right if we redirect them to EELV?

Even if NASA is redirected to EELV that will mean years before a new contract and thus employment. The major contractors are going to cut and run, taking the long view that three or four years from now, they can find new, inexperienced fresh-outs and start all over again.

"Will the circle, be unbroken..."

Anonymous said...

So... you have a huge team of highly qualified and experienced engineers continuing to update and maintain the shuttle systems. So you dont use them. The new team with no operational experience is a total failure, so you still dont use your experience, but you let the same guys who failed the first time try again, and again, and then again. It doesn't matter how many different names you give it, unless you let some people who know how to solve the problems of manned space flight actually work on the project it's going to keep failing.

C W Magee said...

Politically, what does the President have to lose from closing MSFC and relocating worthwhile people to swing state facilities?

Anonymous said...

chuck

if you slash msfc you lose Ref griffith but you could
reinforce members in ohio, pa and colorado.

C W Magee said...

And Florida?

Anonymous said...

If it's about meat, then it belongs in the meat locker.

"We choose not to go to the moon. We choose not to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because we couldn't for the life of us figure out why."

Anonymous said...

florida takes a hit but, you do something else there and it'sa wash CENTCOM is expanding, so that's a big employer