This is an amazingly important transition period at NASA, and I hope the new director is not just a caretaker type, but instead has a vision for where we want to go (MARS!!!!).
Bolden’s toughest assignment is bridging the divide within NASA and among its powerful contractors between its glamorous traditional mission of manned space exploration and an expanding research focus made more urgent by climate change and other environmental issues.“These are two separate challenges,” Franco Enouldi, the director of earth sciences at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., said in an interview. “People will differ on which one is more important. Are the funds there to accomplish (both) missions? That is a serious question whose answer is not clear.”
Obama has formed a commission to study the future of NASA, and he summoned Bolden to the White House on Tuesday to gain assurances that its prospective leader would implement its recommendations.
It helps that he’s a spaceman. And yes I sort of prefer “spaceman” over “astronaut” because it implies he has a ray gun. You know, to fight space aliens and junk.
Robots do space exploration better, cheaper, and safer, at least for now.
And robots have no flipping imagination. And bless their robot hearts it ain’t the same when their wheels hit the martian surface vs. human boots.
As neat as this is…
It FAILS compared to
Yeah, we’ve had this argument before. I’m one of those cynical meanies who thinks the Romantic values of manned flight simply don’t stack up to the practicalities and risks of manned flight. Going back to the moon would be a waste of time and money because really, what’s there? Going to Mars with canned humans would be, as of today, far too risky. The propulsion systems are too slow, and the biggest concern would be prolonged exposure to radiation.
NASA has limited resources, and right now they’d be best spent of further robotic expeditions. Which isn’t to say we should put people into space at a later date, but we shouldn’t send them up like guinea pigs.
Too lazy to find the link, but a good compromise might be to start sending some robotic expeditions to Mars that could put some sort of infrastructure in place, even simple things like extra cans of oxygen and water, that could be utilized by an eventual manned expedition.
To the stars, Oliver! Us manned flight haters really aren’t space exploration haters, just realists!
And IMO, you do a disservice to the successful robot expeditions to Mars that really did tell us a lot and send back some amazing pics.
I’m not advocating going back to the moon. Nothing’s there.
Nobody loves the Mars rovers more than I do. But they’re not humans. Space exploration is, by nature, a gamble. The people who do it know so. A robot grabbing soil samples and doing analysis is great hard science stuff but it just isn’t anywhere near a human being for the first time placing his or her feet on the surface of an alien planet. We clearly aren’t going to Mars tomorrow (pack your bags!) but we need a long term (10 years or so) plan with the expressed goal of a human outpost on Mars.
Most importantly when we land on Mars we have to have people there in order for us to speak to the Martians. Duh.
Mars bitches. Mars
Huh. Obama appoints another black man. The Stormfronters are right!!! Obama’s coming to enslave all whiteys!
[/insanity]
Chip Bolden is very highly regarded by everyone who has worked with him. he should turn out to be a first rate appointment.
Spaceperson!
I think it’s great that he’s a Marine Brigadier-General AND a “spaceman” and happens to be Black.
A great choice for NASA administrator.
There is absolutely no good reason to go to mars. It would be a huge waste of money. Which is why I would expect Obama and his supporters to think it’s a great idea.
I must have missed the point that both Oliver and Jaim are talking about. I don’t see the use in manned, or unmanned travel to Mars at this point. I am against it moreso because we are running a budget deficit. I think it would be much better to concentrate on stabilizing the economy. My main question is how will a manned trip, that could eventually lead to an “outpost” possibly do anything to benefit the earth? I can imagine the costs of the research and prep would be exorbitant, let alone the flight and the operations.