Space station in peril

http://www.floridatoday.com/news/spa...riltrailer.htm
HAVE A GREAT DAY!

http://www.floridatoday.com/news/spa...riltrailer.htm

Okay, so far this tells us...what?

-A.L.

My goodness.

Do you realize that the average car is a disaster waiting to happen? And
if you look at exceptional cars (race cars, dragsters, etc)--those vehicles
are even _more_ dangerous.

Do you realize that the average person is an accident waiting to happen?
Disease, degeneration of organs, etc. And exception persons (athletes, base
jumpers, etc) are even more at risk.

There is no such thing as zero risk.

Jeffrey Cornish.


"bob haller" wrote in message
...

http://www.floridatoday.com/news/spa...riltrailer.htm
HAVE A GREAT DAY!

The next story. Space is Dangerous.
A****** news media, lets launch THEM into space.

"bob haller" wrote in message
...

http://www.floridatoday.com/news/spa...riltrailer.htm
HAVE A GREAT DAY!

Have you any idea of the dangers in child birth....

Brian

--

Brian Gaff....Note, this account does not accept Bcc: email.
graphics are great, but the blind can't hear them
Email:
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"Jeffrey Cornish" wrote in message
...
My goodness.

Do you realize that the average car is a disaster waiting to happen? And
if you look at exceptional cars (race cars, dragsters, etc)--those
vehicles
are even _more_ dangerous.

Do you realize that the average person is an accident waiting to happen?
Disease, degeneration of organs, etc. And exception persons (athletes,
base
jumpers, etc) are even more at risk.

There is no such thing as zero risk.

Jeffrey Cornish.


"bob haller" wrote in message
...


http://www.floridatoday.com/news/spa...riltrailer.htm
HAVE A GREAT DAY!




---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.699 / Virus Database: 456 - Release Date: 04/06/2004

Okay, so far this tells us...what?

-A.L.

Basically florida today realizes what EVERYONE should!

If ISS were somehow lost to a accident, shuttle ends with it.

JOBS WILL BE DEVASTATED!!! LOCAL ECONOMY IN SHAMBLES, Fewer readers, less $$
for Florida Today. I really believe the paper is concerned for their community.


HAVE A GREAT DAY!

Well, hang it. We should all just not bother getting out of bed. (although
not procreating in the circumstances could be tricky)

This attitude, while fairly safe (do you know the risks of just staying in
bed? Bedsores, and all sorts of other illnesses can result!) is defeatist.

So. How do I put my manifesto here.

1. No one gets out of life alive. However, if you believe in an afterlife,
I see no indication of any sort of space program from there that will
benefit us.

2. Life is risk. Walking, talking, eating, breathing, exposure to
dihydrogen monoxide. All risky. The effort of getting to space (and back)
safely is risky.

3. Activities that are worthwhile (have rewards for us in the general), are
risky. Climb a mountain? That's risky. (here in Washington State we have
had two die recently up on the slopes of Mount Rainer). Drive a race car at
high speeds? That's risky too. But designing a race car that goes fast can
improve the technology used in regular cars, or used in seemingly unrelated
realms. (As an interesting example: did you know that the first practical
internal combustion engine was made possible by the perfume atomizer?)

Does the space program have benefits? I say yes! Entire new skills that
have never been though of have to be developed.

Is the space program risky. Yes. I do not deny this.

4. We have One (count it), One planet. If we or the universe (via NEO
asteriods on unfortunate trajectories) do something to really foul it up,
there will be no more human race, or at least civilization of the type we
enjoy right now. (By enjoy I mean we can mount cooperative efforts to
accomplish major goals--space flight, quantum physics, improvements in
agriculture, etc)

Our collective effort has let us plant our footsteps on the moon, and has
let us place an outpost (or two) into orbit.

5. Earth is akin to a cradle, or our home town. Our civilization is
outgrowing it, outstripping it's accessable resources.

The Earth's resources are finite. The resources of the solar system in
general, although also finite are much larger.

6. We have to leave the nest. We have a nice little stepping stone only a
light second away (the moon). Sure, it's a fixer upper (listed as "rustic"
and "pre-cambrian, nice views, no atmosphere"), but with enough effort we
can put a colony up there.

There's another nice place not too much further out. Ruddy, thin air, lots
of (paleo) beachfront. Mars has potential (maybe even some actual life
right now. The universe is a suprising thing!)

Getting to the Moon or Mars is risky for mere machines, and undoubtedly
risky for humans. However, if you asked the current pool of astronauts
(even given the risks) how many would go to the Moon or Mars, I believe you
would find that many would go. This is a weak point in my argument, as I
haven't had a chance to ask any astronauts. However, they are willing to
take the risks to go to low Earth orbit.

(if they weren't, why would the even volunteer?)

7. At the risk of repeating myself: Anything worth doing has risks. Young
birds leaving thier nest have some instincts, and an entire food web of
preditors looking at turning them into lunch. Young humans, leaving thier
home can run into misfortune, deception, failure.

Yet most of us do continue trying.

How many will spend money either buying off the shelf climbing equipment or
even _designing thier own_ to climb mountains. Why bother if it's risky?

I understand the point of view from the "NASA is inefficient" camp. NASA's
problem is politics and a public/legislature that won't fund it
consistantly.

I understand the point of view of both the "Retire the Shuttle" and "Use
the Shuttle" camps. Personally I believe we should have several different
kinds of manned vehicles to access LEO and beyond. However, you
congresscritter and the various special interest groups out there don't like
this.

(Oh, if we could only have a dozen small "test a little, fly a little" X
programs like the DC-X/A running concurrently, with no auditors nitpicking
over the engineers trying to build the damn thing. No LockMart
monstrosities like the X-33/Venturestar *spit*)

I do not understand those who advocate abandoning manned spaceflight. It
seems to me like saying we should abandon having pilots at the controls of
aircraft, because pilots are expensive and can make mistakes. Or having
all race cars driven by remote control. Or only allowing remote sensing
equipment to climb mountains.

Am I making sense here? What am I missing?

Trying to be reasonable in a world that doesn't seem to want to be that way.

Jeffrey

"Brian Gaff" wrote in message
...
Have you any idea of the dangers in child birth....

Brian

--

Brian Gaff....Note, this account does not accept Bcc: email.
graphics are great, but the blind can't hear them
Email:

__________________________________________________ __________________________
__________________________________


"Jeffrey Cornish" wrote in message
...
My goodness.

Do you realize that the average car is a disaster waiting to happen?
And
if you look at exceptional cars (race cars, dragsters, etc)--those
vehicles
are even _more_ dangerous.

Do you realize that the average person is an accident waiting to happen?
Disease, degeneration of organs, etc. And exception persons (athletes,
base
jumpers, etc) are even more at risk.

There is no such thing as zero risk.

Jeffrey Cornish.


"bob haller" wrote in message
...



http://www.floridatoday.com/news/spa...riltrailer.htm
HAVE A GREAT DAY!




---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.699 / Virus Database: 456 - Release Date: 04/06/2004

1. No one gets out of life alive.

I like the formulation

"Life is sexually transmitted disease with a 100 % mortality rate." 8-)

Jan

My goodness.

Do you realize that the average car is a disaster waiting to happen? And
if you look at exceptional cars (race cars, dragsters, etc)--those vehicles
are even _more_ dangerous.

Do you realize that the average person is an accident waiting to happen?
Disease, degeneration of organs, etc. And exception persons (athletes, base
jumpers, etc) are even more at risk.

There is no such thing as zero risk.

Jeffrey Cornish

Well theres all sorts of risk.

Maintain your hot rod well or dont bother or know if the lug nuts holding the
weels on are properly tightened

NASA appears to not know if the bolts holding the station together are tight
enough....

Have a vehicle with safety belts or say everything will be fine dont worry
about it

NASA ignoring the debris impact danger appewars a number 2 dont worry about it
everything will be fine....

I believe this was the basic motto of NASA during both the challenger and
columbia operations

In both cases it cost us vehicles and crews.....

Historically we are at serious risk of yet another disaster AND nasa trashing
by a safety board/

How many they screwed up do you think the agency can survive?

Congress might get upset at the waste and gut the agency.

No manned operations, congress could well end manned operations fdor
generations, under the excuse of costly and hazardousd.

Only SMALL satellites, that will burn up comnpletely on reentry. Remember we
have hubble hanging over our head. If they somehow fail getting it fixed or
burned up in the pacific we have a big worldwide issue I dont have much faith
in the robotic service mission and think its a waste of money and resources.

Remenmber there are tons of other agencies that would love to get the shuttle
budget to spend
HAVE A GREAT DAY!