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Poll about astronautics (french by easy)
Thierry wrote:
"canopus56" wrote in message ... snip As you say, there are not many difference between US and Europe in this regard. All depend in fact on the current activity of the space program as you showed. snip However, when there is a stop in the program for any reason or when a new program is scheduled (e.g. Constellation), then again medai and people are all behind astronauts waiting the next hero. I feel public support is caused by ongoing discoveries that are accessible by the public and not by astronauts becoming herioc media celebrities. Niel Armstrong personal modesty with respect to his historic role of being the Christopher Colombus of the Moon is a case in point. Public support for the space program in 1990s through 2005 has more to do with images being regularly returned and distributed by the Great Observatories like the Hubble and Spitzer space telecopes and robotic missions like Cassini, Gallileo and the Mars rovers. The 50% of the public supporting space exploration understand that it is long-term endeavor and is a necessary expression of the human spirit of exploration. The human need for exploration is why 50% of American and French citizen support space expenditures, even though it might take away from necessary social program spending. The danger to public support for NASA is too much emphasis on manned exploration. At $8 billion U.S. a piece for two lost shuttles and $700 million U.S. to make a delivery to the International Space Station using the shuttle, there will be a limit to that public support after a catastropic spacecraft losses. We need both - manned missions and robotic - but the current U.S. administration's committment is to support only one or the other while reducing inflation adjusted funding for both. If shuttles cost $100-200 million U.S. and only $50 million per launch, public opinion might be different. If NASA's budget is concentrated in manned exploration and there is a catestrophic loss of spacecraft and astronaut life, it is easier for politicians to call for the entire program's cancellation. If there is catestropic loss of a Constellation-Orion, it will be missions like the Mars Reconnisance Orbiter (MRO), the Mars Rovers and Cassini that will keep the agency afloat in public opinion. Looks like the 2007 NASA budget ratio is 0.6% - 16.3B / 2770B = 0.6% http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2007/tables.html - Canopus56 |
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