Outlaw Space Tourist!?

This is just an idea. I was thinking it unfair that the rich should buy
a TAX PAYER sub'd ticket to space, (Remember it was the U.S. that
bailed out the Russian Program, (and paid for the station dev.)). I
think maybe a lotto, for rides to the station, (World wide of course).
If the Russians need more funds to keep the taxi running, (We should
chip in a few more bucks, (at least till the Dragon is opp., (LOL).


What do you think! We have all got the right to go! We paid for it!!
Have a drawing once a year or so!!

Carl

wrote in message
oups.com...
This is just an idea. I was thinking it unfair that the rich should buy
a TAX PAYER sub'd ticket to space, (Remember it was the U.S. that
bailed out the Russian Program, (and paid for the station dev.)).

What the US has paid for, the US has gotten. The Russians have been selling
the "third seat" on Soyuz missions for quite some time now. In fact, I
believe the practice predates the shuttle/Mir program, which is when the US
started sending money to Russia:

http://www.astronautix.com/flights/mireo7.htm

Search the above page for "journalist".

This page says the first of the Shuttle/Mir missions was in 1994 when NASA
let a Russian cosmonaut ride on the shuttle during STS-60.

If the US didn't like Russia selling that third seat, it should have been in
the Shuttle/Mir and ISS agreements.

I
think maybe a lotto, for rides to the station, (World wide of course).
If the Russians need more funds to keep the taxi running, (We should
chip in a few more bucks, (at least till the Dragon is opp., (LOL).


What do you think! We have all got the right to go! We paid for it!!
Have a drawing once a year or so!!

I think you're silly to deny the Russians their capitalistic venture of
selling seats on Soyuz. You can take comfort in the fact that the US
Government still has complete socialistic control of its shuttle seats
(they're historically only given away to foreign dignitaries, US
politicians, US contractors, and the like).

Jeff
--
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a
little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor
safety"
- B. Franklin, Bartlett's Familiar Quotations (1919)

Not trying to split hairs here, (But), aren't you forgetting all the
other funds, we have poured into russia for nuke clean-up, and security
issues. We have been keeping them from falling on the face since the
wall fell, (LOL). They are now flush with oil cash, (but who knows whos
getting it). Graf and His Brother are running amok over there. You may
be a little to selective in the old mem. dept, (as it relates to who
wrote, what checks, in a pinch). Yes we have vested too much control in
NASA, but since it is still in service, (How about that Lotto?)! I do
hope Space X gets the Dragon Flying! It would be great to see the
market get some control, (and force United Space AL. and the other
goons to produce, (rather than get paid draw pretty pictures, of
projects that never produce real hardware)). Remember Clinton, and the
Tenn. Robot, left us with this mess to clean up all the way around,
(i.e., X-33, CRV, Faster Better Cheaper, (Al Gores Russian Love Party,
(i.e. the I.S.S.)). The one good thing about G.B.'s Idoits is at least
they are putting on a show of cleaning house, (I just wish they would
go further, (Flame thrower maybe, (LOL))).

Have a great night!

Carl

wrote:

Not trying to split hairs here, (But), aren't you forgetting all the
other funds, we have poured into russia for nuke clean-up, and security
issues. We have been keeping them from falling on the face since the
wall fell, (LOL). They are now flush with oil cash, (but who knows whos
getting it). Graf and His Brother are running amok over there. You may
be a little to selective in the old mem. dept, (as it relates to who
wrote, what checks, in a pinch). Yes we have vested too much control in
NASA, but since it is still in service, (How about that Lotto?)! I do
hope Space X gets the Dragon Flying! It would be great to see the
market get some control, (and force United Space AL. and the other
goons to produce, (rather than get paid draw pretty pictures, of
projects that never produce real hardware)). Remember Clinton, and the
Tenn. Robot, left us with this mess to clean up all the way around,
(i.e., X-33, CRV, Faster Better Cheaper, (Al Gores Russian Love Party,
(i.e. the I.S.S.)). The one good thing about G.B.'s Idoits is at least
they are putting on a show of cleaning house, (I just wish they would
go further, (Flame thrower maybe, (LOL))).

Have a great night!

Carl


The accuracy or falsity of the above being as it may, NASA has
*zero* interest in spaceflight lotteries. Simple as that. And I doubt
Congress would support it, if they did.

--

Frank

You know what to remove to reply...

Check out my web page: http://www.geocities.com/stardolphin1/link2.htm

"To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would be to limit the
human spirit."
- Stephen Hawking

Are we not in control, (we the people, (LOL))? It is we who can force
something to happen, (with enough pressure). It does not matter what
NASA is interested in! We can make them do what we wish with our funds,
(Just look what the tree huggers have gotten done with all this earth
sen. crap). Lets just do a mail in camp. to congress, (Lotto! Lotto!
Lotto!)! Hell it work to save New Hor., Hubble, and Belly button lint
on The Ice Caps. I know this is not a noble cause, (But what the hell,
(It would be really cool if you won)).

Carl

wrote in message
oups.com...
Are we not in control, (we the people, (LOL))?

The people are never directly in control. The representatives they elect
are in control. In the US, we directly elect the Congress and the Senate
and the very top of the Executive branch (president and vice-president).
Those people we don't elect, are either appointed (like judges) or hired
(like most of the executive branch) by elected representatives.

Because of the above, corporations and special interest groups hold a lot of
power in the US because they have a very significant influence over
elections in the US.


Specifically, NASA's funding is determined by the legislature, so you could
theoretically, get Congress and the Senate to pass a bill mandating that
NASA run a space lottery. As long as the president doesn't veto the bill,
it would become law. Assuming that it wasn't challenged and declared
unconstitutional, NASA would have to run the lottery.

But it will never happen.

It is we who can force
something to happen, (with enough pressure). It does not matter what
NASA is interested in!

Actually, it does matter. Congress and the Senate pay fairly close
attention to what direction the Executive Branch (i.e. the presidet, his
aides, the NASA Administrator, and etc) wants to take NASA. They also take
into account input from other sources like the GAO. I doubt the GAO would
look favorably on a space lottery. They already complain that NASA doesn't
know where it spends its money. I doubt they would look favorably on
anything as uncertain as a lottery.

We can make them do what we wish with our funds,
(Just look what the tree huggers have gotten done with all this earth
sen. crap). Lets just do a mail in camp. to congress, (Lotto! Lotto!
Lotto!)! Hell it work to save New Hor., Hubble, and Belly button lint
on The Ice Caps. I know this is not a noble cause, (But what the hell,
(It would be really cool if you won)).

Of course there is the giggle factor coming into play here as well. When
you propose something which is universally seen as silly on the surface,
people can't stop laughing long enough to give the finer points serious
consideration.

Jeff
--
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a
little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor
safety"
- B. Franklin, Bartlett's Familiar Quotations (1919)

On 19 Sep 2006 04:32:47 -0700, wrote:

Are we not in control, (we the people, (LOL))?

We, the people of the United States of America, are not in control
of the internal affairs of the sovereign nation of Russia, nor should
we expect to be. Having sent the Russians money, in any quantity for
any purpose, does not change that. The Russian space program belongs
to the Russians, and it's up to them what they want to do with it.

Anyone who imagined that our sending some money to support certain
aspects of their space program, meant that we now own and control
their space program, is wrong. That never was the deal, and if that
was anyone's expectation, they are going to be disappointed.

If this makes you say we ought to stop sending money to the Russians,
fine, but it's "We the People" not "You the Person", and a whole lot
of us people have reasons other than seeking full control of the
Russian space program, for wanting a bit of taxpayer money sent that
way anyhow.


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