My Thoughts On The Future of Manned Space Travel

The findings of the Augustine Commission on manned spaceflight
are just the tip of the iceberg. Humanity is not ready to tackle space
on a large scale (returning to the Moon, going to Mars, colonizing the
Solar System, etc.) yet and probably won't be for a long time. Money
and politics are a big factor, we still have problems on Earth that we
need to solve, terrorism still exists, and we may not be
technologically capable of tackling space beyond doing things in near-
Earth orbit and sending out robotic probes..

Humanity isn't mature enough of a species yet, and there are
people that agree with this assessment. We still have a world where
too many problems exist and there are too many divisions. I think we
should leave the Moon, Mars, and any other large-scale space missions
alone and let future generations handle them. I think the Augustine
Commission's findings should be a wake-up call that we're trying to
take on a huge undertaking too fast and that we need to slow down, let
time, money, politics, science, technology, etc. take its course and
in the meantime focus on the issues that we have to deal with here on
Earth.

We have too much on our plate to deal with space right now. It all
boils down to this.

The journey beyond our world which will start with the Moon and
Mars and go from there is not ours to take. That journey belongs to
future generations. What we should do is continue to advance
scientifically and technologically, solve the problems that we have
now, and lay the groundwork for future generations to take the journey
into space. The journey into space is not for us to take. That journey
belongs to our children, grandchildren, and following generations, who
will be better equipped to take that journey than us.

But I'll admit that these thoughts are definitely not the way
things will necessarily turn out.

In article
,
Matt Casey wrote:

The findings of the Augustine Commission on manned spaceflight
are just the tip of the iceberg. Humanity is not ready to tackle space
on a large scale (returning to the Moon, going to Mars, colonizing the
Solar System, etc.) yet and probably won't be for a long time. Money
and politics are a big factor, we still have problems on Earth that we
need to solve, terrorism still exists, and we may not be
technologically capable of tackling space beyond doing things in near-
Earth orbit and sending out robotic probes..


Yes -- Current space technology is far too expensive to use on a large
scale, such as starships the size of ocean liners (and passenger loads
to match).

We don't have the propulsion ability to do it yet. Large-scale space
travel will require breakthroughs in both physics and technology --
physics to discover new governing laws, and technology to obtain both
materials and control systems to take advantage of those discoveries.

--
Remove _'s from email address to talk to me.

I don't think the ocean liner thing is what he meant. He meant that we may
not be ready to go back to the Moon, go to Mars, etc. right now due to
financil, social, and other problems. And future generations may be better
be equipped to do those things than us. I think President Obama is letting
us know that. Let's keep things confined to near-Earth orbit and let our
children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, etc. take the next step.

"Orval Fairbairn" wrote in message
news
In article
,
Matt Casey wrote:

The findings of the Augustine Commission on manned spaceflight
are just the tip of the iceberg. Humanity is not ready to tackle space
on a large scale (returning to the Moon, going to Mars, colonizing the
Solar System, etc.) yet and probably won't be for a long time. Money
and politics are a big factor, we still have problems on Earth that we
need to solve, terrorism still exists, and we may not be
technologically capable of tackling space beyond doing things in near-
Earth orbit and sending out robotic probes..


Yes -- Current space technology is far too expensive to use on a large
scale, such as starships the size of ocean liners (and passenger loads
to match).

We don't have the propulsion ability to do it yet. Large-scale space
travel will require breakthroughs in both physics and technology --
physics to discover new governing laws, and technology to obtain both
materials and control systems to take advantage of those discoveries.

--
Remove _'s from email address to talk to me.

LOW COST TO ORBIT LOW COST TO ORBIT and LOW COST TO ORBIT!

Once that goal is met everything else becomes more affordable

besides we need a real goal in space. like solar power or protecting
our planet from a killer asteroid hit.

we can no longer afford useless research and playing around

Matt Casey wrote:

snippage empty headed handwaving.

Do you have any actual thought that you actually put some thought
into?

D.
--
Touch-twice life. Eat. Drink. Laugh.

http://derekl1963.livejournal.com/

-Resolved: To be more temperate in my postings.
Oct 5th, 2004 JDL

What do you mean?
"Derek Lyons" wrote in message
...
Matt Casey wrote:

snippage empty headed handwaving.

Do you have any actual thought that you actually put some thought
into?

D.
--
Touch-twice life. Eat. Drink. Laugh.

http://derekl1963.livejournal.com/

-Resolved: To be more temperate in my postings.
Oct 5th, 2004 JDL

On Sep 13, 10:55*pm, (Derek Lyons) wrote:
Matt Casey wrote:

snippage empty headed handwaving.

Do you have any actual thought that you actually put some thought
into?

D.
--
Touch-twice life. Eat. Drink. Laugh.

http://derekl1963.livejournal.com/

-Resolved: To be more temperate in my postings.
Oct 5th, 2004 JDL

Well, you heard the Augustine Commission report, didn't you? And I
think it is obvious that we're not ready to do this stuff yet. Are you
saying the Augustine Commission is wrong?

Matt Casey wrote:

On Sep 13, 10:55*pm, (Derek Lyons) wrote:
Matt Casey wrote:

snippage empty headed handwaving.

Do you have any actual thought that you actually put some thought
into?

Well, you heard the Augustine Commission report, didn't you? And I
think it is obvious that we're not ready to do this stuff yet. Are you
saying the Augustine Commission is wrong?

The Augustine Commission report is fluffy political handwaving - it
says we are 'not ready' to 'do this stuff' while adroitly avoiding the
hard task of actually defining either 'ready' or 'this stuff' in
unequivocal terms.

D.
--
Touch-twice life. Eat. Drink. Laugh.

http://derekl1963.livejournal.com/

-Resolved: To be more temperate in my postings.
Oct 5th, 2004 JDL

(Derek Lyons) writes:
The Augustine Commission report is fluffy political handwaving - it
says we are 'not ready' to 'do this stuff' while adroitly avoiding the
hard task of actually defining either 'ready' or 'this stuff' in
unequivocal terms.

D.

Derek,

You and I both know that a fluffy political handwave is all this
Administration needs to shutdown Constellation and a back to the moon
program.

We'll be lucky if Orion/Aries-I survives. Right now it's looking
to me to be about 50/50. We'll know better after Halloween.

I suspect this Administration will be willing to go along with
extended shuttle flights indefinitely until the next one is lost.
Then that will be the end of that as well.

How's that for unequivocal?

Dave

David Spain wrote:

We'll be lucky if Orion/Aries-I survives.

That would be the worst possible outcome.

It would be nice if you retarded Ares I supporters would at least take
the time to learn how the word is ****ING SPELLED, and what it means.