Re: NASA Budget 1958 - 2003 in constant (1996) dollars

[Jorge R. Frank]

Rusty Barton > wrote in
:

> On 17 Jul 2003 00:30:59 GMT, "Jorge R. Frank" >
> wrote:
>
>>Cool! Where'd you find the 1958-61 numbers? I've only been able to
>>find back to 1962:
>
> NASA Budget info 1958 - 1961:
>
> http://www.richardb.us/nasa.htm - near bottom of page
> http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4102/ch7.htm Table 7-1 "Expenditures"
> http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2002/digest2001/tables/dt035.asp - Federal

Thanks!

> But what do we have for
> around $ 370-billion? 3 old shuttles, 2 heaps of shuttle fragments,
> 1 incomplete space station,

And what did we get for Apollo? Two lawn-ornament Saturn Vs, several
museum-piece CMs, a virtual scrap-heap of spent S-IBs and S-ICs on the
Atlantic floor, and 800 lbs of rocks? Sure, that's a very utilitarian way
of looking at Apollo, but it's equivalent to the view of the shuttle that
you give.

> a few planetary missions

A few? During the period you give (1970-2003), we got two Venus orbiters
(one carrying several atmospheric probes), several Mars orbiters and
landers, three Mars rovers, flybys of all the other planets except Pluto,
and orbiters of Jupiter and Saturn. We also got the Great Observatories -
Hubble, Compton, Chandra, and the upcoming SIRTF.

--
JRF

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[Mike Speegle]

In news:Jorge R. Frank > typed:
> Rusty Barton > wrote in
> :

>
> > But what do we have for
> > around $ 370-billion? 3 old shuttles, 2 heaps of shuttle fragments,
> > 1 incomplete space station,
>
> And what did we get for Apollo? Two lawn-ornament Saturn Vs, several
> museum-piece CMs, a virtual scrap-heap of spent S-IBs and S-ICs on the
> Atlantic floor, and 800 lbs of rocks? Sure, that's a very utilitarian
> way of looking at Apollo, but it's equivalent to the view of the
> shuttle that you give.
>
> > a few planetary missions
>
> A few? During the period you give (1970-2003), we got two Venus
> orbiters (one carrying several atmospheric probes), several Mars
> orbiters and landers, three Mars rovers, flybys of all the other
> planets except Pluto, and orbiters of Jupiter and Saturn. We also got
> the Great Observatories - Hubble, Compton, Chandra, and the upcoming
> SIRTF.

Well said, Jorge. But I always wonder why so many people bitch and
whine and moan about NASA. Does not NASA do what Congress allows and is
willing to pay for? The bitching and whining and moaning would be
better directed to your local congress critter if you hope to accomplish
any progressive change in NASA. Or am I wrong in this attitude?
--
Mike
__________________________________________________ ______
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