North American Suckup Adminstration...

[krashkart]

If the White House wants to use NASA as an outreach to the Middle East, more power to them. I truly hope that their efforts to spread a better understanding of our strange and exotic civilization succeeds with beneficial results for all involved parties.

And while they are at it I would certainly hope that they stay on track with NASA's intended mission of exploring space. Mars is a long, long ways away from the primitive ISS missions.

[Betonov]

What we need is another space race.
If ESA (european space agency) would also get their thumbs out their behinds and give a decent competition to NASA, situation on both sides of the atlantic would improve

[krashkart]

Originally Posted by Betonov

What we need is another space race.
If ESA (european space agency) would also get their thumbs out their behinds and give a decent competition to NASA, situation on both sides of the atlantic would improve

As long as it doesn't involve ICBM development this time.

[razark]

Originally Posted by krashkart

As long as it doesn't involve ICBM development this time.

Well, if we ever intend to get to Mars, we're going to need Inter-Planetary Ballistic Missiles. ICBMs just would be enough.

[Betonov]

Originally Posted by krashkart

As long as it doesn't involve ICBM development this time.

that is actually the Individual Cab Ballistic Mobility system, one person shuttles for high speed EU-USA transit. You sit inside the rocket and get launched towards your destination

[krashkart]

Originally Posted by Betonov

that is actually the Individual Cab Ballistic Mobility system, one person shuttles for high speed EU-USA transit. You sit inside the rocket and get launched towards your destination

That does come with braking chutes, I hope? Would make for a rather messy arrival without them.

[Betonov]

Originally Posted by krashkart

That does come with braking chutes, I hope? Would make for a rather messy arrival without them.

a giant baseball glove on US side and a giant fishing net on EU side

[Moeceefus]

This is what happens when you try to fly on just a left wing.

[krashkart]

Originally Posted by Betonov

a giant baseball glove on US side and a giant fishing net on EU side

Aim for this and see if you can get it to roll around:

[Platapus]

I think that NASA should concentrate on building satellites that work.

Once they get that down, then we can work on the international marketing BS.

[robbo180265]

"Charles Bolden, the Nasa administrator, talks to Al Jazeera's Imran Garda about the US relationship with the Middle East after Obama's so-called Cairo initiative, reaching out to the Muslim world, international contribution to the space mission, the constellation project, Nasa's challenges, militarisation of space, the US leadership role in space, and life in space".


Out of context much?

Originally Posted by krashkart

If the White House wants to use NASA as an outreach to the Middle East, more power to them. I truly hope that their efforts to spread a better understanding of our strange and exotic civilization succeeds with beneficial results for all involved parties.

And while they are at it I would certainly hope that they stay on track with NASA's intended mission of exploring space. Mars is a long, long ways away from the primitive ISS missions.

Couldn't agree with you more (as usual)

[tater]

Originally Posted by krashkart

If the White House wants to use NASA as an outreach to the Middle East, more power to them. I truly hope that their efforts to spread a better understanding of our strange and exotic civilization succeeds with beneficial results for all involved parties.

And while they are at it I would certainly hope that they stay on track with NASA's intended mission of exploring space. Mars is a long, long ways away from the primitive ISS missions.

Look, saying that education, even worldwide is A goal of NASA is fine, just fine. Saying that it is an important goal or focus to reach out to medieval religious nuts is, well, insane.

How's the NASA reach out tot he Luddites coming? How about reaching out to the "moon landing was faked" whackos?

[krashkart]

Originally Posted by tater

Look, saying that education, even worldwide is A goal of NASA is fine, just fine. Saying that it is an important goal or focus to reach out to medieval religious nuts is, well, insane.

How's the NASA reach out tot he Luddites coming? How about reaching out to the "moon landing was faked" whackos?

Yeah, the conspiracy nuts. I don't think they can be changed. They've already made up their mind that the government pulled off the biggest hoax in human history. Reality escapes them I guess. To each their own strange beliefs.

Personally I would have liked to see another US moon shot per the previous administration's initiative. Unfortunately the current administration scrapped it and as such that may have set the space program back twenty or thirty years. I can gripe about that all day and still not feel any better for it. *poof*

I guess that the cultural differences between the tribal mentality of (much of) the Middle East and our own equally strange and bass-ackwards mentality are vast at this point. The way it looks to me, the Barack of Obama is trying to bridge those gaps in any way he can. More power to him because the road ahead looks to be long and treacherous. I think sometimes that our great-grandkids (on both sides) will still be dueling it out before the dust can settle. Somehow this great divide in ideologies we see today must be resolved with benefit to both parties in order for our species to progress. If it requires using the best and brightest in our nation to reach out on some level, so much the better.

...As long as it doesn't sap NASA's potential.

[razark]

Originally Posted by krashkart

Yeah, the conspiracy nuts. I don't think they can be changed. They've already made up their mind that the government pulled off the biggest hoax in human history. Reality escapes them I guess. To each their own strange beliefs.

But it's so much fun yelling to the folks on the tram that it was all done on a sound stage.

Originally Posted by krashkart

Personally I would have liked to see another US moon shot per the previous administration's initiative. Unfortunately the current administration scrapped it and as such that may have set the space program back twenty or thirty years. I can gripe about that all day and still not feel any better for it. *poof*

But doing a moon shot would be setting the program back. We did it 40 years ago. What would doing it again prove? That we can still do what we did 40 years ago?
If we want to make progress in space exploration, we need to go places we haven't been yet. The moon offers very little to us right now. Our next goal should be setting up a sustainable outpost on Mars. Planting flags and leaving footprints is not going to get us anywhere.

[tater]

Why should I, an American taxpayer, fund ANY education in Muslim countries that presumably will only go towards building missiles, or other things to murder unbelievers?

Or am I missing a point?