NASA’s New Priorities

I was initially taken in by this story. I tried to imagine how this made any sense at all when NASA is laying off employees and contractors who are working on sactual space programs and the director travels to Egypt and says his number one mission as directed by the President is to make the muslim world feel better about itself. Upon further review, it's not quite as bad as that. The dude was listing his outreach priorites, not his overall priorities. We can argue that maybe NASA should focus on their real mission and not fancy pants outreach programs, but I no longer believe that the NASA director nor the President want muslim glad-handing to be NASA's number one mission.

If the NASA budget has to get cut, then by all means cut all the outreach programs and non-space related research before cutting any space missions.

The entire idea that our nation's space agency is tasked with propaganda and psuedo-diplomacy makes me upset.

TJ wrote: ...The entire idea that our nation's space agency is tasked with propaganda and psuedo-diplomacy makes me upset.

I really don't want to make fun of you, but historically, that statement is rather ridiculous. It could be reasonably said that the ENTIRE purpose of the space program was for propaganda and psuedo-diplomacy.

this seems, from the Post's federal page, to be the latest in a growing line of Obamaisms. He basically seems to talking out of his heini to anyone that'll listen to his waffling. Then people take him at his words, and the Press secretary Gibbs has to say, no that is not the administrations position - putting the blame on the poor fool, such as NASA's head honcho, Bolden.

No offense but it seems at least recently the really smart people that I know that have got internships and jobs in the space industry have been hired by the private space industry.

See? I waited enough and in come the people to defend it.

aircooled wrote:

TJ wrote: ...The entire idea that our nation's space agency is tasked with propaganda and psuedo-diplomacy makes me upset.

I really don't want to make fun of you, but historically, that statement is rather ridiculous. It could be reasonably said that the ENTIRE purpose of the space program was for propaganda and psuedo-diplomacy.

I really don't want to make fun of you, but historically the propaganda and pseudo-diplomacy was to affirm the US's technological capabilities and resolve to out-perform ideologies that promised to "bury us".

Just sayin!

Certainly true, but does that in any way not make it propaganda and pseudo-diplomacy?

I don't think you are making fun of me btw, you seem to be reinforcing my point.

From: http://pajamasmedia.com/victordavishanson/the-year-2-ab/?singlepage=true (discussing the new "After Bush" time and the differences in how we now view the world)

Predator targeted assassinations are as necessary and humane as three waterboarding incidents were not. I know that because Ivy League law deans are silent about, or have signed off on, the current targeted assassinations. After all, would you rather have water illegally poured down your throat, or legally be vaporized as if hit by lightning? We are not killing “terrorists” or “Islamists” in Waziristan; instead our “overseas contingency operations” are aimed at reminding Muslims that their own past contributions to science have led to breakthroughs like Hellfire missiles.

aircooled wrote: Certainly true, but does that in any way not make it propaganda and pseudo-diplomacy? I don't think you are making fun of me btw, you seem to be reinforcing my point.

Not reinforcing, just clarifying!

aircooled wrote:

TJ wrote: ...The entire idea that our nation's space agency is tasked with propaganda and psuedo-diplomacy makes me upset.

I really don't want to make fun of you, but historically, that statement is rather ridiculous. It could be reasonably said that the ENTIRE purpose of the space program was for propaganda and psuedo-diplomacy.

Fair enough. Although, while I'll concede that sending men to the moon and making followers of religion feel better about themselves could both be viewed as propaganda, they are not the same. If the Secretary of State said it was her goal to build better relations with the Muslim world and help them feel better about themselves it would be just as silly, but at least be in her swim lane. I want NASA to worry about space and if other nations see that as a reason to like or hate us then it is diplomacy and/or propaganda as a side effect not as the main goal.

If there is a new net result of this touchy-feely policy of Muslim propaganda that correlates results in the kind of advancement that the space programs represented in technology that we're all using in everyday life and are continually trying to refine and innovate upon, then perhaps in hindsight, i'll consider such a comparison to be less...ridiculous ;p