No wonder NASA lost funding

http://www.wired.com/2015/03/nasas-plan-give-moon-moon/

So, we're going to take this rock from over there, and move it over here. It will take a few years, and cost about $1.25B, but think of the possibilities! The rock will now be orbiting the moon instead! And then we can walk on it, and stuff!

I am totally not making this up:

NASA associate administrator Robert Lightfoot said said: The option to retrieve a boulder from an asteroid will have a direct impact on planning for future human missions to deep space and begin a new era of spaceflight.

And in spirit of "not making this up"...

Dave Barry said: If the NASA guys thought that the taxpayers would let them get away with it, they'd try to hit the Moon with a Buick

So, Dave Barry had NASA by about ten years. Nice. Let's just give Dave Barry the $1.25B to write some awesome stuff and leave the rock in the asteroid field?

Nothing good has ever come from playing around in space. Let's just wipe out all of NASA. Think of all the things we could blow up with that money instead.

Or..."the mission will let NASA test technology and practice techniques needed for going to Mars."

Seems like a decent idea to me, for the reasons laid out in the article...it's a good way to kill a lot of birds with one stone, including getting some experience that could be useful for diverting NEOs.

Or maybe you could build some other ridiculously overpowered weapon so that if WW2 breaks out again, the US can single-handedly put a stop to it, whichever.

That's some selective reading right there.

"The mission will let NASA test technology and practice techniques needed for going to Mars." They want to test a new propulsion system, and practice precision maneuvers. It makes sense to pick up and transport a payload that's already in space - how much would it cost to send up something the size and weight of that large rock to use for their tests, when they can just grab a rock that's already up there?

Seriously, NASA are such hacks. They need to get with the program. 1.5 BILLION, wow, what amateurs:

F-35 Total Costs Soar to $1.5 Trillion

What has science ever done for humanity anyway!?

I live in the land of NASA, and my dad was indeed a rocket scientist. Many, many of your life improvements originated from programs such as this. Not the least of which are some of the exotic materials we use in race cars. If you could drive around my area and see the many companies and what they offer, all because of the space program, you would officially be mind boggled!

Even DNA chaining originated because of the space program to some extent, but that's another story.

I still have trouble getting my pens to write upside down.

The Russians used pencils.

GameboyRMH wrote: Or maybe you could build some other ridiculously overpowered weapon so that if WW2 breaks out again, the US can single-handedly put a stop to it, whichever.

Who needs an overpowered weapon when you have an asteroid to threaten the entire world with.....

trucke wrote: I still have trouble getting my pens to write upside down. The Russians used pencils.

Yeah. The US used pencils too. But the tips would break off, and in zero gravity with a ton of fragile instruments around that was not the best situation. So they started looking for another, and found that this guy named Fisher had a zero gravity pen. Fisher had spent about $1 million of his own money making it. Fisher sold them to NASA, 400 or 500 of them, for about $2 or $3 each.

Fun urban legend, but not true.

This thread isn't going how OP expected, I expect.

HOW much did the development leading up to Apollo 11 cost? They were on the moon for what, 22 hours? And all they brought home were some stupid rocks?

Sorry, but you're going to have a hard time convincing me that the space program is a waste of money. They do waste money sometimes, but the mission itself is never a waste. Nothing is cost-effective in its early days. If we let that stop us, we wouldn't even have Viking ships to get around in.

trucke wrote: I still have trouble getting my pens to write upside down.

Here you go:

http://www.spacepen.com/775G-WHITE-W-MUSICALNOTES.aspx

In reply to aircooled:

I bet the A10 works in space.

Here's a way to feel better about the price, this mission would be only 25% more than looking very closely at people's faces for terrorist intent

Grizz wrote: In reply to aircooled: I bet the A10 works in space.

As long as there is ammo in the drum it would have propulsion, and could you hear BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTTTT in space?

When I moved to FL in 2002 the Space Shuttle was taking off on a regular basis. Folks would line the beach, and the area around the launch would be filled with people wanting to experience a launch first-hand.

It was an inspirational experience to see one take off, and it made me feel proud to be American every single time I watched it leave--- or return to this planet.

It used to be kids would dream of being astronauts. In order to achieve their dreams they would study science harder, and try to emulate the lives of their heros who headed into the unknown. Now that dream is gone.....unless you are Russian.

There is much more to the space program than the money spent. It was an inspirational beacon, a way for us to do things other countries didn't have the capability to do. It was also a way to learn, and expand our idea of what is out there, and maybe even where we came from.

I'm pretty fiscally conservative, but I think the space program was money well spent. I'd like to see more money-- not less-- invested in NASA.

mtn wrote:

trucke wrote: I still have trouble getting my pens to write upside down. The Russians used pencils.

Yeah. The US used pencils too. But the tips would break off, and in zero gravity with a ton of fragile instruments around that was not the best situation. So they started looking for another, and found that this guy named Fisher had a zero gravity pen. Fisher had spent about $1 million of his own money making it. Fisher sold them to NASA, 400 or 500 of them, for about $2 or $3 each. Fun urban legend, but not true.

http://www.snopes.com/business/genius/spacepen.asp

Yeah, pencils had problems up there too.

Related to my above post......the sound of brrrrrrrrtt is much better than music.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rFaPSqpxp5w

Clearly we wont have to worry about any Independence Day scenarios with Warthogs in orbit to meet the aliens before Will Smith can.

E: Also, in space, no one can hear you BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT

Duke wrote: HOW much did the development leading up to Apollo 11 cost? They were on the moon for what, 22 hours? And all they brought home were some stupid rocks? Sorry, but you're going to have a hard time convincing me that the space program is a waste of money. They do *waste money* sometimes, but the mission itself is never a waste. **Nothing** is cost-effective in its early days. If we let that stop us, we wouldn't even have Viking ships to get around in.

Not only that, but the money doesn't disappear, a lot of intelligent people get paid and then they make their mortgage payments and etc. trickle-up economics. And all that we get out of the deal is technological advancements that everyone benefits from.

It's sort of the same thing we get/used to get from wars, but that is so passe' nowadays.

Knurled wrote:

Duke wrote: HOW much did the development leading up to Apollo 11 cost? They were on the moon for what, 22 hours? And all they brought home were some stupid rocks? Sorry, but you're going to have a hard time convincing me that the space program is a waste of money. They do *waste money* sometimes, but the mission itself is never a waste. **Nothing** is cost-effective in its early days. If we let that stop us, we wouldn't even have Viking ships to get around in.

Not only that, but the money doesn't disappear, a lot of intelligent people get paid and then they make their mortgage payments and etc. trickle-up economics. And all that we get out of the deal is technological advancements that everyone benefits from. It's sort of the same thing we get/used to get from wars, but that is so passe' nowadays.

Exactly. Apollo's follow on effects boosted the economy by hundreds of times what was put into it (actually a vast understatement). All that for a mission to go pick up a few rocks. Best deal ever.

Stupid NASA. Wanting to spend the cost of one fighter jet to possibly find better propulsion systems to help us get off this rock and to move large space rocks around with precision. You can't kill Terr-ists with a damn space rock. Sure as hell can't restrict personal freedoms or cause drama. Stupid NASA.

Bobzilla wrote: Stupid NASA. Wanting to spend the cost of one fighter jet to possibly find better propulsion systems to help us get off this rock and to move large space rocks around with precision. You can't kill Terr-ists with a damn space rock. Sure as hell can't restrict personal freedoms or cause drama. Stupid NASA.

Actually, killing terr-ists with a damn space rock sounds pretty freaking awesome

Bobzilla wrote: You can't kill Terr-ists with a damn space rock.

Well, not precision-like anyway.

Bobzilla wrote: Stupid NASA. Wanting to spend the cost of one fighter jet to possibly find better propulsion systems to help us get off this rock and to move large space rocks around with precision. You can't kill Terr-ists with a damn space rock. Sure as hell can't restrict personal freedoms or cause drama. Stupid NASA.

Sure you can. A couple KEWs would steralize the region and partially dig the holes to drill for their oil in. All without radiation!

Seriously though, NASA is one of those subjects that riles me up. It doesn't matter which party is in office they get the short end of the stick. That really needs to change.

I actually, despite my financial conservatism, have no issues with the plan proposed above. Its like the Gemini missions, you have to have the ability to do the research if you want to follow through with the big picture.