Space Conference Called "Constructive," "Productive"

[blakeredfield]

Wow! USS Enterprise Transporter Chief, Miles O'Brien 25:40 works on the ISS now. Thats great news everyone!

[jibbi4one]

Uh Yea !! Where does Lori get her hair done @12:47 need some highlighting done girl. Freeze frame & switch to large screen @ 14:35 is that two wedding bands-Oh my gadd ???

[Yellowwatts]

google Doe's Account, its mindblowing.

[mdr48371]

I really liked the conferences. It's good to see a realistic plan put forth by smart people to get to Mars, instead of the unfunded mandates and the Constellation boondoggle. This plan has sound engineering and project management behind it, and we will see results in 5 years instead of 10.

[nirbija]

There is a saying, 'reach for the stars; and you will at least reach the Moon!

By prepping for Mars and the asteroids, landing on the barren, lifeless Moon, AGAIN, will be no problem

Until there is something specific and practical to be achieved on returning to a barren Moon, it is much better to continue to prep for deeper and deeper space, with greater likelihood of an 'elorado'. lol

[CessnaDriver2]

@NederlandSagan

No. One dozen people have been to the moon.

And it was just scratching the surface of the potential there!

We can learn to live, work and exploit other worlds there.

You need to read Homer Hickams blog.

Obama is a disaster.

[PlayT0E]

Space ship one has shown technology is advanced enough that private enterprise can get into space. This plan provides a market for further innovation and lets private companies show a reasonable business plan with a profit margin based on further innovation.

[CessnaDriver2]

@PlayT0E

Spaceshipone and what Virgin Galactic is doing is STRICTLY suborbital. It gets nothing to space very long. Only minutes and very very low altitude.

Only good for rich tourists rides. Which is fine. I want to be one.

But it is no replacement for NASA.

[PlayT0E]

@CessnaDriver2 remember that now they have incentive and opportunity to add a couple of solid booster rockets and this will boost them up to the ISS. The next generation of Space Ship One should be able to reach low earth orbit where the ISS flies

A commercial passenger capability will let NASA focus on heavy lift and deep space missions.

[CessnaDriver2]

@PlayT0E

No, private industry hasn't orbited a single crewed vehicle.

Not a single one. And it won't for a very long time.

Rutan's designs cannot handle on orbit lenghty stays nor deal with reentry.

They barely reach space proper for minutes at a time.

And I was an X-Prize Foundation member. I support their work.

But what NASA needs to do is too much for them now.

[PlayT0E]

@CessnaDriver2 remember that not long ago, even reaching space was beyond a private dream.

The Obama plan lets the x prize winners and runner's up have a new goal to reach, and I'm sure some will, and probably sooner than many expect.

[nirbija]

@PlayT0E You damn right!

'Competition' among private enterprises will do a lot more than NASA ever could even dream of doing!

And when there are meaningful, promising, practical and big goals to be achieved in space, then the government can step in to assist with the investments.

It's like US turning over computer technology to private enterprises. The US government would never have achieved as much in computing; because it would be a political football!

[CessnaDriver2]

@PlayT0E

It's not private if the government is still paying for it.

I need not be lectured on X-prize. I helped pay for it.

I was a foundation member.

I support NASA for the good of mankind.

I support private industyr for the good of getting my butt into space someday.

They share some things, but are TWO different animals. Obama is confused or so anti-Bush himself he cannot stand to let Constellation go to the moon.

Again, the Astronaut corp is against this for damn good reasons.

[CessnaDriver2]

@NederlandSagan

Worst plan ever.

It kills human spaceflight at NASA.

IF it were so great, why are the vast majority of spaceflight legends against it?

[kingme99]

@CessnaDriver2 Neil & all Nasa officials aren't against it - because it will actually have 6 billion MORE in funding and allow further exploration than Bush wanted. It extends the ISS by 5 more years and allows Orion and more new spacecraft to be built. All Bush's plan had was Ares & Orion - Obama's plan has Ares 4 and 5, Orion, new spacecraft developed by Nasa, new spacecraft developed by private industry, more destinations like asteroids, Mars' surface AND Mars' moons and more.

[CessnaDriver2]

Wow, you really need to get educated on the plans.

You have a lot of errors there. There are NO Ares rockets under the Obama plan. Only plans to make plans for a heavy lift. It has a dumbed down Orion "lite" that will be nothing but an escape pod for the space station. NO new crewed spacecraft designed by NASA and those destinations are so far in the future they are meaningless goals with no actual hardware being worked on now to do so.

[kingme99]

@CessnaDriver2 That isn't true Ares 5 is the heavy lift rocket. Secondly, with this plan NASA will be able to create new spacecraft better than Orion, in fact, under Bush, Orion was all they funded (and it was tragically underfunded), now we have 6 billion more by Obama, and Nasa already plans on building more spacecraft. And yes, Orion could potentially still used for something other than ISS

[CessnaDriver2]

@kingme99

Ares V is cancelled under Obama plan.

Replaced with five years of thinking about heavy lift. Not building heavy lift.

What new spacecraft?

Where is the design?

Where is the phantom Obama spacecraft?

Obama cut NASA funding intially.

"6 billion more" is a shell game.

[CessnaDriver2]

@kingme99

It's 6 billion spread out over five years ripped from Constellation and thrown to the four nascent winds of commerical that has NO spacecraft at it has ever flown.

Look fine. Don't listen to me.

Can you ignore Armstrong? Cernan? Schmitt? Lovell? Kranz? Hickam? Jones? Musgrave? Duke? Cunningham? Kraft? Bean? Borman? Crippen?

On and on there ok? Getting it?

Are you saying Obama knows better then those legends?

You would be a fool to dismiss them.

[nirbija]

@CessnaDriver2 You left out Buzz Aldrin! ?? lol

And yes!

Obama knows a lot more about how to guide the nation as a whole into the future than all of those so-called 'legends'!

It is clear by now, Obama IS NOT like the 'decider', whose brains is in whatever little 'guts' he had

Prof Obama knows to surround himself with highly intelligent, highly competent & highly experienced Americans to aid decision-making.

It is THEIR conclusions that inform Obama's decisions on leading USA in EVERY area!

[CessnaDriver2]

@nirbija

Obama knows best huh? LOL

Do you know the degrees held by that long list of people against him?

We all know this plan is mostly Garver's doing.

Do you know what she is degreed in? Politics!

Not engineering, not space! Obama is not talking to the people

he needs too. He is ignoring them!

But.. he cannot ignore congress. Congress will decide, not Obama.

Congress controls the purse strings. And they remain sceptical and unconviinced. As they shoudl be. at this disaster.

[nirbija]

@CessnaDriver2 Merely 'having degrees' as qualification to be 'against' Obama, is not enough!

They are powerless; some are even impertinent to boot!

Congress will decide what? Decide what Obama authorizes and will sign into law!

Clowns find it hard to accept that merely being against Obama is not power to override a PRESIDENT'S national decisions

So what do you do? You wish upon a star that Congress will somehow come up with another decision, even if it is not as thoroughly researched Tsk

[CessnaDriver2]

@nirbija

Aldrin is one of the few names he has.

And I would caution you, Aldrin is playing politics because he wants his foot in the door for his ideas. He recently wrote articles promoting many things that are clearly NOT part of the Obama plan.

He is all over the place.

[nirbija]

@CessnaDriver2

And the impertinent others who oppose Obama's carefully thought out plan, don't want their 'foot in the door for their ideas'?

Do you listen to yourself? Never mind. lol

Everyone is keen to promote their ideas about NASA's aims!

It is for Obama to decide which plan is the most feasible for NASA and the nation

He has to consider a whole lot more variables than your nerdy science & engineering crowd even bother to think about!

Obama's plan (Big Picture) won't suit narrow focus

[CessnaDriver2]

@nirbija

Obama's "big picture" is beyond the scope of his term.

You seem to think that he will be president forever.

Soon he will have an even less friendly congress.

His approval is tanking quicker then any modern presidents.

You have some very seriously naive understanding of how government works.

Are you American?

Old expression for years.... the president proposes, congress disposes.

It's always been that way, Presidents don't get what they want without congress.

[nirbija]

@CessnaDriver2 We see that you are one of the unschooled who are suffering from 'polling superstition'? lol

"His approval is tanking quicker .."

The only real 'approval' that practical minds are concerned was the poll numbers on Nov of 08!

All other so-called 'poll numbers' are mere PROJECTIONS!

They are worthless garbage, invented to keep media morons in shit & controversy!

And as you stated, all a President need do is 'PROPOSE'!

And Congress will dispose, as was done with Obama's Healthcare

[CessnaDriver2]

@nirbija

Obamacare is unpopular *duh*., no sign of people warming up to it, Obama's numbers continue to plunge quicker then any modern president. Think about that.

He attempted NO bipartisan support on that massive mess. Democrats in congress are going to pay for it BIGTIME in November,

Congressional resistance to Obama on NASA is bipartisan and growing.

[nirbija]

@Cessna Ha ha!

It wasn't too difficult to figure out that it was puerile & political, the inane opposition to Obama's well researched, well thought out & WELL FUNDED space goals!

When disingenuous, dishonest, deceptive, devilish, destructive & utterly incompetent bush promised the Moon (knowing fully well funds WOULD NOT be forthcoming; because he had his wars to start) where were the 'experts' writing asinine articles chastising the trickster, bush?

Obama's meaningful/real numbers?

Nov 08!

[CessnaDriver2]

@nirbija

Wow. Your really drinking the Obama-ade there.

Your massively disconnected with reality.

I will again remind you of some of those that are STRONGLY against Obamas "carefully" thought out plan.

Armstrong, Cernan, Lovell, Kranz, Borman, Carpenter, Crippen, Musgrave, Duke, Schmitt, Jones, Cunningham,Lousma,Kraft,Brand,­Gibson,Bean,Wordon, Carpenter,Lunney,McDivitt,Hais­,Carr,Garn,McCandless,Weitz,Mu­eller,Gordon.

And your qualifications are? I didn't get them.

[nirbija]

@Cessna You should join me; & 'drink' an 'ade' that will open closed minds to possibilities. lol

Being 'strongly against' IS NOT a valid argument!

Especially in the presently charge political atmosphere, we can observe many Americans who are 'against' that which is in their best interests, and even against the best interests of USA?

The position of your guys are weak, shallow, invalid & suspect; especially since they were silent when the were CYNICALLY promised an UNDERFUNDED Moon trip!

[nirbija]

@Cessna Know what is most perplexing for US future?

The ignorance, arrogance & mis-education of too many Americans!

The highly intelligent & highly educated Obama, surrounds himself with nobel laureates to inform his decision on science & technology, etc.

The certified idiot, bush, surrounds himself with religious & political nincompoops to MISINFORM his science decisions!

Yet, your noisy types were silent on bush!

And you know why?

Because 'he, bush, was one of us', one of us IDIOTS! lol

[CessnaDriver2]

@nirbija

Alrighty then, I think hope for rational thought is quite over now.

Olbermann? is that you?

You better tell these men how great Obama is, not me.

Armstrong, Cernan, Lovell, Kranz, Borman, Carpenter, Crippen, Musgrave, Duke, Schmitt, Jones, Cunningham,Lousma,Kraft,Brand,­Gibson,Bean,Wordon, Carpenter,Lunney,McDivitt,Hais­,Carr,Garn,McCandless,Weitz,Mu­eller,Gordon

[nirbija]

@CessnaDriver2 I'm not into the 'name dropping' drama; because mere names, without credible positions/opposing arguments, don't mean much

In addition, I've seen where other 'space experts' (including former astronuts) supported the Obama position, which he DID NOT just invent on his own!

There are many 'space experts' on BOTH sides of the issue!

Obama merely chooses the most promising & most pragmatic one

Those former NASA people who so publicly & vigorously opposed new plans are a disgrace!

[CessnaDriver2]

@nirbija

Your not processing political reality for some reason.

There is only one, count them *one* congress person who has signed on to the Obama plan as is, Rohrabacher.

For you to dismiss those peoples deep expertise simply because your waving Obama's flag is a disgrace.

Obama's plan is *fatal*. That is the exact word used by Story Musgrave personally to me. Look up the educational background and experience of that man. Look up Lori Garver's. There not even on the same planet.

[nirbija]

@Cessna

CYNICALLY Overstated & unrealistic expectations destined Constellation for failure. NASA would need an annual budget increase between 15% and 25% for Constellation to have any chance at success. In a time of RECORD DEFICITS, that does not make sound fiscal sense, explained Rohrabacher, REPUBLICAN!

Is a Repub (Party of No) 'waving the Obama flag' also?  lol

You, stop waving anti-Obam flag!

I dismiss your 'heroes'; because they know damn well that Obama CONSULTED WIDELY, in HARD TIMES!

[CessnaDriver2]

@nirbija

Your so enthralled with Obama you have no more critical thinking left to examine reality. Just the increases in health and human services under Obama in one year dwarfs what NASA gets for four whole total years! Obama spending huge moneys elswhere in "tough times".. But

NASA still gets the shaft.

But hey, that's a fact, and you don't care about those.

[nirbija]

@CessnaDriver2 Well duh!

Tens of millions of Americans DO NOT have adequate health care.

Health care IS a priority, a matter of life, health and death! NASA IS NOT!

Now, if you had stated that the cynical & incompetent bush wasted VALUABLE American lives, health & resources that could have funded NASA his cynical Moon trip, then you could be thought of as a 'critical thinker'

But the blow hards who are waving their anti-Obama flag were silent to this day

Now they want to advise wiser Obama?

[CessnaDriver2]

@nirbija

Obama did not consult widely. He consulted myopically.

Your very glowing of Obama's advisors on this.

List them and we shall examine each's accomplishments carefully and compare to those of my list.

[nirbija]

@Cessna See, you are overly obsessed with the so-called 'accomplishments' of your 'list'

What matters are the present national realities & constraints that WILL determine the most feasible path ahead

Your list of whining nerds ARE the 'myopic' ones.

They don't have to concern themselves with the the Big National Picture of national economics, policies, politics, etc etc.

Obama has to take all those things into account, & much much more, in coming to a decision

A cynical promise is your thing

[CessnaDriver2]

@nirbija

Go check out the story "Sense of the Senate" at the NASA Watch web page.

"...as "policy and oversight committees" have the power to direct NASA policies and programs, and can point NASA in directions different than those recommended by the President,"

Obama is in trouble on this. Sorry, that's the poltiical reality.

Now reply with Bush bashing I suppose.

[nirbija]

@Cessna Ha ha!

At least you are alert enough to reasonably anticipate your 'bush bashing'; because even the certified idiot, bush, demonstrated how much your 'oversight committees' WILL bend to the will of a President, bend even to the will of an incompetent President!

'Obama is in trouble'?

Only in your dreams and wishful thinking.

Follow the man's amazing string of successes, and recognize that you are not on about the average incompetent American leader, of whom you have been so accustomed

[CessnaDriver2]

@nirbija

By the way you called Obama "professor".

You had better check his education first because he was never a "professor".

He studied law and political science. Seeing the pattern for Garver and Obama?

Politics! NOT science, engineering and aerospace like all those dozens of heroes have! Wake up friend. Trust those that have done, not those that only talk.

[nirbija]

@CessnaDriver2 The University of Chicago begs to disagree with you on Prof Obama!  lol

And you are obsessed with this nonsense with your Garver.

It is childish to think that one individual alone informs Obama's decision.

And you may not know, but space exploration IS about politics!

That is why bush made promises not kept: He was playing politics; as he knew very well that he was going to underfund NASA in favor of his wars!

Obama has funded well, Education Science, Engineering & NASA

[CessnaDriver2]

@kingme99

Armstrong and dozens of other legendary astronauts and other big NASA names just released a letter to the President. I suggest you read it.

[PepperRoni20]

@CessnaDriver2 how does it kill human spaceflight?

[CessnaDriver2]

@PepperRoni20

No humans will leave earth from America for many years under the Obama plan, and then only to low earth orbit, t's a giant leap backwards.

If soyuz fails us ins ome way, and we abandon the ISS....

That could be the end of things for a VERY long time.

It's a plan with many single point failures and too long range to be of any practical value in reaching the goals he claims.

Thumbs down.

Story Musgrave personally told me some time ago it is a "fatal" plan.

[PepperRoni20]

@CessnaDriver2 low earth orbit would have been the same in the constellation program, this we we still have a manned mission to mars, and we spend millions less sending people to the space station

[ArmyFtBall]

Congress won't knock out constellation. Give it up Obama. Let NASA stick with 1 plan.  Stop changing things all the time.

[CessnaDriver2]

Neil Armstrong is right. The Obama plan is a DISASTER for America.

JFK "We choose to go to the moon!"

BHO "We choose to uh, build an escape pod."

America will NEVER accept a lesser NASA!

Congress is going to send him back to the drawing board again.

[kingme99]

@CessnaDriver2 - not really accurate. More accurate is: BHO: We choose to go to asteroids, OTHER moons and Mars.

[CessnaDriver2]

@kingme99

IN WHAT?????

He wants to GUT NASA human spaceflight TODAY!

What happens if soyuz blows up? the russians drop the ball?

And ISS is abandoned?

We have no other course to protect what little human spaceflight NASA will do while the Obama plan chases unicorns.

Wake up!

[kingme99]

@CessnaDriver2 - Incorrect. You should probably read the proposal.

He is increasing funding by 6 billion dollars We will continue ISS for 5 more years than Bush wanted, we will go to an Asteroid, we will go to Mars - all using a combination of Aries V, commercial rockets and the Orion Capsule.

[gvi341984]

In Russia...Americans ask you for help hur

[moneyman10k]

Lori let slip that the plan is to use orion for more than just crew escape. Orion is back. They just aren't letting it compete against commercial crew.

[CessnaDriver2]

@moneyman10k

Garver is a potlical animal. Watch out.

[henik9]

Will the panel videos be posted?

[moneyman10k]

@henik9 they certainly better, otherwise some civil servants will be getting their faces smashed