The Future of Space Exploration - CC #88

In this George Mason University program, Karol Boudreaux, senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center, hosts a number of distinguished professionals in a discussion on the private sector of space exploration. In 2004, President Bush announced a 'new course for America's space program' instructing NASA to return to the Moon with the eventual goal of sending Americans to Mars. NASA's recent history has been somewhat rocky with stunning successes overshadowed by unfortunate failures. Meanwhile, the ANSARI X-prize spurred over 25 teams from across the globe to develop and fly privately financed, manned spaceships. The private sector's always played a part in space exploration, but what goals should future missions have and how much control should NASA share with the private sector?

Category:

Education

[theinsane102]

Every time I read a science fiction book, I get lost in it fantasying about spaceships and huge drives that take you to different steller systems in seconds. After Im done I look at our space program and I wan to barf.

[mrgimp420]

Fuck trillions for banks! We couldve gone to Mars 4 or 5 times for the money weve spent on these stupid banks. It would have all ended up in a bank anyways. What the fuck happened? Why do we suck so much ass?

[lassiecox]

A better future for america will not be acheived until we disallow the lawyers to intervein in scientific decisions. The basic premise is the lawyers are making decisions without access to the variables, space exploration and the vertically engineering scientific community spends a lifetime accomplishing are beyond the realm of politically inclined lawyers/judges, who are presently making very destructive decisions regarding the self interests fueled by the lust and greed, politics of america

[fanfam]

she is pretty !

[Lucuskane]

Our government make space exploration a wall to climp, when space exploration is a need to expand and survive as a race, not as a country! Expand or die.

[Eimuxxx]

Damm right . take all the money who people are giving to bank and WAR , we could have already gone out of our solar system .

[shardsofsteel]

We HAVE the technology. We HAVE the money, and we could HAVE the support of the people! We are NOT in space, not because we can't or lack the knowledge and the technology. We have all the pieces on the chess board to work with. We are not in space because there are people that don't WANT us in space. Who? I don't care and that's not my concern. The people need to work together and move ahead. The government is obviously the hindrance to progress and not vice versa.

[shardsofsteel]

Why are we not going anywhere, because the government says, give us your money and let US do the work for you and decide WHAT you need to know and WHEN you need to know it. The result is understandable lack of enthusiasm due to the understandable ignorance by the controlled release of knowledge. A few men want power and are "scared" for our safety. Guess what, WE GO NO WHERE! Were STILL not out in space? for blasted pete sake! Enough with the politics. Involve the people and lets move forward.

[Moirera]

@mrgimp420

The best bit of it all, the banks got bailed cause they were "too big to fail" even though they set themselves up to fail, now they're bigger, and they wouldn't accept the FREE MONEY unless it came with no strings.

Oh and the scrapping of the Constellation program. It's been a sad 2-3 years for the future of Human kind

[FrostfeverEU]

@mrgimp420 yep.

[limeburst1]

"If I take the spacesuit in my briefs-" and he was like oh my gosh did I say that?!