Astronaut

[TheMinister]

Am I the only one who has lost all confidence in NASA to do anything helpful? Ever?

I'd like to work in the space industry, in fact right now I'm applying to study aerospace engineering at universities here in the UK. But as far as NASA goes, it's a complete non starter for me.

I think the NASA space programmes lack ambition and have an excess of paperwork. Whilst pootling around in LEO is all very well, and all these Mars rovers are sending back mighty fine pictures of the largest desert in the solar system, NASA have yet to actually achieve anything in terms of setting up self sufficient colonies offworld.

What I would like to see is commercialisation and industry moving into space. For that, you need to be either self sufficient or importing a good back to earth.

I think back to earth imports are a little far fetched for now, although tourism has potential. Of course, we may find uses for zero-g, ie crystal growth etc, and if those had to be done in LEO, then sending back materials to be used in LEO might also be viable.

So personally I support privatised mining expeditions to the asteroids. Let's face it- in terms of raw materials, both the moon and mars are a load of crap. Whereas the asteroids have water, hydrocarbons etc on tap.

Of course, if a job offer from NASA came my way, I'd take it, but only as a way of gaining experience and contacts in the industry. When the first human settlers to mars lift off, I'd much rather it had my name on the side of the rocket than NASA.

EDIT- forgot to mention the ESA. Did you realise, that ESA is almost an anagram of NASA? They're more paper-pushing bueracrats, only they don't have the funds to do anything. At all.

 

[simonpro]

IMO NASA gave up doing useful stuff (w.r.t manned spaceflight) quite some time ago. The general impression I get from the people there is that they're just going through the motions.
It's like watching a soccer team who has won the league a long time ago, and is now just playing out time until the season ends.

Unfortunately for NASA there is no end to the season (one hopes), and they have certainly not won anything: The opposition is closing in on them at an alarming rate. They really need to get their stuff in order else they'll fall behind just about every other country with a space program over the next few decades.


ESA aren't quite as bad as NASA at pen pushing, by the way, at least we're going forwards instead of sideways.

 

[Urwumpe]

ESA aren't quite as bad as NASA at pen pushing, by the way, at least we're going forwards instead of sideways.

Is that a wonder? If you would tell ESA that it has to go sideways, all ministers would start arguing to which side they should go. :lol:

The only working way is forward... even backward would be seen as advantage for the UK.

 

[simonpro]

Is that a wonder? If you would tell ESA that it has to go sideways, all ministers would start arguing to which side they should go. :lol:

Which is why ministers should hand over the cash and then leave the engineers to decide what to do with it.:rofl:

The only working way is forward... even backward would be seen as advantage for the UK.

Past of UK spaceflight: Own launch vehicle, fleet of satellites, plans for manned missions, world leader in sensor technology.

Present of UK spaceflight: Some satellites named after the Terminator, some microsatellites plus some instruments.

Future of UK spaceflight: Errr...they haven't decided.

The past was definately the brightest of the three