Suitably Flip

Lost in Space

Earlier this week, NASA announced that the follow-on spaceship to the Shuttle would debut in 2014.  The Space Shuttle, which has been the United States’ only manned space vehicle for the last 25 years, is scheduled to be retired in 2010. 

NASA:

We are confident we can meet the goal of the vision to get human boots back on the Moon in 2020.

Isn't it odd that the stated goal of our national manned space program is to get back to where we were nearly 40 years ago?  Furthermore, from 2010-2014 the world’s only superpower will be unable to put one of its citizens in space.  Finally, the Shuttle has only flown once in the past 42 months.  One has to ask: what has NASA been doing with its $16+ billion/year budget?

The US has come a long way technologically since we last landed on the moon…in 1972.  We’ve managed to put more processing power in the average home gaming system than the lunar astronauts ever had (and it doesn’t even take up an entire room).  We can store the entire Beatles collection on a “thumb drive.”  In addition, batteries are much cheaper, smaller, and lighter (recall the awesome-to-the-max Zack Morris portable phone).

So why haven’t these accomplishments translated to (relatively) cheap, consistent, and reliable access to space?  I am all in favor of space exploration, but it should be ambitious and worthwhile not “been there, done that.” 

Comments

Lost in Space

Earlier this week, NASA announced that the follow-on spaceship to the Shuttle would debut in 2014.  The Space Shuttle, which has been the United States’ only manned space vehicle for the last 25 years, is scheduled to be retired in 2010. 

NASA:

We are confident we can meet the goal of the vision to get human boots back on the Moon in 2020.

Isn't it odd that the stated goal of our national manned space program is to get back to where we were nearly 40 years ago?  Furthermore, from 2010-2014 the world’s only superpower will be unable to put one of its citizens in space.  Finally, the Shuttle has only flown once in the past 42 months.  One has to ask: what has NASA been doing with its $16+ billion/year budget?

The US has come a long way technologically since we last landed on the moon…in 1972.  We’ve managed to put more processing power in the average home gaming system than the lunar astronauts ever had (and it doesn’t even take up an entire room).  We can store the entire Beatles collection on a “thumb drive.”  In addition, batteries are much cheaper, smaller, and lighter (recall the awesome-to-the-max Zack Morris portable phone).

So why haven’t these accomplishments translated to (relatively) cheap, consistent, and reliable access to space?  I am all in favor of space exploration, but it should be ambitious and worthwhile not “been there, done that.”