H
hansolo0
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Sorry for another poll so soon folks , and the similarities, but the other poll did not really address this....
by Jeff Foust
Monday, July 26, 2010
Since February 1, when the White House formally released its 2011 budget proposal for NASA, one of the hottest areas of debate about the agency’s future has revolved around the plan in the budget proposal to support development of commercial systems that can transport crews to and from the International Space Station, to the tune of $6 billion over five years. For commercial space advocates, the plan was welcome news, an affirmation of the growing capabilities of established and entrepreneurial space companies alike and the logical next step beyond ferrying cargo to the station. For others, though, the idea of turning to companies who have yet to demonstrate their ability to take cargo to the ISS—let alone people—seemed an unwise diversion from the tried-and-true path of government-operated systems.
At least get your history right...vulture4":38acmzsm said:In 1915, when NASA was created, the nascent US aerospace industry was already falling behind Europe. The Wright Brothers had left for France. The role of NASA from 1915 until 1960 was to support commercial aviation with R&D and technical support, including funding new prototypes, that the small manufactures couldn't afford, but which would allow them to be more competitive and eventually lead the world.
Thank you for the sense of reason. Many people just don't seem to understand that Congress intends to ramp up funding for commercial crew when they have the capability. But for now, there is nothing to fund as yet.tanstaafl76":1ga2sjva said:Assuming the NASA heavy lift vehicle will be infrequently used and primarily for interplanetary missions, I don't think it negatively impacts the commercial segment at all. I think it winds up being a good division of labor, NASA can focus on the big one-off missions, while the more-efficient, cost-conscious commercial endeavors can strive for becoming day-to-day orbital taxis for satellites/cargo and ISS crew.