I bet McMaverick (or possibly even Clingon but not OhdamnA) will fix the ESAS boondoggle just fine (and to the relief of everyone over at NASA who haven’t sold their souls for ESAS). He will be the boss of “the chicken farm” ^_^

This is too late, now that NASA has signed a $700 million contract with Russia, and is getting ready to buy even more. Russia’s clear space strategy now is to “sell” goods and services to NASA. You don’t “race” your best customer.

If your best customer wants to go to the Moon, you say “Good idea, here is how we can help you.”

The Russians are capitalists, and their spend time figuring out how to sell space goods and services at a profit.

Meanwhile space advocates here in the U.S., like yourself, spend their time thinking about how they can manufacture a “moon race” so they can prop up government spending for space.

ANON: But both choices for a moon race are the only hope you have of saving funding for the VSE, like it for not.

First, you need two willing participants to “have a race”.

Second, the VSE is a “policy” and a strategic direction, not a program.

- Al

So perhaps the Russians are up for a rematch. Recoup their honor and all that. Show they are once again a superpower.

But both choices for a moon race are the only hope you have of saving funding for the VSE, like it for not.

Our good sense.

I can quote you both Marburger and Griffin if you like.

Next, if we were irrational enough to make this challenge, China would NOT accept. The situation is fundamentally different than the situation between the U.S. and the Soviets in the early 60s. It would be a fictional race.

1) China has much bigger problems. A “race to the Moon ” would subject their government to lots of criticism about wasteful spending when they have much higher priorities. The Chinese government is quite risk averse in some ways, is worried about revolution, and is are working really hard to placate the growing middle class.

2) What about the Chinese character and culture makes you think they will participate in a race like this? I see nothing to suggest the Chinese would participate in something so “unsubtle”.

It is Putin who is bending over backwards, looking for excuses to poke us in the eye, wherever possible on the global stage. Not China.

The Russian and Chinese character is much different.

3) China’s national strategy is to partner with us, and to try to build bridges. They are trying to eliminate adversarial challenges, except where they perceive it is really in their national strategic interest. Their national strategy is to focus on activities like “joining the ISS”, “hosting the Olympics”, “most favored nation trading status”, “expanding trade”, etc.

FWIW,

- Al

Don,

Actually, his name is Newt Gingrich. If you recall, Gingrich believed enough in “balancing the budget” and trying to “reduce the growth federal spending” that he took on Bill Clinton. Neither side was willing to give in, and the government was shut down for a short period.

Turned out that it was very bad politics for Gingrich, but you can’t say that a “fiscally conservative Republican” does not exist. (I agree that Bush 43 is not a fiscal conservative.)

Also, Senators Gramm and Rudman, of the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Balanced Budget Act were Republican fiscal conservatives. (Hollings was too, but he was a Democrat.)

There is also reason to believe that Senator McCain is true fiscal conservative.

The problem — on both sides of the aisle — is that fiscal conservatism and “good politics” are not partners in most years. There are legions of special interest groups who will praise you for giving them more money, howl for cutting spending in their area of interest, and few who will do the same for cutting spending.

It is a system problem, now well known in economics circles. The research in this area has resulted in a few Nobel prizes for economics.

FWIW,

- Al

In summary — the Soviets made it a race, but it was the U.S. that declared it was now a race to the Moon.

So you admit Apollo was only a ace because the U.S. challenged the Russians and they accepted.

So what is to prevent the U.S. from challenging the Chinese to a new race today for similar reasons, to prevent them for have the first human outpost on the Moon?

It is already U.S. Polciy to retun and build a lunar outpost by 2020. Why not just up the stakes a bit to show the U.S. is not a “has-been” superpower and expand the field of interest beyond space geeks to rest of Americans?

If successful it would make it politically impossible for Obama or anyone else to raid the NASA budget for their pet welfare programs. Or are space policy experts too Vulcan to engage in such an emotion-based chest tumping strategy?

Are Republicans . . . really closit socialists? Duh. Who immediately expands the Federal government while cutting taxes the instant they get into office, usually after a Democrat Administration has made some half-hearted attempt to clean up the fiscal mess left by the prior Republican Administration. This has been the theme ever since Reganomics — claim to be against government while funding vast government projects and subsidies that usually benefit the middle class.

A fiscally conservative Republican? I’ll believe it when I see it . . . but I don’t expect to live so long. And, if you value government funding of space exploration, it’s not something you really want to see. . . .

– Donald

BTW, after Whittington declares that he is not a Republi-socialist, watch what he does. His actions speak louder than his words.

- Anon

China may have declared a race against the U.S. — but, if anything, they have declared their intent to bury us “economically”. In other words, China may think they can one up us at capitalism some time in this Century.

Which creates the question — If China might be engaging in a race based on capitalism, why do some want to create a race based on a 45-year old socialist model?

An intentionally provocative question — are Republicans who actively promote the concept of a government-led race to the Moon really closet socialists (albeit unconscious closet-socialists)?

If not, as I expect they will claim, when will these Republi-socialists get serious about promoting an approach to space development that puts private enterprise in the driver’s seat?

- Al