A snippet from President-elect Obama’s interview this morning on NBC’s “Meet the Press”, talking about the “incredible bully pulpit” of the White House and hosting events there:
Part of what we want to do is open up the White House and remind people that this is the people’s house… When it comes to science, elevating science once again, and having lectures in the White House, where people are talking about traveling to the stars or breaking down atoms: inspiring our youth to get a sense of what discovery is all about.
Sounds like there are about to be some real adults in control come January 20th. And not a moment too soon.
[…] The White House as a “bully pulpit” for science: […]
I am in full agreement with Obama regarding the importance of science. For almost a decade it has been relegated to the back seat in this industry, with funding now at roughly half of the levels it had prior to Columbia’s loss.
With the human spaceflight infrastructure designed currently to expand it’s share of NASA’s funding from current levels around $6-7bn per year to $11-12bn per year, this situation is currently destined to get even worse.
We need a more affordable solution than Ares IMHO. The “1.5 launch solution” is only going to suck all the air out of the room and leave us with no returns on our investment. And that means it will be a major candidate for outright cancellation — exactly as happened to Apollo.
We shouldn’t be doing this at all if we are actually choosing solutions which lead to early cancellation.
We should be planning systems which have the word “sustainability” carved through every element of their very structures. If we don’t do that, we’re wasting everyone’s time and effort.
Ross.
Some real adults?
Some of you have been drinking the Obama-ade.
I will remind you that the current President put this nation back on course to the moon.
Lecture all you like in the white house.
Means nothing unless they actually support the asctions.
Sadly, Obama aides have been asking about scaling back Orion.
Sad. Hopefully they won’t do it.
Jack,
If this is “putting the nation back on course to the moon”, sadly, he had the selector in the R position.
Of course, if you want to go forward, you put it in the D position..
I will remind you that the current President put this nation back on course to the moon.
… and I’ll remind you in return that once he did, he turned his back on the whole effort. That was the last we heard from him about space exploration. Once you turn the wheel, you need to step on the gas. (And yes, ideally you’re in gear.) With regard to space, this administration had a good overall Vision, but then was out to lunch when it needed White House leadership on the national importance of it. It tossed the whole package over to OMB and the agency, who simply cannot provide that kind of leadership.
Remains to be seen whether vision and leadership go together in the Obama White House.
I’ve always drank the space-ade.
Bush’s VSE speech is the best thing about his administration, as far as I was concerned. Then, like other great plans of his, he ignored his promise to fund it. He promised an increase in NASA budget, but never requested an increase. Congressional supporters had to over-budget him in funding legislation.
All that said, I’m leery of Obama’s commitment to human space-flight. Jack, I’m all with you on returning to the moon, and going on to Mars. I simply don’t care if it’s an R or a D in the office that takes us there.