Many? There are hundreds of active comsats in orbit (and hundreds more that have been deactivated). Shuttle launched maybe a dozen comsats before Challenger.

“The miniturization of electronics that would eventually lead to devices like the ipod were a direct result of the Apollo, gemini, and Mercury programs.”

No they weren’t. Electronics miniaturization was driven by ICBMs and the push to fit as many lightweight warheads on a single missile as possible. NASA leveraged that (and other ICBM technologies) in Apollo, but NASA didn’t drive it.

“There is no greater technological endevor [sic] humans partake in than manned spaceflight.”

Says who? A lot of AI researchers, biomedical engineers, etc. would disagree with you.

“… no U.S human spaceflight means even less children will be enspired to persue careers in Math, Science, and Engineering, skills our nation desperately lacks.”

If we need more students to pursue STEM degrees and careers, then we should just directly incentivize them via scholarships. It would be orders of magnitude cheaper than spending hundreds of billions of dollars on human space exploration in the hope that it indirectly inspires some kids.

“Obama is cancelling U.S spaceflight for chump change,”

How is adding $1.3B annually to the NASA budget “cancelling U.S. spaceflight for chump change”?

Goofy…

“neglecting the damage such a decision could cause in the future for petty short term political gain.”

What political gain is there to cancelling a highly visible national symbol?

Weird…

Many of the heavy communications satellites in orbit were launched by the Space Shuttle, a human spaceflight program.

The miniturization of electronics that would eventually lead to devices like the ipod were a direct result of the Apollo, gemini, and Mercury programs.

The first practical hydrogen fuel cells were created during the Gemini/Apollo programs.

I could go on, but the point is this. There is no greater technological endevor humans partake in than manned spaceflight. By pushing our technological limits, we can invent and discover new and revolutionary technologies which we never thought possible. Ending manned U.S spaceflight will not only damage national pride, but also deprive the United States of the technological superiority we now are barely hanging on to. Worse, no U.S human spaceflight means even less children will be enspired to persue careers in Math, Science, and Engineering, skills our nation desperately lacks. Obama is cancelling U.S spaceflight for chump change,neglecting the damage such a decision could cause in the future for petty short term political gain.

Robert, as I type this on my iPhone and this is bounced off a satalite I can not think of a single thing the space program has done for progress or productivity…

did any of those things have to do with human spaceflight

Robert G. Oler

Bolden is a capable leader…

He’s another leading example of an Affirmative Action chair warmer. …

racist

Robert G. Oler

Gen. Bolden is capable in that role, yessir.”

This is a space policy forum. If you have racially charged issues with human resources policies, take them elsewhere.

Ugh…

Energia production ended with the fall of the Soviet Union. There is no Energia, commercial or otherwise, and there hasn’t been for almost a couple decades now.

FWIW…

He’s another leading example of an Affirmative Action chair warmer.

Gen. Bolden is capable in that role, yessir.

There’s already commercial lift to space, its called Energia!

It is not American commercial space…and I dont give a darn about anyone else

Robert G. Oler