Does this mean she supports the technology and research funding in Obama’s budget proposal, such as the Exploration Technology Demonstrations and Development, Space Technology, Human Research, and Heavy Lift and Propulsion lines? Are there particular ones she supports, and others she doesn’t support? I suppose I could see her supporting the Flagship Technology Demonstrations in particular, since KSC would co-manage that line with JSC. I guess I’d look more to some of the other technology lines for “miracle products” of the sort she’s describing, though (in spite of which I support the Flagship line for other reasons).

If we assume something like the Senate approach eventually prevails, how much do people here think NASA will be able to achieve with the various reduced technology lines? Would you expect more or less status quo results, given that NASA did have some residual technology efforts even under Constellation, will it be able to squeeze out more progress in spite of the cuts, or will it be more or less wiped out by SLS/Orion budget overruns and associated megacontractor lobbying? Opinions?

Regarding SPS, could it be used to power an electric propulsion engine like VASIMR? Would it be any better than using a nuclear power source for VASIMR?

I ask because between space and Earth, space is where the lack of energy limits us the most, especially for propulsive use. Anything that lowers the cost to access or operate in space gets my vote for funding consideration.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlI3zZk5UGI&feature=related

the clip is far better then I can restate it.

A superb episode…with great acting…

Robert G. Oler

Mr. Smith, my point is, that space will still not be available to the common man, if you will.

ah the common man (music playing in the background)

the “common man” wont make it into space until there is a reason for them to that somehow approaches the price point to send them there. now this is a sliding scale, as the price goes down the “common man” might find more reason to go to space then if the price ishigher.

So right now we have the “mythic heroes” (a Rob Navias spell phrase) going into space for quite a lot of money doing not really all that much of value other then being the “tip of the sword” (sorry Mr. Earl has turned me on with his phrase) of the technowelfare machine that is NASA…

If the cost drops to 20 million a seat (or somewhere around that with time on orbit) then a lot of organizations might find the reason(s) to send their common people…

but as the scale goes down to get “every common person who wants to go” the oppurtunity to go, there needs to be some reason for them to spend the cash and that amount of cash for the next oh 50 years is probably going to be to high for most common persons just to spend it and not have anything but the satisfaction of going..

it is going to be awhile before there are enough reasons for folks to spend the cash (and the cash needed is low enough) to get airliner style flight.

Less in the mater of policy and more in speculation…I suspect that most of the people who say they want to go into space would actually find it a pretty rough experience and would find (sorry Mr. Earl has got me in the realm of TV quotes) to sort of paraphrase Mr. Spock in Amok Time where the Pon Farr gets the best of him “that desiring is better then having”

(and wow what a put down that was to Mr. Spocks’ ex)

Robert G. Oler

OK but the invite still stands…

we could even do a man hug!

Robert G. Oler

No I do not want to meet at the Oriental Gourmet and that is the chicken you-know-what way out of addressing being held accountable for your statements.

To use one of your own terms, to meet would be “goofy” and the suggestion of so is “goofy” in its own right.

when you were in college did you learn anything but making up goofy statements….please the far more well done statement was least a good line when it was used in a serious movie… and the folks in Hot Shots mocked it pretty good…but the best you can do is well droll.

When you can prove me wrong on something you will get a star…and the ever lasting knowledge that you finally have succeeded in something.

Robert G. Oler