Comments on: What can $300 million a year buy for NASA’s planetary program?

By: pioneer space probe

pioneer space probe — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 21:18:38 +0000

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By: Robert G. Oler

Robert G. Oler — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 04:09:57 +0000

http://www.aviationweek.com/Blogs.aspx?plckBlogId=Blog:04ce340e-4b63-4d23-9695-d49ab661f385&plckPostId=Blog%3A04ce340e-4b63-4d23-9695-d49ab661f385Post%3Aa8b87703-93f9-4cdf-885f-9429605e14df

an excellent discussion of the DRAGON computer issue RGO

By: E.P. Grondine

E.P. Grondine — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 20:36:30 +0000

DBN, some types of data can be “summed” to produce far higher resolution.

By: E.P. Grondine

E.P. Grondine — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 20:32:21 +0000

One of the dumbest proposals I’ve heard. If a probe works, run it until it fails.

By: Robert G. Oler

Robert G. Oler — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 18:33:40 +0000

What is eating us alive is the military…we are going down the same road the Soviet Union did, spending ourselves into oblivion over guys in caves. There is NO reason we cannot go back to a 200-300 billion military. RGO

By: Ben Russell-Gough

Ben Russell-Gough — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 18:22:13 +0000

In fact, after 2017, there may be no operational outer planets probes at all. After all, Cassini will have been de-orbited, as would have Juno, New Horizons would be off down the path trod by the Voyagers and I suspect that there could be arguments that, as Voyager 1 has arguably reached the heliopause, there is no further reason to leave either Voyager or NH operational. Not a good argument but certainly a political argument. Science is being steadily sacrificed in favour or entitlement programs. If the choice came down to more science or bribing voter to vote for you, which do you think a politician would choose?

By: Coastal Ron

Coastal Ron — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 23:10:13 +0000

“I know how much pleasure you take in your fantasies of other peoples suffering”

Who would be suffering?

Or are you saying we should budget NASA as a jobs program?

Having worked at defense contractors for a good part of my career, I know how it is to lose a contract. But bigger issues are at stake here, especially in light of the need to reduce our long-term deficit. While I still want an ongoing effort in space across a wide number of disciplines, I want to make sure that each program is worth funding, and is being run as best as possible.

Should the SLS program be cancelled, sure there would be people let go. But that can’t be the overriding reason to keep funding a program (i.e. the fear of lost jobs). You have to look at the big picture…

By: joe

joe — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 22:22:23 +0000

Yes Ron,

I know how much pleasure you take in your fantasies of other peoples suffering, but before you celebrate too much it might be wise to wait and see where all those knives actually fall.

By: vulture4

vulture4 — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 20:45:53 +0000

If the probe failed before the planned completion date the management would be blamed for unreliability. Because of exponential failure rates the probe must have an average lifetime several times its design lifetime if it is to have a 90% chance of reaching the design life. I think they should be shut down if and when they are not producing data worth the cost. In the case of Messenger perhaps it has completely mapped its target, but I cannot believe this is the case with Cassini, and it will be a long time before we get another probe to Saturn.

By: Coastal Ron

Coastal Ron — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 20:15:50 +0000

“Now that the election is over it appears the â€œLong Knivesâ€ may be out.”

I’m sure Norm Augustine would be available to “review” the SLS and MPCV. I wonder how that would turn out…

But hey, wasn’t that the thrust of what Romeny/Ryan were going to be doing anyways? If it wasn’t worth borrowing money from China to do it, then we shouldn’t be doing it? To assume that any NASA program would have been “safe” with Romney is more delusional than realistic, so assuming any program is “safe” under Obama would be the same.

However the real test is what Congress does, and since we still have the same Republican House that won’t fund weather satellites because they might confirm global warming, who knows what they will do with “exploration for science sake”.