Why do we still have NASA?

[Bobtheicon]

The planet is in turmoil and we are spending billions of dollars to support a "war" that we can never win; and are totally on the brink of war with other countries (N. Korea, Iran, - and who's gonna stop that mess over in Isreal / Palastine?)

So what do we do? - We decide to throw hundreds of millions (if not billions) at a Space Shuttle launch; which I'm sure costs more and more with each delay.

Hey spaceman!! - Do me a favor and take that Billion dollar funding of yours and put it toward something useful; like, oh I don't know, Alternative Fuels maybe? - How about some real funding to the soldiers that are working with outdated and poorly constructed crap over there to protect your sorry asses.

Shut down NASA - it serves no purpose but to WASTE all of our money. I wonder how much fuel they use to get that big bastard into space?

Here are some stats I just found. This shit is mindboggling:

Updated shuttle stats



This tale of the tally comes from Roger Pielke, Jr., Director of the Center for Science and Technology Policy Research here at the University of Colorado. The updated shuttle stats build upon research he published in 1994, as well as drawing from the work of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board. Also reviewed in the appraisal is the new NASA budget request for fiscal year 2006 that outlines expected shuttle costs -- in 2004 dollars -- through 2010.



Because NASA has costs for the shuttle program that are not reflected in its budget line, Pielke said it is appropriate to add 10 percent to these totals and also to adjust those expenses to common year dollars.



Given that fine-tuning, if the space shuttle program is terminated after 2010, then it will have a total lifetime cost of about $173 billion, Pielke reported.



Pielke pointed out that if the shuttle program averages four flights per year upon a return to flight, then the NASA space plane will fly an additional 22 times, for a total of 134 flights over its lifetime.



Given that flight rate, this will result in a total program cost per flight of $1.3 billion, Pielke explained. Of further interest is the average cost per flight from 2004-2010: It is $1.3 billion. The average cost per flight from the middle of 2005 through 2010, assuming 22 flights, is about $1.0 billion, he said.

[Dr. Jack]

Kind off topic but I remember being in school (actually skpping school) when the space shuttle blew up. We were all hanging around this park (partying) and we saw pieces of stuff flying everywhere. We thought we were tripping but then heard it was the space shuttle that blew up. I'll never forget that day

Back to topic - I agree that we spend way to much money on this kind of stuff.

[Romanowski]

next frontier icon

[Bobtheicon]

Originally Posted by Romanowski

next frontier icon

That's all we need is our deformed DNA infecting the rest of the Universe.
We've already ruined this planet - now its off to Mars!!