This model is all NASA can afford to return to the moon
Pork threatens NASA plans: Congress’ pet projects take $3 billion from budget
NASA must slash science, engineering and education programs to pay for billions of dollars in congressional pet projects, most of which have little to do with the agency’s mission to explore space.
The price tag for politicians’ “pork” has grown so large that NASA may have to delay the new spaceships and rockets needed to replace the space shuttles, to be retired in 2010.
Instead, NASA will pay for:
• Construction or renovation of dozens of museums, planetariums and science labs for colleges.
• Computers, classrooms and lab space for colleges and schools across the U.S.
• A website and laboratory for the Gulf of Maine Aquarium.
• A sprawling headquarters building for a non-profit research group in West Virginia created by U.S. Rep. Alan Mollohan. The Democrat is now subject of a broader congressional ethics probe.Since 2001, Congress has directed the space agency to spend more than $3 billion on special projects, most of them small endeavors sought by individual lawmakers for the benefit of their home districts, according to NASA and congressional records.
What could go:
• Robotic space probes face delay or cancellation as NASA tries to shuffle money.
• The shuttles, International Space Station and new vehicles to carry astronauts back to the moon could see budget cuts. The last item is one NASA is now stressing to members of Congress.
• Education programs are being cut, including half of the funding for the agency program that helps ensure historically minority colleges and universities are represented in NASA projects and grant programs.
Just out of idle curiosity, does anyone know of anything Congress has done right lately?
“Just out of idle curiosity, does anyone know of anything Congress has done right lately? ”
Or ever? Government works best when it dosn’t work at all. Look at how hot the US economy was during the period of time when Clinton was President and Congress was Republican. They could agree to screw up anything.
Of course this is about spreading the pork around. But it is also about crippling yet another federal agency to make way for the privatization of yet another public domain: outer space. The neocons win again!
Does this means that we’re going to see another space shuttle filled with a multiethnic crew blow up in space?
“Just out of idle curiosity, does anyone know of anything Congress has done right lately?”
Well, that ridiculous gay marriage amendment was defeated. I would consider that a good thing.
Where can I buy the legos?
Neal Saferstein
Out of curiosity – why do we keep sending back incumbents? Every member of Congress, with the exception of Ron Paul, is attaching pet pork projects and even the new members are just waiting for their chance to get as much of the pork as the senior members. If we stop voting for the guy who fits our ideology and instead demand responsibility we’ll get a better Congress. Otherwise, we completely deserve to have this trend continue.
Ron Paul is my hero.
if the republicans ever got to be in charge of the house AND the senate this sort of thing would NEVER happen.
oh wait.
Ya know… I’ve been watching this series on the (either national geographic or the history channel – I gets em confuzzled) called the Space Race… anyway, the russians lost the space race because of, among other issues, funding. The Soviets were limited by how much money they had – america didnt have that problem (at the time)…. now I wonder…. will we look back in 30 years when the Chineese have moon base alpha, and we dont…. I wonder…
The biggest problem is there is no large bloc of pro-space constituents. Soon as we get us a little moony base working and full of registered voters then watch how things happen. Can a pig scream in outer space?