Crap Throwing Monkey Posted July 14, 2005 Share Posted July 14, 2005 First step in passing the interview is agreeing to scrap the shuttle program altogether. It's an impressive feat technically (I was just about to leave the house, take the family for a drive to the coast to watch the launch when they cancelled), but a financial and safety disaster. Americans and Russians have had hundreds of manned space program launches, and three fatal losses in flight. Two were shuttles. The only reason we need a shuttle is to service the ISS. The only reason we need the ISS is to have somewhere for the shuttle to fly to. It's a self-licking ice cream cone - a government aerospace contractor's dream. 381161[/snapback] Russians have had more than one, actually. At least two, possibly three, but none recently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BB27 Posted July 14, 2005 Author Share Posted July 14, 2005 First step in passing the interview is agreeing to scrap the shuttle program altogether. It's an impressive feat technically (I was just about to leave the house, take the family for a drive to the coast to watch the launch when they cancelled), but a financial and safety disaster. Americans and Russians have had hundreds of manned space program launches, and three fatal losses in flight. Two were shuttles. The only reason we need a shuttle is to service the ISS. The only reason we need the ISS is to have somewhere for the shuttle to fly to. It's a self-licking ice cream cone - a government aerospace contractor's dream. 381161[/snapback] The shuttle needs to be replaced, it is out of date, and hasn't been a modern aircraft in many many years. To advocate for the end of the space program is a huge mistake in my eyes. The list of things that are in common use that make our lives easier every day that were developed and perfected by the space program is to long to even begin to list. More technology will come out of the program, and great things will be discovered in the process. Don't elliminate the space program, change it. Replace the aging fleet of space shuttles with a new better aircraft! For the record, the russians had many, many more losses in flight, you just never heard about them. Do a google search and see what you find.... They actually had a space shuttle, it never worked, and crashed more than once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Tate Posted July 14, 2005 Share Posted July 14, 2005 To advocate for the end of the space program is a huge mistake in my eyes. Oh, I'm not advocating the end of the space program, I'm advocating the end of risking human life for mindless tasks that automated devices can easily carry out. Launch payloads on unmanned rockets - the only people who are hurt when they blow up are insurance companies. You can send humans up when you absolutely need to in a "space plane"-type of vehicle. There any scientific experiments aboard the space station that could not be done far more cheaply on unmanned probes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crap Throwing Monkey Posted July 14, 2005 Share Posted July 14, 2005 Oh, I'm not advocating the end of the space program, I'm advocating the end of risking human life for mindless tasks that automated devices can easily carry out. Launch payloads on unmanned rockets - the only people who are hurt when they blow up are insurance companies. You can send humans up when you absolutely need to in a "space plane"-type of vehicle. There any scientific experiments aboard the space station that could not be done far more cheaply on unmanned probes? 381213[/snapback] There any scientific experiments aboard the space station that are meaningful to begin with? In the history of the shuttle program, how much research has been published from all those "scientific" launches? Two papers? Three? I can actually think of a hell of a lot of valid reasons to put people in space...I just can't think of any valid ones that require the current shuttle program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crap Throwing Monkey Posted July 14, 2005 Share Posted July 14, 2005 They actually had a space shuttle, it never worked, and crashed more than once. 381199[/snapback] It worked well, actually. Flew twice, they actually managed to land it by remote control in a crosswind (NASA can't land the space shuttle in a crosswind under manual control). Then they grounded it, for the simple reason that they were wasting too much money on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMadCap Posted July 14, 2005 Share Posted July 14, 2005 It worked well, actually. Flew twice, they actually managed to land it by remote control in a crosswind (NASA can't land the space shuttle in a crosswind under manual control). Then they grounded it, for the simple reason that they were wasting too much money on it. 381258[/snapback] Yep. It was called the Buran I believe. It launched, made one orbit of earth and was landed by remote, as CTM indicated. That was it. It was nearly exactly the same as our shuttle, but I liked thier launch system better. There was actually a Buran prototype up for sale a few years ago, but I have heard that that was a hoax, maybe by a radio station? However, It is a fact that one has been converted into a diner in Russia... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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