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News & ArtsThursday, July 21, 2011
2012 Rick Perry Is Against Space Hitchhiking
Posted by Paul Constant on Thu, Jul 21, 2011 at 3:10 PM
Rick Perry, who is all about small government, is upset that President Obama hasn't done more to fund NASA:
As America bids farewell to the space shuttle era on Thursday, likely presidential candidate Rick Perry appears none too pleased with the Obama administration, accusing the president of “leaving American astronauts with no alternative but to hitchhike into space.”
2
Obama needs to get his rapid response team up and running, cuz Perry's gonna be the GOP nominee. It was Bush who cancelled the Space Shuttle program.
http://www.spacedaily.com/news/rocketsci…
http://www.spacedaily.com/news/rocketsci…
4
Rick Perry doesn't give a shit about science or the future. Rick Perry is the governor of Texas and he wants to keep all that engineering money in Houston.
I am for once actually pretty strongly inclined to agree with Perry here - although probably only in general and not in the details, and for different reasons. We need a strong space program. That doesn't mean I'm going to support Perry, mind you; I'd cut off my voting hand first. Republicans have a long and glorious history of chest-thumping about America's glory in space and then doing nothing, where by "nothing" I mean "Failing to advance spaceflight programs in any way while viciously cutting science programs and funding out from under the rest of NASA's divisions."
I am for once actually pretty strongly inclined to agree with Perry here - although probably only in general and not in the details, and for different reasons. We need a strong space program. That doesn't mean I'm going to support Perry, mind you; I'd cut off my voting hand first. Republicans have a long and glorious history of chest-thumping about America's glory in space and then doing nothing, where by "nothing" I mean "Failing to advance spaceflight programs in any way while viciously cutting science programs and funding out from under the rest of NASA's divisions."
7
The shuttle program was scheduled to be canceled under the Bush administration. Obama's admin has other long range goals in space and for NASA and, according to a rather unscientific wikipedia search, the NASA buget is growing next year. It's just Rick Perry trying to play a hard guy role.
10
Shouldn't the Free Market be rushing in to fill the space-travel gap left by governments as they leave the space game? I would think the tough new breed of fiscal conservatives™ would be all over de-funding NASA, especially since it keeps producing research that says that global warming is really happening.
12
There was an NPR piece today about the private space industry. Boeing and Lokeed Martin merged their near earth orbit projects cause there wasn't a market to support both efforts, but they both want to work on it. There was also this other start up fueled by dot-com money; this one said their price point was about 2-3k per pound to get into space. A week ago I heard on NPR that there is also some sort of space port being built in Arizona (wtf).
(I get the music ADD if I try to listen to music at work, NPR get's me through my mindless data entry)
(I get the music ADD if I try to listen to music at work, NPR get's me through my mindless data entry)
13
Why does Rick Perry want to perpetuate government-funded space flight? Is he some kind of a Socialist?
14
I already explained this, you guys. It's pork.
NASA = Houston, remember? Well, Houston and Cape Canaveral. This is Perry's Bridge to Nowhere. He's trying to grab, or at least look like he's making an attempt to grab, more money and prestige for his constituents, especially the wealthy, political-donor ones who get fat off that sweet NASA money.
NASA = Houston, remember? Well, Houston and Cape Canaveral. This is Perry's Bridge to Nowhere. He's trying to grab, or at least look like he's making an attempt to grab, more money and prestige for his constituents, especially the wealthy, political-donor ones who get fat off that sweet NASA money.
15
Jesus, Perry, just fucking throw your hat into the ring already. This waiting game is getting stupid.
16
He means American astronauts having to go into space on other countries' rockets. It's an accurate statement. Perry says a ton of stupid shit but this isn't one of those things
17
@14 Precisely. Manned space flight is all about pork. We can get most of the same knowledge with instruments launched into space instead of faberge eggs.
19
I can't entirely agree, Sir Vic. There's a lot to be gained from manned spaceflight, not least of which by any means is a greater sense of public engagement. I just meant that this specific case of a particular disinterested sociopath "angrily" defending the space program was all about the pork.
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