http://www.space.com/news/nasa_comments_040122.html
What a difference a few billion dollars and a little vision makes. Before President Bush announced plans to increase NASA's budget to support manned missions to the Moon and Mars, few bothered to editorialize about space. Now it seems every newspaper and every columnist has an opinion. It's no surprise. Perhaps never since the Apollo era has there been so much to talk about, cosmically speaking, from the hugely popular Mars Spirit rover (not everyone agrees) to Bush's announced new vision (if I had a nickel for every opinion �) to NASA's decision -- two days later -- to abandon the Hubble Space Telescope (almost nobody agrees). Here is a sampling of some of headlines and opinions published in recent days: Privatized space travel? If automobile construction were restricted to government regulation the way the space shuttle is, everyone would still be driving Pintos and El Caminos. -- Mike Walters, Texas A&M University's The Battalion [Article] A myopic decision to abandon Hubble The announcement of Hubble�s abandonment came just two days after Bush directed NASA to direct its efforts to manned space travel. NASA officials were quick to separate the two events, but the timing and circumstances of the announcements made it hard to dispute the notion that the Hubble is being been sacrificed on the altar of politics. � Closing mankind�s best eye for peering into space is a terrible mistake." -- Editorial in The Virginian-Pilot [Article] Mars... a big step for womankind? Psychologists will have to find new ways to select crews that will not crack in close confinement. Evidence suggests that the best crew may be female: we may be celebrating the first woman on Mars in a few decades. They tend to be smaller than men, saving on fuel, food, water and oxygen. Most important of all, they tend to be more tolerant of their companions. -- Raj Persaud in The Daily Telegraph, London [Article] New cachet for Martian wannabes Can a Wal-Mart outside the Gusav Crater Gated Community be far behind? -- Beth Gillin, Philadelphia Inquirer [Article] Spaced out on budget priorities The only reason to explore Mars is if, as some have joked, we have credible evidence to suggest Osama is hiding there. How can anyone support sending gazillions into space when millions of Americans are without adequate clothing, housing and shelter? -- Wendi C. Thomas, The Commercial Appeal [Article] Missions possible: Author advocates space partnerships "Some say we ought to stop space exploration until we solve our problems at home. The real question is how many of these problems can we solve with less than 1 percent of the federal budget? To say that we should wait to explore space until we solve all our problems is to say we're not going to do it at all." -- Author Timothy Ferris, quoted in The Palm Beach Daily News [Article] Sci-fi dreams clash with rover reality Am I the only one unimpressed by the NASA robot Spirit? -- Tom Jehn, The Baltimore Sun [Article] Despite far-reaching goals, NASA benefits Earth most The next time you reach for your cell phone, thank NASA. If your doctor recommends an MRI, thank NASA. The space agency deserves another moment of gratitude when you pop in a DVD and settle back for a good movie, or when you reach for a composite golf club, hoping to out-drive your buddies. And think of NASA when a smoke detector blares to save your life. -- David J. Eicher, USA Today [Article] Is it worth the money to step foot on Mars? Conservative estimates are for every dollar the U.S. government spends on the space program, it receives $7 back in the form of corporate and personal income taxes from increased jobs and economic growth. -- Steven Stiefel, Sand Mountain Reporter [Article] Moon Debate Lacking Scientific Input So far all of the debate has been based on political and economic issues with little input as to the scientific benefits and research advantages of such a mission. � A decision as important as whether or not to go to the moon should be made with all of the facts both for and against on the table. -- Jay Richards, Discovery Institute [Article] Spaced-Out Invaders The White House's latest long-term strategy for dealing with the global energy crisis is to turn the moon into a huge mining colony. -- Gersh Kuntzman, Newsweek [Article] Searching for �Kennedy� vision But in trying to capture the Kennedy magic by proposing new manned ventures to the moon and Mars, Bush seems a bit more out of touch, and a bit less visionary, than he had hoped. -- Mark Mellman, The Hill [Article] Mission to Mars: a very good idea If there is life on Mars, it is microscopic. The US President may figure that a pre-emptive strike against the Martians should occur while we have the size advantage. Maybe he figures the Mission To Mars money is well spent; he was never much good at book-learnin' and we've seen his disregard for hospitals during the recent Iraq war. -- Tim Ferguson in The Age (Australia) [Article] Privatize the Space Program The space program is a political animal, marked by shifting, inconsistent, and ill-defined goals. � Phase out government involvement in space exploration, and the free market will work to produce whatever there is demand for, just as it now does with traditional aircraft, both military and civilian. Develop a system of property rights to any stellar body reached and exploited by an American company, and profit-minded business will have the incentive to make it happen. -- Robert Garmong, CNSNews.com Commentary [Article] And some additional world reaction to the Bush vision, as compiled by the BBC: "A national mission to a far-away place where glory awaits and no rebel movement lurks will help Americans forget about the continuing problems in Iraq and portray the president as a peaceful visionary." -- Der Standard, Austria Bush is " clearly thinking above all about the astronaut China intends to send" to the Moon. -- France's Liberation daily "What are the other planets chosen for the US invasion? Are they an axis of planetary evil? And what is the relationship between the regime on Pluto and fundamentalist groups?" -- Palestinian daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadidah xponent Op Ed Be Bop Maru rob _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
