Youtube video - ARES I-X Launch - 7m58s

I'm sold. I had doubts on the affordability of getting the concept platform to fly, and the utility of it. But this flight proves the concept, its just a matter plugging in the wanted bells and whistles. Why its going to take 4 years, a whole administration, and 2 Congresses untill the next test flight I don't know.

__________________
January 21, 2013: The End of an ERROR.

"Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become more corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters."
"When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic."
"The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself."
---Benjamin Franklin

Apparently not everything went according to plan...

NASA: Booster rocket damaged in test flight

__________________
January 21, 2013: The End of an ERROR.

"Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become more corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters."
"When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic."
"The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself."
---Benjamin Franklin

Consider the states of our finances, manned space flight is not a place I want to be spending our money right now.

That's sort of a tricky issue for me. I'm very interested in space colonization. In my opinion, we should already be sending up supplies to establish a lunar facility, but perhaps correcting our budget and finding a more effective way to guide the economic state of the nation should be a higher priority. Of course, NASA could always lend resources to Branson and likeminded wealthy individuals and let them take the bulk of the expense of taking us into space. I know a week long stay in a lunar resort a decade or two from now would definitely be sufficient for people to blow a lot of money on.

__________________
During the journey we commonly forget its goal. Almost every profession is chosen as a means to an end but continued as an end in itself. Forgetting our objectives is the most frequent act of stupidity.
-Friedrich Nietzsche, The Wanderer and his Shadow

All good socialists have villas in Southern France. That's not the point.
-Eurosocialist

Rocket research improves our missle technology that can be used to really fuck some people up. More persuasive?

__________________

The world could use more Stan Ovshinsky's

Watched the launch from my back yard. Manned and unmanned spaceflight stimulates scientific discovery, and the technologies developed for NASA tend to make their way into everyday use.

I'd far rather see us spend money on this than on some of the other things we spend money on.

Matt

There is not one issue here on Earth that can not be improved by the concentrated effort to establish a human civilization on a more hostile world.

__________________
January 21, 2013: The End of an ERROR.

"Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become more corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters."
"When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic."
"The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself."
---Benjamin Franklin

I know this recent Ares test is crucial to NASA because it will pave the way for the creation of the Ares 5 which will give the agency heavy lift capability that they lost since they mothballed the Saturn 5 launch vehicles that got us to the moon. They need Aries to give them the heavy lift capability to get large amounts of payload to earth orbit for missions to the moon and Mars.

So at least this test shows that NASA is steadily working towards getting to the moon and Mars.

__________________


"Democracy passes into despotism." - Plato

I agree totally with Commodore

Why DID I turn down that Air conditioning contract for Hell?

__________________
Alizee Jacotay, the reason god invented hips

Depends if you think its a lot of money. We just spent 700 Billion dollars on Government bailouts. NASA needs a measly 3 billion dollars more.

That sounds like a lot of money, I'll grant you, but it really isn't when it comes to government spending. NASA's total budget is less than one percent of the three trillion or so for 2009, so the idea that we can't afford it is laughable. Especially when its something that insures we remain an engineering and scientific leader in the world and brings political cooperation and good will our way.

Still not convinced? New York City has a total operating budget for education of 21.05 billion dollars for 2009. NASA's scheduled budget for 2010 is 18.6 billion, of that only about nine billion actually goes to exploration and space operations.

It isn't all missions to the moon, Mars, either. NASA also does vital science around earth orbit with satellites that help us make better decisions in farming, water usage, and monitor natural and unnatural hazards from space to give us a wider view of our world and our impact and place in it.

Solar science too, which is vital in a world that is completely reliant upon technology. Missions like the upcoming SDO mission which will give us an even better understanding of our sun.

Anyway, I see it as an investment in our future and we should treat it as such.

Mostly it comes down to money, Or rather that NASA doesn't have enough money to expedite the next manned rocket system and do everything that NASA does right now.

So now its all up to the President, seeing as how he sets policy when it comes to NASA. Bush pushed the goal without insuring it had any funding of any sort, and it'll be interesting to see if Obama does any better. Historically though, the president hasn't done much more than push the status quo when it comes to NASA (At best). Which is why its taken so long until we've had a serious shuttle replacement, and even that is at risk at being canceled despite several billions of dollars and four years gone with a space gap looming.

Again though, the biggest issue isn't that we're not capable. Its money, and the political will to move forward.

Its also worth noting that there are few things that as a nation we excel at like science and exploration.

The trouble is that none of NASAs systems, as typically funded, can ever be funded and fielded in an election cycle.

It's still early for Obama, he can largely buck that trend.

__________________
January 21, 2013: The End of an ERROR.

"Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become more corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters."
"When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic."
"The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself."
---Benjamin Franklin

I hope so, I'm just saying historically there isn't much reason to be optimistic. Nor has Obama really come down on the issue in a way that can so far be considered favorable. The Chinese can't even be considered a substitute. Especially when their space agency is military backed with military intentions.

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | US praises China's space progress

Not that I'm saying that's the only reason we should keep our lead (I mentioned some others above), or that we're in any danger of losing that lead unless we relinquish it willingly. I'm just saying that for all NASA's flaws, there is no substitute for 50 years of experience and the built up international partnerships that NASA has. Which ultimately benefits us all.

I agree and I really hope that Obama doesn't kick NASA to the curb when he decides on their future come Thanksgiving. I will be very, very angry if he does.

__________________
“If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe.” - Carl Sagan

Remember to submit your nominations for the U.S. Politics Online Alternative Awards!