After 30 years and 135 flights, NASA recently closed down its space shuttle program.
In its place, NASA recently signed a deal with Russia for $753 million to provide it with 12 round trips to the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz spacecraft. So from now on, the U.S. will essentially be paying for rides from the Russians.
As a backup plan, NASA has also hired private commercial spacecraft companies like SpaceX to build a space shuttle replacement, so NASA can "focus on more ambitious missions".
We've discussed in class the budgetary crisis facing the nation; and, yes, the cost of the space shuttle program is the main reason for its cancellation.
During one of the Republican presidential primary debates in 2012, the consensus among the candidates was that NASA should continue to exist and design missions, but that the process would be much more efficient and cost-effective if many space-related tasks were outsourced to the private sector. Their argument is that free market competition will lead to more innovation and cost-efficiency, as compared to government bureaucracies. Indeed, there are literally dozens of other private space companies that are already trying to develop launch vehicles for both unmanned and manned flight.
All of the candidates, to some degree, positioned themselves in these terms: "The era of manned spaceflight is not ending; instead it's taking a new course".
What are your thoughts on the closing of the space shuttle program in the context of our budgetary crisis? To what extent is privatization desirable?
If you want to look back on history the main reason for NASA was because of the arms race with USSR at the time. The whole point was to one-up America over USSR and a fight against communism. If closing the space shuttle program, helps our economy I'm all for it.
ReplyDeletePeople can argue and say "But science, we need to research space and learn about our universe". These people are full of themselves. If we do have the space shuttle program its to compete with Russia and other nations that we are so powerful and the super nation and advanced in everything. As much as I love America, people need to come to that realization we sometimes like to show off and the whole start of going into space was at first to compete with nations.
--Stephen Nourijanian
My thoughts as a whole on this topic, has always been on the defense side, I just don’t think going into space to build a space center or research other forms of life is worth $753 million dollars when we are going through a budget crisis in America. I think that some of those funds should be allocated elsewhere like education being one of them and although Nassau is a form of education I just think that there should be a limit as to how much should be spent in the space center. I also think that we should consider trying to get the budget establish before using any of federal government money towards hitching rides to space from another country.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, I think it would be better if we start using private space companies which are willing to help us at more cost efficient price. Although public opinions are not often acknowledge as much we should. I mean really, I think that we are just wasting unnecessary funds on issues that can be solve by strategizing. So why not let the people vote concerning these type of issues that will somehow effect our budget and country. What are we exactly looking for on these missions, or are we in competition with other countries? Ok let’s just say for the sake of argument that Nasa does not close and the Federal Government continues on these missions that are being paid for by tax payers, then why not educate everyone, maybe have the under privilege have an experience to see a mission being prepare or go on a mission? Why not use the money for that? Or instead just put NASA on hold and use that money towards improving on Americas Water. Or better yet why not put it on the ballot and let the people decide whether Nasa should close and where the funds should be allocated and although it is a good idea to research the unknown, it is also good to stabilize what we have going on here in America before considering going into space .
As much as I like the idea of space exploration and discovery as a whole, I have to agree with this comment. If the Government wants to keep NASA as a Federal entity then they have to give the tax payers something back. I like the idea of showing the entire process that goes into a mission, from start to finish with all the specifics in between. As tax payers, and essentially being the cash machine for these missions, we have every right to know how our hard earned money is being utilized and how much is actually going into said missions.
DeleteWe need to see accountability, a more transparent system where we are able to criticize every step and ask any and every questions we may have.
And I know not everybody is a rocket scientist and half of us most likely will not understand the kind of language used in NASA but we at least get to see our money in action. And on that note, I also second the comment mentioned by Omaria that the Government should educate the general masses on the who,what,when,why and how of NASA so that we could fully understand who,what,when,why and how our tax money is needed.
And at the end of the day, the Federal Government needs to put its focus on our country first, its people and its needs. Space and exploration will always be there so in the meantime, feed your people. Give them shelter, a job, a life. For if our people are not taken care of first, chaos is bound to happen and NASA and all other entities like it will be caught in the crossfires.
-J.Mo
I think they need to close the space shuttle. It's a waste of money. $753 million dollars for 12 round trips?! Do you know what we could do with that money? I don't think it's important to go to space. We can't live on the moon. We can't control what happens to earth.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many other countries that can go to the moon or mars. We're paying Russia for 12 trips to the international station. Let Russia deal with outer space. $753 million dollars can help with our deficit. I think it's not going to help with our budget . There are so many poor people in America. If there are as many rich people in America, Then how come the rich people won't take their money and do the research? Poor people can care less about outer space.
-TRW
My stance on closing down the space shuttle for financial reason is that is was a irresponsible, space mission have introduce us to new technology and knowledge about the earth and surrounding planets, also it have made it enhance our own capabilities thus making always having to advance in this technology era of ours. As America we our pioneers and we need to be on the forefront of space for whatever new technology we might discover. Space missions and exploration and just as vital if not more than the budget we currently have for our military. On the off chance that something is discovered in our space and it isn't America that finds this discovery, the repercussions could be grave for us. In era where if the right computers are hack it could send is back to the stone ages space advancement equal technologically advancement.
ReplyDeleteNow the idea to privatize the space industry is more irresponsible because there to many unknowns in space and one new discovery could set a country on the path to riches or give the most modern weapon on earth. Now imagine that fell in the hand of a private company that would sell that to the highest bidding country. THE POSSIBLE OF SPACE ARE TO DANGEROUS FOR US NOT TO CONTROL IT!!
Space exploration is absolutely important on a grand scale, it's something we need to do to advance the human race. We need to take care of our own first and foremost though, so cutting spending on Medicare/Medicaid/Social Security would be neglecting our current living citizens. By doing away with our space shuttle program, we are not neglecting the future of mankind, since Russia is so advanced in their space program. As long as some humans are making progress in space exploration we are well on track as far as advancing the human race. Simply because we cut our government-funded space program does not signify the end of human space exploration in my opinion. It was a smart move to free those tax dollars up and allow the outsourcing of exploration to our private sector and other countries. Considering our budget crisis, and the fact that human space exploration will not take a major blow as a result of this, I consider it a smart decision made by our officials. In general, privatization is usually desirable because it can help balance our budget while still allowing for progress to be made in any given area. Privatization frees up tax dollars, allocating more resources to the government to use them where they are needed most. On the other hand, too much privatization can be detrimental, as it is harder to maintain quality control on the private sector, and there is a risk of hidden costs and consequences when turning over a gov't service to a for-profit company.
ReplyDeleteSpace exploration is very important. Not only may we be able to answer questions that science cannot yet understand, we may find new elements or ways to cure diseases on other planets. However, the cost to maintain the space program is significant. While, we should maintain it, I do believe that it should solely be for bigger more cost-efficient missions.
ReplyDeleteGiving the private sector an opportunity sometimes may make it more efficient due to the bureaucracy of government. This will open more and new ideas that the government may not have thought of as well and more opportunities. However, the government should still maintain a portion because of the global scale of space exploration and the international level of working with other nations. Space exploration while it is important as someone said above, the main purpose of its origination was the Cold War and its competition with the Soviet Union. Now all nations can work together to try to create a cost-effective program for scientists everywhere.
- Reem Rasheed
Nasa after it's 30 years peaked at only 4 percent of the United States budget and have been receiving budget cuts up until it's cancellation. These missions are very dangerous and a lot of tragedies happened because they were attempting to build shuttles that were faster and cheaper to make were lost. Nasa was always under financed for what they were trying to accomplish and I don't think that was the right thing to close down the space program. The 753 million is still taxpayer money but I think SpaceX and Elon Musk will provide a much better source of money to build shuttles and technology to have more trips to spaces than in cooperation with Russia. With global warming and the colonization of another planet is inevitable because of how we brought upon global warming on earth. There is a lot of wasteful spending but shutting down the space program will barely put a dent on the debt. The privatization would also restrict the governments control over these trips which can be a good or a bad thing
ReplyDelete-RG
I think NASA serves a purpose as being a source that receives information that we need to know about that goes further than the planet earth. What worries me is that is the space program really shut down or is it being partnered with the one country that was close to beating us into space? It is known about the race to space as well as the moon, and those two ahead of the pack was Russia and the United States. $753 Million is a lot of money but is that really how much it takes to conduct research and multiple "ambitious missions"? What does that even mean, I feel that having companies such as SpaceX and Elon Musk might smoothing things out but those companies have to gain the money and backing for these missions and research as well, I feel that this would turn into a party or country not getting what they expected out the deal. Hopefully something negative doesn't come out of any of this but only time will tell.
ReplyDeleteI think that the space program being funded through the private sector is the best plan for now. $753 million is a lot of money that our government can use for other things, like maybe putting a small dent in our national debt. While I believe that it is important that the space program is furthered in its research to benefit the human race, I believe that it is not the top priority in our country. So more power to Russia for continuing to advance its research and understanding on space.
ReplyDeleteThe private sector can take care and fund its way to space to improve our knowledge on whats out there. If it can allow us to advance in that area of science and our government does not have to pay for it then by all means do that.
There are certainly many things this country can do with $753 million dollars. Using that money to help our nations debt crisis would be an excellent way to use the money. However, the exploration in space is still extremely important, as it could help guide studies into why we may be facing global warming and what procedures can be set in place to prevent it. It is an issue we face now and a problem that we may not be able to wait in order to reverse its actions. I completely agree with using a private sector to help advance our knowledge of space and science. If they want to pay for our development than they can use the money in other areas and help our country overcome many obstacles in many different ways.
DeleteJS
Closing the space program sounds like they wish to terminate it all together. I believe that for the time being it should be postponed so we can focus our resources on necessities such as housing, social security, and the overall welfare of our counties people. Space will be there when we have taken care of the important issues. I think people will survive if they can't read their horoscope for awhile. -TR
ReplyDeleteI believe that the closing of the space shuttle program can be a temporary solution to cut down costs. The possibilities to explore are endless even if this program going away. The private sector can handle it and can further better research. The SpaceX company mentioned can be a huge success, especially because someone as brilliant as Elon Musk is behind it. Nasa has made an appropriate decision in closing the space program, they are just focusing and shifting elsewhere, financially but not definitely. When it comes to break-through scientific discoveries, I can assure you that the United States will not be absent in that time.
ReplyDeleteC.A
From the beginnings of our country’s history, we have been a nation/people with a sense of pioneering. We started with thirteen original states and today there are fifty with the possibility of a few more being added. Our government today is being challenged with budgets and money problems. Hence the concern or possibility of shutting down our space program such as NASA. NASA has been a part of our government since the fifties and it is our leader in our frontier which is space. We need to continue to grow outside our planet because it is getting smaller and smaller every day.
ReplyDeleteColonizing other planets will solve many of our present day problems such as over population. We need to prepare our human destiny by exploring our space. We cannot be limited to thinking we are the only planet with life. The possibilities of space exploration are endless. For example, without our satellites where would we be today in terms of our technology, especially our cell phones and computers? Our human spirit must not be limited to our planet or else we will become extinct. We need to be challenged and to grow consistently if we are to be a healthy species. Thus our space program is a vital part of not only our government but of our humanity.
If we are to keep NASA, we must allocate the funds necessary to keep it and keep it growing. Instead of us spending billions of dollars on our prison system, which keeps growing, why not use half of that money to support the future of our world instead of spending all of it on a population that only hurts and destroys not only our present but our future. This is one way of getting funds and another would be to invite the private sector into the adventures of space exploration. Both government and the private sector can work in cahoots with one another for the betterment of all. -- SF
Even though I understand to a great extent the importance of exploring space, I have to say that this is definitely a sound financial decision (for now) to close the space shuttle program, especially when we look at the cost associated with sending people to space. However, I can see both sides of the argument – the first man we sent to space was in 1961, and somehow we managed to survive on planet Earth up to that point without knowing what went happened on other planets. Sure we are curious and desire to explore the unknown, discover new planets and utilize technology – it is our innate human nature – but at what price are we willing to do so? I can think of so many other ways in which this country can spend $753 million dollars, and that’s just the cost to essentially “hitch a ride” from the Russians…
ReplyDeleteI think there is so much that needs to be done before we spend millions of taxpayers’ dollars on extravagances like this, and yes I consider it one because it is not necessary. If it is deemed necessary, it should be privatized. Personally, I do not want to contribute my tax dollars to this effort, I would rather my money go to help people here in this country who are suffering with programs created to give some type of assistance or relief. Yes there are risks involved with everything we do, nothing is 100% fail-safe, but we cannot control everything. We do so much to protect the citizens of this country but are still faced with terrorism. Of course every measure should be taken to minimize any risks but overall I think this would be a better route.
I completely agree with the government playing an active role regarding the issue of banning smoking in public places. The government is not trying to force the public to stop smoking or drinking sodas all together, instead they are trying to look out for what’s best for everybody and if they have to banned the smoking in public places and the also banning soda. New York over all is trying to stop many death of each can be prevent.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore I strongly believe all 50 states should try banned smoking in public places and soda as a result as I stated above many lives would be save and many sickness will be prevent. In reality what the New York government is trying to should be a lesson and as stated many states should adopt those principle the public needs to be more aware of health overall and in other to do so drastic measurement must be made by government. Of course many will argue that is pointless but if at least one life is save that is a big improvement.
M.E.