Is NASA sponsered by the US government?
Is NASA sponsered by the US government?
Author
Discussion

bilko2

Original Poster:

1,693 posts

254 months

Wednesday 12th January 2005
quotequote all
If so i would be a pretty p1$$ed off American right now.
Why are they sending spaceships to intercept a comet 80 million miles away and find out what it's made of?
Are there not homeless in the US?, Is there not poverty?.
Just heard this on the news and i am once again astounded by the governments of this world and their stupid frivalouse spending.

Same here as well....How much money did we spend to go up in smoke on newyears eve? Bloody fire works.
The olympics? FFS..That money could solve something!!!!

My God FFS sake sometimes i dispair.
RIGHT>.... the news at 10 ( JUST FINISHED )
mORE Free newspapers on the tube because people want more news in the afternoon. ( another rainforest cut down to go in the bin after rushhour )
Ken Livingstone calling some bloke dishonest because he is defending his welcoming some Muslim or something.

Same muslim on the tv making a speach asking if gays should be put to death!!!!!!!!!!!!!!FFS ( i better not comment apart from there is nothing wrong with being gay you ucking tw@ )
Prince harry wearing swathstickers and german uniforms and having to apologize.
Burberry shares are falling because of chavs

Sometimes i really hate this country
Rant over

BrianTheYank

7,585 posts

272 months

Wednesday 12th January 2005
quotequote all
Well, thats the world of today for ya.

IOLAIRE

1,293 posts

260 months

Wednesday 12th January 2005
quotequote all
bilko2 said:
If so i would be a pretty p1$$ed off American right now.
Why are they sending spaceships to intercept a comet 80 million miles away and find out what it's made of?
Are there not homeless in the US?, Is there not poverty?.
Just heard this on the news and i am once again astounded by the governments of this world and their stupid frivalouse spending.

Same here as well....How much money did we spend to go up in smoke on newyears eve? Bloody fire works.
The olympics? FFS..That money could solve something!!!!

My God FFS sake sometimes i dispair.
RIGHT>.... the news at 10 ( JUST FINISHED )
mORE Free newspapers on the tube because people want more news in the afternoon. ( another rainforest cut down to go in the bin after rushhour )
Ken Livingstone calling some bloke dishonest because he is defending his welcoming some Muslim or something.

Same muslim on the tv making a speach asking if gays should be put to death!!!!!!!!!!!!!!FFS ( i better not comment apart from there is nothing wrong with being gay you ucking tw@ )
Prince harry wearing swathstickers and german uniforms and having to apologize.
Burberry shares are falling because of chavs

Sometimes i really hate this country
Rant over


Is NASA linked to the US Government? Let me see now, the National and Aeronautics Space Association.
Website is NASA.GOV.com. Might be y'know!!
That comet is made of Playdoh and if they can plant a nuke on it and make it explode just as it enters the atmosphere, there will be a helluva lot of happy kids on the planet, and it will leave the adults free to blow and poison each other to pieces, and the kids will inherit the earth.
Does that sound like a feasible solution???!!!

bilko2

Original Poster:

1,693 posts

254 months

Wednesday 12th January 2005
quotequote all
IOLAIRE said:

bilko2 said:
If so i would be a pretty p1$$ed off American right now.
Why are they sending spaceships to intercept a comet 80 million miles away and find out what it's made of?
Are there not homeless in the US?, Is there not poverty?.
Just heard this on the news and i am once again astounded by the governments of this world and their stupid frivalouse spending.

Same here as well....How much money did we spend to go up in smoke on newyears eve? Bloody fire works.
The olympics? FFS..That money could solve something!!!!

My God FFS sake sometimes i dispair.
RIGHT>.... the news at 10 ( JUST FINISHED )
mORE Free newspapers on the tube because people want more news in the afternoon. ( another rainforest cut down to go in the bin after rushhour )
Ken Livingstone calling some bloke dishonest because he is defending his welcoming some Muslim or something.

Same muslim on the tv making a speach asking if gays should be put to death!!!!!!!!!!!!!!FFS ( i better not comment apart from there is nothing wrong with being gay you ucking tw@ )
Prince harry wearing swathstickers and german uniforms and having to apologize.
Burberry shares are falling because of chavs

Sometimes i really hate this country
Rant over



Is NASA linked to the US Government? Let me see now, the National and Aeronautics Space Association.
Website is NASA.GOV.com. Might be y'know!!
That comet is made of Playdoh and if they can plant a nuke on it and make it explode just as it enters the atmosphere, there will be a helluva lot of happy kids on the planet, and it will leave the adults free to blow and poison each other to pieces, and the kids will inherit the earth.
Does that sound like a feasible solution???!!!

TW@!

IOLAIRE

1,293 posts

260 months

Wednesday 12th January 2005
quotequote all
bilko2 said:

IOLAIRE said:


bilko2 said:
If so i would be a pretty p1$$ed off American right now.
Why are they sending spaceships to intercept a comet 80 million miles away and find out what it's made of?
Are there not homeless in the US?, Is there not poverty?.
Just heard this on the news and i am once again astounded by the governments of this world and their stupid frivalouse spending.

Same here as well....How much money did we spend to go up in smoke on newyears eve? Bloody fire works.
The olympics? FFS..That money could solve something!!!!

My God FFS sake sometimes i dispair.
RIGHT>.... the news at 10 ( JUST FINISHED )
mORE Free newspapers on the tube because people want more news in the afternoon. ( another rainforest cut down to go in the bin after rushhour )
Ken Livingstone calling some bloke dishonest because he is defending his welcoming some Muslim or something.

Same muslim on the tv making a speach asking if gays should be put to death!!!!!!!!!!!!!!FFS ( i better not comment apart from there is nothing wrong with being gay you ucking tw@ )
Prince harry wearing swathstickers and german uniforms and having to apologize.
Burberry shares are falling because of chavs

Sometimes i really hate this country
Rant over




Is NASA linked to the US Government? Let me see now, the National and Aeronautics Space Association.
Website is NASA.GOV.com. Might be y'know!!
That comet is made of Playdoh and if they can plant a nuke on it and make it explode just as it enters the atmosphere, there will be a helluva lot of happy kids on the planet, and it will leave the adults free to blow and poison each other to pieces, and the kids will inherit the earth.
Does that sound like a feasible solution???!!!


TW@!


Chill out Ernie and look up the NASA web site.
You can download pics of nebulas that are a billion light years away!
Imagine travelling at 186,000 miles a second for a billion years!!! That's how long it would take to get there.
If that doesn't turn you on, your dead inside.

tinman0

18,231 posts

262 months

Wednesday 12th January 2005
quotequote all
bilko2 said:
If so i would be a pretty p1$$ed off American right now.
Why are they sending spaceships to intercept a comet 80 million miles away and find out what it's made of?
Are there not homeless in the US?, Is there not poverty?.
Just heard this on the news and i am once again astounded by the governments of this world and their stupid frivalouse spending.

Same here as well....How much money did we spend to go up in smoke on newyears eve? Bloody fire works.
The olympics? FFS..That money could solve something!!!!

My God FFS sake sometimes i dispair.
RIGHT>.... the news at 10 ( JUST FINISHED )
mORE Free newspapers on the tube because people want more news in the afternoon. ( another rainforest cut down to go in the bin after rushhour )
Ken Livingstone calling some bloke dishonest because he is defending his welcoming some Muslim or something.

Same muslim on the tv making a speach asking if gays should be put to death!!!!!!!!!!!!!!FFS ( i better not comment apart from there is nothing wrong with being gay you ucking tw@ )
Prince harry wearing swathstickers and german uniforms and having to apologize.
Burberry shares are falling because of chavs

Sometimes i really hate this country
Rant over



you can't have it both ways. the US has much less of a saftey net in society than we do - but we spend £bs and what do we get?

professional idle people.

you either get off your arse and make something of your life or you starve. if you lived in places like Thailand it is exactly like that. until you have lived somewhere poor - you dont understand how priveliged you are to live in a country like the US or the UK with its many many opportunities.

when people talk about poverty in the west it truly makes me sick. poverty is seeing a chap with no legs lapping a market on his stomach in Bangkok collecting bhats.

poverty in the west is defined as a fraction against the highest earners. a statistic dreamed up by a socialist i'm sure. poverty as a word in the west has no meaning any more.

But what do we do in our land of oppurtunity? sign on!

So the US sends a satellite to a comet - so what? it would be a very sad day when we stop trying to learn.

Want to see a culture that has refused to broaden its horizon - look no further than the Middle East.

As for a newspaper using more forest, well from what the poster regarding global warming said (sorry cant remember your name), rain forest can't be used to make paper, and paper forests are replanted. So again, your worries are quite unfounded.

Regards,
Tin

bilko2

Original Poster:

1,693 posts

254 months

Wednesday 12th January 2005
quotequote all
Allright , Sorry i thought you were trying to be funny with me again after " the state of my marriage thing".
Yep ears like one too
I know they are an american organisation etc; just wanted to see how much money the government was pouring into this venture.
I realy think we ought to sort out problems here first before we go flying off 80 million miles away.
Priorities.
I am not a tree hugger or a lentelist but there comes a point where even the most hardened right wing whatever must say " this is ludicrouse". Maybe it's just me, Maybe because i look at my kids growing up and think i must protect them.
Heard on the radio that a 13 yr old girl was forced off a bus and assaulted by 4 18yr old youths.
Some things really p!$$ me off.
We cry and moan about the smaller more personal things but it's them ( no, not THEM ); the government that rob us. Push us around, Bully us, abuse us, TERRORISE us. Like stealing lunch money and then beating you up or something.
We need 500$million for that thing, OOH i know theres this comet............1$ for some hollywood style movie footage and it's not like they can check is it.
Also NOW YOU CAN SAY WHAT YOU (generic ) LIKE On THIS. I believe in God, my god. I need no church or cross round my neck to talk to him, just a personal prayer.
They all say they believe in God! they all sware on bibles etc but they fritter away life saving money in the quest to denounce God. They fritter away life saving money to make distractions and pull us further from him.
Whats the use
NIght, im off to bed

bilko2

Original Poster:

1,693 posts

254 months

Wednesday 12th January 2005
quotequote all
tinman0 said:

bilko2 said:
If so i would be a pretty p1$$ed off American right now.
Why are they sending spaceships to intercept a comet 80 million miles away and find out what it's made of?
Are there not homeless in the US?, Is there not poverty?.
Just heard this on the news and i am once again astounded by the governments of this world and their stupid frivalouse spending.

Same here as well....How much money did we spend to go up in smoke on newyears eve? Bloody fire works.
The olympics? FFS..That money could solve something!!!!

My God FFS sake sometimes i dispair.
RIGHT>.... the news at 10 ( JUST FINISHED )
mORE Free newspapers on the tube because people want more news in the afternoon. ( another rainforest cut down to go in the bin after rushhour )
Ken Livingstone calling some bloke dishonest because he is defending his welcoming some Muslim or something.

Same muslim on the tv making a speach asking if gays should be put to death!!!!!!!!!!!!!!FFS ( i better not comment apart from there is nothing wrong with being gay you ucking tw@ )
Prince harry wearing swathstickers and german uniforms and having to apologize.
Burberry shares are falling because of chavs

Sometimes i really hate this country
Rant over




you can't have it both ways. the US has much less of a saftey net in society than we do - but we spend £bs and what do we get?

professional idle people.

you either get off your arse and make something of your life or you starve. if you lived in places like Thailand it is exactly like that. until you have lived somewhere poor - you dont understand how priveliged you are to live in a country like the US or the UK with its many many opportunities.

when people talk about poverty in the west it truly makes me sick. poverty is seeing a chap with no legs lapping a market on his stomach in Bangkok collecting bhats.

poverty in the west is defined as a fraction against the highest earners. a statistic dreamed up by a socialist i'm sure. poverty as a word in the west has no meaning any more.

But what do we do in our land of oppurtunity? sign on!

So the US sends a satellite to a comet - so what? it would be a very sad day when we stop trying to learn.

Want to see a culture that has refused to broaden its horizon - look no further than the Middle East.

As for a newspaper using more forest, well from what the poster regarding global warming said (sorry cant remember your name), rain forest can't be used to make paper, and paper forests are replanted. So again, your worries are quite unfounded.

Regards,
Tin

Okay, Not poverty perse but bad things.
Share the money or buy books or medicine or research cancer,aids. I've never been hungry or cold or destitute ( thankfully ). In fact what are you on about??!!!
yeh rain forests was a cliche but you see my point? surely?!!
Stop learning? re you trying to wind me up?
In one breath you go on about REAL poverty and the next you advecate spending millions on missions to comets?
Is it essential at this time to blow up a comet?
Priorities.
We have the technology and the knowledge to fix it all and then we can play star trek.

Rico

7,917 posts

277 months

Wednesday 12th January 2005
quotequote all
I;m bloody happy NASA is continuing to explore new ideas and theories about space.

If it wasn't for people like them, we'd all be trying to catch animals for dinner and grunting at eachother.

Its part of evolution... you should be proud, not belittling something that could prove to save the Earth one day...

>> Edited by Rico on Wednesday 12th January 23:54

parrot of doom

23,075 posts

256 months

Thursday 13th January 2005
quotequote all
You always here this 'omg they spent billions on the space program why not spend it on poverty'

That money would make little or no difference to poverty. Besides, if you lived your life like that, why the hell have you got a computer? WTF? You should have donated that money to a charity! You don't need a computer! Or a television! In fact, what the hell are you doing living in a house, when you could be renting a one bedroom flat and donating the rest to Africa!

Dammit, WHY THE HELL ARE YOU SO SELFISH!!1!!1!one!!2

seafarer

1,278 posts

275 months

Thursday 13th January 2005
quotequote all
Much of the research into pure science has given knowledge of physics, chemistry, and pursuits in engineering that have provided many solutions to earthly problems. That's not to say that it's not without abuses and graft. Each arena in government has those issues.

Why should the government preserve art, culture, or history? We could spend the money on poverty as well.
However, both of these things, pursuit of knowledge for its own sake, and preservation of culture, have their place in improving the quality of life materially and in human relations. Science leads to discovery, which leads to invention and cures. Preservation of art and history lead to cultural understanding, which leads to a better understanding of humanity and the greater good, and hopefully better human beings. If you don't have these more theoretical or philosophical pursuits, if there is nothing that transcends the immediate problems, it becomes difficult to improve a society and the basic human condition without thinking beyond the present.


>> Edited by seafarer on Thursday 13th January 01:01

Here are some examples: global navigation and weather forecasting could not have happened without the space program. Better search and rescue, and more accurate weather forecasts have saved many lives. But we would not have developed the computer in such a hurry if the cold war, and hence the space race, had not urged us onward. Huge amounts of government spending on the military industrial complex accelerated the continual advancement of technology and its production, which would not have happened otherwise as there was no civilian market for that pursuit. We don't "need" technology as civilians, but the trickle down of technology from its military development has brought us a level of convenience to which we are accustomed, and a level of speed in communication, medical technology, etc. that has improved the quality of our lives. But the space program did not start with these intents. The technology was sold to the civilian sector so that defense contractors would not have to solely depend on the defense business. I don't know how going to Mars will help us now, either, but I understand the point on a more philosophical level.

>> Edited by seafarer on Thursday 13th January 01:14

nonegreen

7,803 posts

292 months

Thursday 13th January 2005
quotequote all
Erm I hate to be contravercial Bilko but NASA is responsible for the development of all kinds of technology driven by the space programme. Almost every bit of what they have done over the years has been proved to be of practical use to mankind. I doubt very much whether the International conference on Climate change or the commision for integrated transport will be looked back on with quite the same admiration. I believe also that in the final analysis the huge numbers of UK government agencies and think tanks which collectively cost many times NASAs budget will not be seen to have given value for money. I think we do need to stop waste in the west. Probably the last thing on my list would be NASA. I would cut its budget just after I closed the schools and just before I cut the health service.

ErnestM

11,621 posts

289 months

Thursday 13th January 2005
quotequote all
[pedantmode]
It's the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
[/pedantmode]

Quick note for all those that worry about people at "poverty level" in the US. The average American that earns "at poverty level" in the US:

- Makes a salary of $ 18,000 per year or more
- Owns their own home
- Has an average of 2 cars
- Has an average of 3 television sets
- Has Central Heating and Air Conditioning
- Has access to State subsidized medical care
- Pays little, if any, income tax

...I think that they will be ok with this small* NASA project


ErnestM

*-small considering the other annual budget items that dwarf this. Remember, the money for this project is spread out over several years

chaparral

965 posts

281 months

Thursday 13th January 2005
quotequote all
ErnestM, show me an urban American household of two or more living on "$18000 per year" who's air-conditioned in the summer, centrally heated in the winter, and has two running cars, and I'll show you someone who's cheating on his income taxes. Rent at $6000* per annum, food at 1500 per person per annum, heat at 2400 p.a., (heavily discounted**) health insurance at $1000 per year, insurance for two cars at 1300 per car p.a, and 1000 gallons of gasoline at 2.00/gallon, makes $16800 per year. This leaves $3200 per year for everything else. Figure $800 per year for electricity if there's an air conditioner running in the summer, figure $1000 for water and sewer, figure $250 apiece for clothing and work equipment, and that's $2300 more gone, so a net deficit of $100... before any minor expenses, taxes (which do, in fact, exist at this income level) or emergencies come in.



*Well below the budget apartment rates in many if not most American cities.
** 2/3 off, pretty much. That's a really plum deal for a low-wage worker, and a lot better than most of them get.

chaparral

965 posts

281 months

Thursday 13th January 2005
quotequote all
As for NASA, the government could save more than its budget by switching to low-flow toilets. One of the top few bargains this government ever had - 50 years at the cutting edge of aerospace and counting, for less than 1% of the government's budget.

chaparral

965 posts

281 months

Thursday 13th January 2005
quotequote all
chaparral said:
ErnestM, show me an urban American household of two or more living on "$18000 per year" who's air-conditioned in the summer, centrally heated in the winter, and has two running cars, and I'll show you someone who's cheating on his income taxes. Rent at $6000* per annum, food at 1500 per person per annum, heat at 2400 p.a., (heavily discounted**) health insurance at $1000 per year, insurance for two cars at 1300 per car p.a, and 1000 gallons of gasoline at 2.00/gallon, makes $16800 per year. This leaves $3200 per year for everything else. Figure $800 per year for electricity if there's an air conditioner running in the summer, figure $1000 for water and sewer, figure $250 apiece for clothing and work equipment, and that's $2300 more gone, so a net deficit of $100... before any minor expenses, taxes (which do, in fact, exist at this income level) or emergencies come in.



*Well below the budget apartment rates in many if not most American cities. It's safe to assume that this is less than just about any home mortgage.
** 2/3 off, pretty much. That's a really plum deal for a low-wage worker, and a lot better than most of them get.

turbobloke

115,569 posts

282 months

Thursday 13th January 2005
quotequote all
Understand the frustration. A certain well-known US human rights activist once asked something like, why is America so keen to see if there's life on Mars when poor kids are dying in Harlem.

It's Budget allocations yes? In reality a spaceshot may be billed as costing $billions but most of that stays in the USA moneygoround on earth with suppliers and employees, only the raw materials may be 'lost' in an absolute sense.

Don

28,378 posts

306 months

Thursday 13th January 2005
quotequote all
A long time ago society got divided. It got divided into people who generated more food than they could eat and so were able to provide food for the other section who didn't have to work to get food to eat because the other people did it.

Some of the people who didn't need to work to create food became spongers. The Food Generators didn't like them much. Understandably.

Others of those people did useful things that made the lives of the Food Generators better. They became Doctors, Teachers, and even Artists and Shamen. The Food Generators didn't mind them so much.

So now today we have a hugely complex society. And almost nobody is a Food Generator.

We do a whole bunch of stuff that's not about feeding ourselves. But ultimately some of that stuff may make all our lives better and some of that stuff is sponging shite that hard working people get riled about.

Different hard working people get riled about different things but BE IN NO DOUBT nearly all of us aren't Food Generators...and could easily be spongers!

So why pick on NASA? Because its budgets are large? The planet spends a tiny proportion of its excess Food on sending things into space. And its an investment. Not necessarily in anything practical. Oh no. Its an investment in human endeavour and the quality of our understanding of the universe.

If that isn't worth a small amount of excess Food I don't know what is.

>> Edited by Don on Thursday 13th January 07:56

Eric Mc

124,718 posts

287 months

Thursday 13th January 2005
quotequote all
By US standards, NASA's budgets are relatively low nowadays (and a mere fraction in real terms of what they received in the heyday of the Apollo programme of the 1960s). This particular probe to the comet is probably a relatively cheap mission compared to (say) something like Cassini (which is orbiting Saturn at this very moment) and certainly a lot cheaper than the money NASA are having to spend to get the Shuttle back in operation.

There is no correlation between the axing of space budgets and improvements in poverty levels. NASA has had its budgets axed savagely over the decades - have poverty levels improved throughout the world as a consequence?

bilko2

Original Poster:

1,693 posts

254 months

Thursday 13th January 2005
quotequote all
Not picking on NASA, more the whole situation today.
Very frustrated and slightly depressed last night S.A.D maybe.
I don't think i have the vocabulary or interlect to explain what i was on about. I just wish things were better thats all.
Anyway

Ian