Space Fight: President Obama’s Plans for NASA Attacked By Former Astronauts

What is wrong with our president, other than the fact that he has no management experience, is as dumb as a box of rocks, and hates everything American???

What is wrong with our president…
Posted by: Greyghost | Apr 14, 2010 9:27:30 AM
I disagree with your assessment and think the biggest problem for many of you is that despite the best efforts of the opposition and the Right
according to recent polls Obama still tops any of your likely candidates for the ’12 election (for example, a CNN poll shows Obama topping Romney 53 percent to 45 percent, beating Huckabee 54 percent to 45 percent, defeating Gingrich 55 percent to 43 percent and topping Palin 55 percent to 42.)
In regards to NASA, it’ll be interesting to see what happens. For many objecting its about patriotism, jobs and the politics related to those jobs– while the president and Buzz rightly focus on costs and updating outdated and wasteful programs.

What did you expect when you voted for a community organizer/ freshman senator/ most liberal/ chicago politician? What were you thinking????

Oh, don’t worry. The good people at NASA will be kept busy fixing cars. Isn’t that what Obama wants them to do now, fix the Toyotas?

JSC needs to move more towards robotic missions as JPL does. We are broke as a nation and getting habitation modules for humans up to space is extremely expensive. Plus robotic missions can do so much more and go so much further.

Posted by: tjp612 | Apr 14, 2010 9:55:13 AM
Actually, repetition is something that Republicans and their echo chamber thrive on. Facts, truth and innovation don’t matter– just repeat really stupid talking points–lies, distortions–over and over and over and enough dupes will believe ya.
I do agree that polls this far out don’t matter much– but I was pleasantly surprised, actually, given that Obama continues to focus on important reforms and that tends to scare the bejeezus out of more conservative, fear-based types. Of course, the Republicans don’t have good candidates that truly meet the more libertarian spirit of the current movement, particularly among those who put a bit more intellectual heft into it than anger and opposition and fear.
Anyway… regarding NASA, per space analyst William Harwood, based at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, “As part of a sweeping post-shuttle change of direction for NASA, the Obama administration’s shift to private-sector rockets and spacecraft will include government development of a new heavy-lift rocket for eventual manned flights to a variety of deep space targets including, ultimately, Mars, an administration official said Tuesday.
While committed to terminating the Bush administration’s Constellation moon program, the president supports development of a scaled-down version of Constellation’s Orion crew capsule for use as a space station emergency escape vehicle and possible technology test bed.
Speaking on background, a senior administration official said Tuesday the Orion capsule could be launched unmanned to the International Space Station using commercial rockets as part of a broad effort to reduce reliance on Russian Soyuz spacecraft.”

You’d think you conservatives would love the push to increase privatization of the space program. There is simply no pleasing these people.
Posted by: helloder2 | Apr 14, 2010 10:09:16 AM
Many of them just mouth the rhetoric. Its really about supporting “no change” and conserving the status quo, as much as they like to deny it when their personal convenience isn’t directly on the line.

“A long downhill slide to mediocrity”.
Isn’t that what Obama wants for America?
He seems embarrassed by our country and feels the need to apologize and bow down to foreign leaders.
Funny how Obama doesn’t want America to be exceptional but he wants the whole world to believe he is THE most exceptional human being on earth.
Obama was in his glory at the nuclear summit. All eyes on him–the global leader.
When Obama bowed to the Chinese dictator out of respect, I notice it was not returned.

“You obviously know very little of how private industry functions. What CEO would take any risks with this administration?”
We know something about what right-wingers want us to believe regarding how private industry functions. In reality CEOs will take risks during any administration if they believe there is money to be made.

“So many of us overestimated the competence of the Democrats to run the country”
We haven’t underestimated the abilities of the right-wing lie and fear machine to negatively effect public opinion however. Not after seeing George Bush get elected a second time.

Interesting that the Republicans don;t have the guts to attack Obama themselves for cutting space programs even as they rail against the “wasteful spending” from the White House. Getting Neil Armstrong to do your dirty work is just sad…

I am truly at a loss as how Dohbama, who has not held an honest job in his life, is an expert in just about everything. I am proud of this country but there may not be anything left to be proud of soon.

“We know something about what right-wingers want us to believe regarding how private industry functions. In reality CEOs will take risks during any administration if they believe there is money to be made.”
You have just proved my point. CEOs are not willing to take risks because they see Obowma’s agenda and it is not conducive to business (and employment) growth. Why is it that other developed economies have seen unemployment drop while in the U.S. it has not? (and is not expected to drop anytime soon, despite $1 trillion “stimulus” package?)
BTW – You are probably one of those who believe the Republican Party is the party of Wall Street and “Big Business”. Guess again:
Top Ten Donors – Barack Obama (2008):
University of California $1,591,395
GOLDMAN SACHS $994,795
Harvard University $854,747
MICROSOFT CORP. $833,617
GOOGLE INC. $803,436
CITIGROUP INC $701,290
JP MORGAN CHASE & CO $695,132
TIME WARNER $590,084
Sidley Austin LLP $588,598
Stanford University $586,557
Wall Street (particularly Goldman Sachs) and Obowma are joined at the hip.

You obviously know very little of how private industry functions. What CEO would take any risks with this administration?
tjp612 | Apr 14, 2010 10:13:07 AM
Meanwhile, in documented reality, the DOW is up almost 40% since Obama was inaugurated. Business needed TARP, the economy needed the stimulus, and the health care bill scares no CEO. Seems like the people who put their money where their mouth is strongly disagree with your opinion that no CEO is going to take risks with this administration O
Or perhaps you meant no CEO is going to take risks with this administration like how Enron, Madoff, and the banks took risks breaking the law under the last administration?

“NASA is a critical endeavor, and it is being funded as such. I’m comfortable that it is being set on a course that will keep it sustained for the next decade, after which we will have the deficit under control (one way or another we have to) and be able to reassess.”
Do you really believe, at Obowma/Reid/Pelosi spending levels, that the deficit will be “under control” by the end of the decade? I’d like to hear the basis on which you draw this conclusion. You do realize that we are (a.) borrowing at interest rates that are historically very, very low, (b.) there is a very real possibility the U.S. could lose Triple A rating, and (c.) ergo, annual requirements to service the national debt could (in moderate-to-worst case scenarios, would) be the largest annual budgetary expenditure? Do you foresee a source of significant revenues those of us who understand macroeconomics do not?

“Obama has captured more Al Quaeda leaders than Bush did his entire presidency”
Yeah, there have also been more homeland attacks by Muslim extremists and incidents of U.S. citizens participating in jihadist events than during entire Bush 43 presidency (not to mention more deaths of innocent civilians from unmanned drone attacks durign Obama adminstration than under Bush). An “inconvenient truth” the Left fails to mention…

Do you foresee a source of significant revenues those of us who understand macroeconomics do not?
tjp612 | Apr 14, 2010 11:07:58 AM
Spending will be cut, probably after the next presidential election when Congress finally accepts the well proven bipartisan commission (proposed by Republicans in the past, it was killed this year by their party of No election year stance). I’d expect the standard bump up in the Social Security age and an increase in the tax level to account for longer lifespans. Inflation will return to historic levels, 3% or so, which is seen to provide a healthy economic environment (tends to ‘put money to work’) as well as reduce the real deficit. Carbon taxes are the obvious source of increased revenue, and military cuts the obvious source of spending cuts (marine special ops to go after terrorists are cheaper than ICBMs and the next super fighter that is three rather than only two generations beyond the Chinese). And I think the Mayo clinic may be right about the health care bill bringing down health costs, making more capital available for other industries.
But the biggest, most obvious point is the one you make: the deficit will cause a crisis and HAVE to be fixed in about the 10 year window. If a house is burning down, I’m pretty confident in saying that the fire will be out in one way or another by next month.

“Wow. ONE of Obama’s top five contributors is bank employees, while for REPUBLICAN John McCain ALL FIVE OF HIS TOP CONTRIBUTOR GROUPS WERE BIG WALLSTREET.”
Thanks for walking right into this and proving my point. Based on this high-level analysis, Wall Street and Big Business donated to Obama over McCain 2-3 to 1!

“Wow. ONE of Obama’s top five contributors is bank employees, while for REPUBLICAN John McCain ALL FIVE OF HIS TOP CONTRIBUTOR GROUPS WERE BIG WALLSTREET.”
Thanks for walking right into this and proving my point. Based on this high-level analysis, Wall Street and Big Business donated to Obama over McCain 2-3 to 1!
tjp612 | Apr 14, 2010 11:20:31 AM
Reality: 100% of McCains top 5 contributor groups were Wall Street firm employees. 20% of Obama’s top 5 contributor groups were Wall Street employees. As you are citing donation data defined BY EMPLOYER, of course every one is going to be a ‘big business’ (just like if you chose to cite data aggregated by state, everyone is going to be a state).
I am not interested in playing your Big Lie games; there are policy issues worth debating but no point if you are just going to make up lies rather than rational responses.

“That really was a breathtaking example of lying with statistics tjp pulled there. I’ll have to keep it in mind next time he posts some “facts”.”
While it is very convenient to call me out as “lying”, you obviously are not familiar with basic tenants of statistics such as means, ranges, and medians. Breathtaking.
Good chatting with you, jhw. Gotta run – Need to get to work so that I can “pay my fair share” to momma-government to fund Obowma’s unicorn ranches and lollipop farms.

“Like it or not we(America) remain a dominant superpower.”
Every now and then Obama lets the truth slip out. I bet his handlers are literally biting their nails when Obama dares to go off script.

jhw: Where are the jobs? Where is the investment by CEOs who are not afraid to take risks in the Age of Obowma?

“This would seem to indicate that Wall Street and Big Business preferred the Democrat over the Republican”
Only to someone who is looking for that result. Just because employees of some of the largest firms made generous donations to the Obama campaign doesn’t put the Democratic party squarely in the back-pocket of Wall St, where the Republicans are.

“Yeah, there have also been more homeland attacks by Muslim extremists and incidents of U.S. citizens participating in jihadist events than during entire Bush 43 presidency (not to mention more deaths of innocent civilians from unmanned drone attacks durign Obama adminstration than under Bush). An “inconvenient truth” the Left fails to mention”
I suppose jihadist attacks on our troops invited by Bush don’t count.
Their lives lost are apparently meaningless to you.

President Kennedy dreamt the dream, President Obama killed it.

“President Kennedy dreamt the dream, President Obama killed it.” – Todd
I hear ya Todd.
NoBo only invokes the memory of a Dead Kennedy when it suits his agenda.
Two faced loser.

Obama is a socialist cretin and needs to throw money at the fools who elected him, not at something as important as space exploration. Only when we rid ourselves of the curse of socialism will be be able to continue to advance in space. Sadly, our once great nation is in decline, and will shortly become merely a cautionary tale of liberty betrayed by fools.

Barb: “It most certainly isn’t Pres. Obama’s fault that the previous administration put us into this mess.”
Dear Barb: If you truly believe that then you are incapable of understanding the truth.

“I also remember far worse attacks on Republicans than the ones against Obama on this thread.”
You mean the election where the GOP ran an ad against a triple amputee Vietnam hero as being supportive of Osama Bin Laden?
“During the 2002 Congressional campaign, YOUR party turned the funeral of Senator Paul Welstone in a political rally shouting anti-Republican slogans in the same room where the coffin was”
Except that did not happen.
Its a right wing myth brought to you by FoxNews and the rest of the right wing lie machine.
Yet another odious episode by your side.

“It’s way way way more important for us Humans as a species to continue our exploration into space than it is to provide insulin to a Fat Obese Blob™ with self induced diabetes.”
Be nice to Rush.
I mean he almost died because of his crash dieting this year.

“Dear Barb: If you truly believe that then you are incapable of understanding the truth.”
yeah Barb, don’t you know that Candidate Obama somehow caused the economic meltdown while Bush was President.
And that President Obama is responsible for anything bad that happens and will not get credit for anything good?

Obama wants us to be a THIRD WORLD COUNTRY. This is the most pathetic, administration this country has ever had. Let’s do more programs for those that don’t want to work. How motivating!
Pour in the money.

My my, so now everyone is upset over jobs at Nasa.
Yet non of you were upset when Programming and engineering jobs that worked on Nasa projects funded by taxpayers money in companies like Rocketdyne, Boeing, Lockheed and so on were outsourced to India and China beginning 2002. Infact many of you here insisted that the Republicans outsourcing of our government funded with tax payers money jobs was a good thing because you were glad that the nerds and computer specialists here in the USA were loosing their jobs.
And now you complain about a Nasa program loosing jobs. Well many of those companies whose jobs were outsourced with tax payers money were companies that worked directly and indirectly with Nasa for decades since the beginning of the space programs.
Why were you not upset with the outsourcing of the jobs? You could have prevented all of this loss of money to our economy, if only you stopped the Outsourcing of Jobs that the Republicans pushed for and got. Yet you want Republicans back in the majority in Washington DC. Will wonders ever cease?

FYI, for decades since the 1980′s the engineers and programmers who had worked in the space program were working along side with Russia on Nasa projects. I guess you did not know that little fact.
And while Russia used their citizens to work those jobs, since 2002 American companies with tax payer’s money and the blessing of Nasa and Republicans outsourced those programming and engineering jobs to India and China.
And yet you want Republicans back in control of congress and senate? My, my.

You bet I want Republicans back. First, this all Democratic system has achieved nothing good. Nothing but dirty deals and handouts we can’t afford to push through mediocre legislation at best. I think some of the best output has been with a republican congress and a Democratic president. Then they have to work together and all sides get real input. Clinton’s fist 2 years were a disaster, his next 4 were not so bad. Back on subject, if Obama messes up our space plans, that will be reason enough for me to not vote for him. Pretty slim chance of him making it 8 years anyhow. It’s pretty clear he’s just a shell presenting what his staff puts together (that’s why he can’t go 10 min without a teleprompter). And the fiasco of the Democratic party not even being able to work with themselves …

The space program, in this economy, is a tremendous waste of money. Why not collaborate with the Russians?

“(that’s why he can’t go 10 min without a teleprompter)”
Hmmm I watched Obama take direct questions from Republican lawmakers for an hour destroying them.
Guess you missed it since FoxNews only showed a bit and cut away as soon as it began going badly for the GOP.

“I think some of the best output has been with a republican congress and a Democratic president. Then they have to work together and all sides get real input.”
Yeah I remember how they worked together.
Newt and the GOP tried to shutdown government and lost badly.
So they went with plan B to personally destroy President Clinton based on an affair he had.
And it ended with half of the GOP leadership at the time resigning in disgrace.
Swell times.

Neil Armstrong does not speak often—but when he does we might want to listen. Having said that— this is one of those issues that seemingly has no good answer. I guess the first place one could start is to look at the few disputable facts we have to work with. (1) the space shuttle is no longer needed–it has almost completed its work with the ISS–indeed, now that moving day has come and gone– we can send the moving van home. (2) due to some inexcusable failures on the part of other administrations we have nothing ready or even started to take its place.(3) the system that was proposed was purposely funded in such as way as to ONLY provide employment for people but not to accomplish anything in the near future–or even at all. Obama ordered a in depth review of all options by the st Augustine commission. They found pretty much as I just said that the Orion and Ares were proposed to keep people quiet only– Nevertheless I too was shocked when these programs were cut—but I see that as long as they were not intended to be finished anyway what difference would it make to American’s space future. Yes— they would have kept thousands of highly valuable workers employed. So—I think that at this stage–it may be time to stop talking about—and start building a new heavy lift launch vehicle while at the same time getting commercial companies to do the grunt work of supplying the ISS. I think we must stop saying that Mars is 20-30 years down the road–instead we need to declare when down the road it ACTUALLY is.. and act accordingly.. Otherwise–as Neil said– we will sail off into the sunset of HAS-BEEN-NATIONS.
Even as pressing our earth bound problems might be— if we don’t get a chance to look toward the heavens– to expand our horizons then the folks coming of age now–will never know how great some of us had it in the hay day of the space program— when inventions were coming fast and furious. The problems involved with going to Mars will certainly be an order of magnitude more than the moon..but so will the pay off.

“Clinton had an affair in his office (where he earns his paycheck), with an intern that literally worked under him, which is certainly an abuse of his position”
So did Senator John Ensign.
He’s also being investigated for corruption charges as well.
Seems he slept with one of his aide’s wife while she briefly worked for him, then fired the aide because the wife broke it off with him. Then to keep the aide quiet his family put up thousands of dollars in hush money while Ensign got him a lobbying job.
So do you think he should be thrown out of office?

Ryan C: “President Obama is responsible for anything bad that happens…”
Correct. Obama is a socialist swine and a danger to our national security.

These former Astronots are crying wolf here. NASA has to watch cost and purpose to get the job done. Everyone knows money is tight and not flowing like before. I see and read these stories of the people who work around NASA, support people. Resturants and the like who depend on NASA and the U.S. Government. Wait to hear or read what President Barack Obama is going to say first. The President is looking at the Big Picture here people.

Nasa has been the driving force behind many of the discoveries that have made the world a better place. We know more about the universe, our star system, and our own planet than without it. Many of you complaining want trillons for a healthcare plan that will not work (ask Tennessee about health care)and will bankrupt the country. Nasa has done more with less than any other country. We are the only country on the plaent with a functional near space fleet. We are the ones who landed on the Moon, we are ones exploring Mars (what happened to the European Space Agency Craft-crash landed); we are the ones who collaborate with others over the exploration of the Outer System (the Casini Probe). Open your eyes, don’t you like it when we are the first and successful ones in exploring the Universe.

“Regardless Pres. Obama is only putting space travel on hold….his priorities are right, yours are wrong.” – Barb
Sorry Barb, you are really very dead wrong and besides that mistaken.
: o )
Living isn’t worth doing without Dreams and Goals and Challenges and Wonderment and Yada yada yada. Nothing of what you said dispels the point I made that Space Travel is more important than taking care of slobs who cause their own misery. I don’t know where you got the notion I meant everyone, sure didn’t say that. Also, I know there are different types of diabetes. I have a dear friend who has the type 1 stuff.
Obama should not cut the Nasa budget. If he needs some more money, take it out of the Health Care Bill and limit the care a tad more than what they plan to do now.

THE WORD THAT I GET IS THAN IN THE NEAR FUTURE IF WE ARE TO CONTINUE THE SPACE PROGRAM WE WILL HAVE TO HITCH A RIDE ON RUSSIAN EQUIPMENT. WAY TO GO OBAMA – IS THERE NO END TO YOUR INCOMPETENCY?

Obama is a great speaker that is all Ihave to say about his greaatness. He can plan and deliver a gret speech and even argue alittle, but when it comes to the space or other descisions making skills he lacks and refers to other people. SO when is the next election?

Space Exploration is an expensive business and I can’t see how private enterprise is going to want to pony up the $$ other than to launch a few satellites, or space tourism. Constellation may have grown from the older Apollo technology, but it certainly would look more advanced than the the current offerings from the private space companies. The $$$ spent goes towards engineers, aerospace companies, contractors who are employed in the USA. It isn’t just a sum of money that would vaporize for nothing. These employess would not only develop new technologies, but they also buy cars, homes, etc that employ construction workers and the auto industry. And why let the expertise/capabilities disappear like that. It will cost so much more to develop that kind of expertice in the future. If you wish to have private enterprise more involved with the development of private space travel then have them share in the development costs and technologies that go with it to help boost their presense in space. We have a slight edge right now in technological development in aerospace, medicine and communications that help drive our industry in the USA. Why cut away from that advantage that helps drive our economy, which in turn helps spur employment?

Sad to see Col.Aldrin buying into the myth of a privately financed and operated manned space program.Obama has decided that America’s priorities do not include a manned space program.That is his option. But spare me the bull that this change in plans is beneficial to NASA.The manned program is being destroyed-it will take decades now to replace the shuttle.There is no realistic American alternative to the Orion spacecraft.Das Ende.

The only good thing about Obama is his wife…and she doesn’t like our country either

Everything about Obama reflects his 3rd-world attitudes. He is turning the USA into a banana republic with his Marxist based ideology and social justice rhetoric. WAH, we are too poor and weak to be leaders in technology anymore ! Even India has more going on than here, and they have 750 million people who live on a dollar a day!

Once again, the emperor passes his edicts without regard for anyone else’s viewpoint, without input from experts, and considering only to his ideology and naive wishes. I’ll be so glad when this amateur is sent packing.

The shuttle program is ending not NASA. Try not to knock yourselves stupid with all the knee-jerking.

i heard nothing new that wasnt known already lets use the money here on our space center insted of giving money to mis managed russians

So the Russkies win. I never thought I’d live to see a day when American astronauts would have to thumb a ride from our “former” commie “partner”.( what if they say “nyet!” Obama cannot be this naive. He has undermined our military, nuclear defense,anti-missle bases, space,and manufacturing for a reason. His ideology requires him to turn America into an average Socialist state. Only way to do that is to destroy our current system of Capitalism and innovation. Let’s all beg for a ride on Soyuz to get to the space station we forked out much bucks to build. Lets discard the Space Shuttle instead of upgrading it or producing an improved generation of it. Isn’t mediocrity wonderful comrade??

Private industry has tried in the past to develop launch vehicles (Kistler, for example) with no success. Their efforts to obtain funding usually had to rely on Middle Eastern money because no-one in the US was willing to invest the kind of capital that was required. Even launch vehicles with government funding have had difficulty because of the uncertainty in launch rates, etc. The Obama Plan will be a disaster.

I believe Obama is wrong in his change of NASA’s plan. His new plan cuts peoples jobs while increasing our spending. That makes no sense. NASA has lead the way in space for years, so now why step aside and let Russia lead? I believe something should be done about this now before more damage is done.