Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sm.unisys.com!csun!polyslo!jmckerna From: jmckerna@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU (THE VIKING) Newsgroups: sci.space Subject: Re: NSS Board membership Message-ID: <7199@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU> Date: 20 Jan 89 09:01:39 GMT References: <6145@thorin.cs.unc.edu> <1989Jan15.095906.18357@utzoo.uucp> <92@beaver.cs.washington.edu> <1989Jan18.043708.27547@utzoo.uucp> <1989Jan18.102436.12838@cs.rochester.edu> Reply-To: jmckerna@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU (THE VIKING) Organization: Cal Poly State University -- San Luis Obispo Lines: 39 In article <1989Jan18.102436.12838@cs.rochester.edu> dietz@cs.rochester.edu (Paul Dietz) writes: >Van Allen correctly predicted the disastrous failure of the space >shuttle program to achieve its stated objective of reducing launch >costs, and so far his predictions about the space station are right on >target. >Nick Szabo (szabonj@humpback.UUCP) writes: >Who says that James van Allen is against building space colonies? James >van Allen is against current forms of manned spaceflight (ie station, shuttle). >This is a very different thing. > >In fact, the exploration of the *entire* solar system which van Allen >and myself advocate will bring about the discoveries leading to space >settlements much sooner than our current mass wastage on manned capsules in >low earth orbit. Both of these postings declare the shuttle and space station to be wasteful failures. While the shuttle did fail to live up to the preconstruction PR, and the space station might do the same, I think it's short sighted to call them "disastrous failures" and "mass wastage". In terms of manned space R&D I think they both are (will be) extremely successful. The shuttle has taught us a vast amount about how to build (and not build) a reusable space vehicle, and I'm certain the station will do the same for human space habitats. As to the perennial question of whether we should spend money on manned or unmanned space research, I think most people support both. Of course this brings up the real rub, just how much money should each program get. I think it's clear that manned space research is by its nature much more expensive than unmanned. In the one case you have to lift human size structures, life support, and human beings; in the other miniaturized computers and scientific instrumentation. Given this, unless you're part of the small minority that rejects one type of research, I think current spending priorities are close to what they should be. John L. McKernan. Student, Computer Science, Cal Poly S.L.O. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- .signature currently under government sponsored basic research. Results guarenteed to advance science, satisfy every special intrest group, generate 2000 times the wealth expended, and show up the Russians expected REAL SOON NOW.