Newsgroups: sci.space
Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: NSS Board membership
Message-ID: <1989Feb9.010924.295@utzoo.uucp>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
References: <6145@thorin.cs.unc.edu> <181@v7fs1.UUCP> <7359@venera.isi.edu>
Date: Thu, 9 Feb 89 01:09:24 GMT

In article <7359@venera.isi.edu> cew@venera.isi.edu.UUCP (Craig E. Ward) writes:
>In 1988, NSS was instrumental in getting the Space Settlement Act
>through Congress.  The act amends the NASA charter to add space colonies
>as a goal of NASA research.  Is this a sign that the Society has given
>up on space colonies?  I don't think so.  I think it's damn good for a
>two year old organization...

Hands up everyone who actually thinks that amending the NASA charter to
add space colonization is going to do diddly-squat to advance space
colonization.  NASA, like all mature bureaucracies, pays attention to
its charter only when it's useful as supporting evidence for funding
requests.  My recollection, admittedly dim, is that NASA's charter defines
technology R&D as a primary goal and says nothing at all about running a
launch system; NASA nowadays puts a lot of money and effort into running
a launch system and very little into R&D.
-- 
Allegedly heard aboard Mir: "A |     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
toast to comrade Van Allen!!"  | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu