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From: rlc4_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Richard Connell)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc,sci.space,sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: Civilians in space (Was Re: First concert from space--update)
Message-ID: <1302@ur-cc.UUCP>
Date: 31 Mar 89 19:39:21 GMT
References: <1885@randvax.UUCP> <1529@ubu.warwick.UUCP> <11002@bcsaic.UUCP>
Reply-To: rlc4_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Ricky Connell)
Organization: University of Rochester
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Sender:

This is getting lengthy...

In article <11002@bcsaic.UUCP> rwojcik@bcsaic.UUCP (Rick Wojcik) writes:
>...I prefer to limit
>manned missions almost exclusively to scientific and professional personnel
>who can make the most efficient use of these extremely expensive missions.  I
>consider media events such as rock concerts to be a frivolous waste of
>precious technology.

	Well, if you want to get the average person interested, and thereby
get monies from our government, I think you had better be ready to cater to
such a 'frivilous waste of precious technology'.  I mean, really, is the
average person going to want to support something that they see as a waste of
their money, just because it is an advance in technology.  What ever happened
to the end-user?  Who isbenefitting from this technology, and why aren't they
seeing the results.  I have noticed that there is a question of NASA needing
money to perform experiments, and the fact that the media no longer focuses
on the launches as much, because there is nothing new, it is some experiment
that does not seem to have a real affect down here, where everyone else is.
	For this reason, just about any use of space that will catch people's
attention is, I feel, not a waste of resources, or money.  If you want to 
keep it technical, how about such projects as trying to stay on the moon?
Or other places in space?

[arguement about soviets and economy deleted]

>> Don't you think...knowledge is likely to be expanded by flying a wider
>> cross-section of people than athletic professional astronauts?
>
>How, pray tell?  Why would we learn more by sending up poorly-trained people
>who are less cost-effective at carrying out the missions?  If you are
>concerned about the physical fitness of astronauts, I'm sure that we could
>find a few flabby scientists to send up.  :-)
>

	By exposing more people to space, you get a wider variety of opinions
about ways that it could be used.  If you send up untrained personnel, then 
you will get uneducated, and unbiased reactions to the situation.  If you
send up a load of artists and musicians, then there will be a whole new
look at the idea of going into space.  Also this would focus more attention
on the program itself, and what it could accomplish...
	And if things went bad, what would a few less artists and singers do 
to the world, just space em...:-)

	It is my opinion that the more people we get into space, the more
interest there will be in it for the average person.  I have no 
rargument that it should start with techies, people who know all about it, 
but there comes a time when even these people are not going to have any idea
of what in the world is going on.  And in this case, your average carpenter
might be better equipped to handle the situation, who can really say.
	Plus, once (or if) there is ever a space station, are we going to
want to pay big bucks to a person trained in aerospace technologies to 
take out the garbage?  I don't think so.  That person can be put to a much
better use working in the science feild.  And this will be the same with all
the technical fields, so who takes out the trash?  Who provides for a little
relaxing entertainment every once in a while, etc?  Highly trained people in
the fields of science are not going to be the people to do this, or at least
not on the basis that normal people would need.

>>>The idea of getting people to "take over" our space
>>>program, operating it as a commercial venture, went out the window because it
>>>was impractical.  It was dreamed up by people who thought that the free
>>>market was the answer to everything...
>>Yes, ridiculous uncommercial people like Boeing.  And it went out the
>>window because NASA wasn't interested in relinquishing control, despite
>>a few encouraging noises early on.
>
>I would be interested in clarification here. Do you mean that Boeing, or some
>other aerospace company, wanted to 'take over' our manned space flight
>program?  I'm not sure that any company, or consortium of companies, has any
>such desire.  What for?  They are working with the government, which is the
>only conceivable customer for manned space flight right now.  Who was that
>stubborn, hidebound NASA supposed to relinquish control to?  There ain't
>nobody there.  That's why I called the idea impractical. Only governments can
>afford to fund this kind of scientific research right now.

	Missed the beginning of this discussion, so please excuse me if 
I am going off on something that I know nothing about, but why do all the
flights into space have to be of a scientific nature.  If they all are
scientific now, when will the commercial interest get involved?  In any 
serious way that is, for they are already interested.  Look at all the
communication sattelites that are up there.
	So when do the normal people get a chance to see space?  I thought
that the teacher in space program was a good start, and am very saddened by
the way that it ended.  These are the sorts of programs that are going to get
you the money, and the resources that you need to continue the program in a 
useful way.
	
	Have fun, and please do send flames, I will welcome them, it's cold
here in Rochester.

                       	| Ricky Connell| rlc4_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu
                       	|--------------| NOTES_RCON@uordbv.BITNET
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