Comments on: Bolden: 60 Minutes Segment on Space Coast Missed Key Points, Progress

By: Phil

Phil — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 07:45:57 +0000

!Well spoken, chief!

By: Renegade

Renegade — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 23:42:12 +0000

It’s very good that Gen. Bolden remarked about NASA’s “future.” But as a teenager what struck me most about this release, and the majority of his press releases is how political it is. From my chair NASA is becoming a political tool, with her main goal, not exploration or advancing the space frontier, but as a convenient barge to ship around money to constituents. With what i have observed lawmakers are no longer interested in space, science, education, anything, just staying in power.”Those that dont have power will do what ever it takes to get it, and those that have it will do what ever it takes to keep it,” Machiavelli said. It saddens me that headlines are no longer about science, or exploration, but about how NASA has become a farce. What it comes down to is that our lawmakers have all these goals, but aren’t willing to pay for it, unless it benefits them.

Which is why it is so important to encourage the commercial sector, because they will act in the best interest of their customers, and hopefully those customers will be us.

By: Marcel F. Williams

Marcel F. Williams — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 22:26:53 +0000

The week before, 60 minutes presented the perspective of Elon Musk and Space X. Last week they presented the views of some of the NASA vendors. The Augustine Commissioned determined that the space shuttle could be continued if a shuttle derived architecture was selected. It eventually was after the Obama administration tried to completely stop NASA from developing any manned spaceflight capability. But President Obama still terminated the shuttle program.

Was there enough money to continue the shuttle program until the SLS was ready? The Shuttle/ISS program was about $5 billion a year and the Constellation program was $3.4 billion a year. The SLS/MPCV program is only $3 billion a year. So yes! There was enough money after the Constellation program was canceled. Plus Congress seemed perfectly willing to even increase the NASA budget if the Obama administration had any clear near term goals for NASA. But they didn’t.

Marcel F. Williams

By: pacodenero

pacodenero — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 19:58:59 +0000

Good that Bolden put this out quickly. I was struck by how much political BS there was in the piece from 60 Minutes, it was totally shocking. It made everyone that was interviewed look bitter, hopeless and stupid. BTW folks, that is not a great way to get hired again!
I get angry just thinking about it, leaves a bad tast in my mouth.