Should the program have been discontinued? (0%)
Should it be replaced with something else? (45%)
Should that replacement have been in place before retiring the shuttle program? (75%)
Will the discontinued shuttle program add to unemployment? (40%)
Is Obama's talk of "going to Mars" simply empty rhetoric in light of his gutting and his redirection of NASA? (70%)
Will the private sector be able to replace NASA in maintaining America's lead in space exploration? (30%)
Multiple choices and Obama's crack budget office accountants may account for totals greater than 100%
Thank you for your participation!
Not a scientific poll. Respondents are self selecting. Questions are drawn from fortune cookies, hieroglyphics and tomorrow’s New York Times.
Please make your opinion known in this week's poll.
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As a resident of the Houston area I can tell yo for certain that the there will be unemployment due to the "downsizing." There already is. NASA is as important to our defense capability as the armed services. We are a weaker nation without a strong space program.
ReplyDeletebc: I can't say that NASA was always the best managed agency or that there wasn't waste in their budget. But losing the vision of the space program and kicking that many highly trained professionals to the curb will be disastrous for our country.
ReplyDeleteAny new "private" space industry will not be able to absorb them all, and once they take other jobs or relocate, it will be difficult if not impossible to gather that much talent in one place again.
There are upsides and downsides to everything. Some would argue that space exploration is an extravagance in a time that demands austerity.
ReplyDeleteIt will be interesting to see how the private space industry fares.
NASA is the MOST inefficient agency in the government today. Space needs to be, and can be, privatized. But NASA doesn't want that, they have a nice monopoly on space. There are a lot of private companies who bid on such things as launching satellites into space for other private companies. So many dollars per pound of payload. NASA finds out who bid what and then undercuts them all. At a loss. We, the taxpayers, get stuck with paying the bill to keep NASA in business. Private industry would kick NASA's ass if allowed. NASA needs to be shut down now and totally privatized, or at least allow competition.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I am sad that the NASA shuttle program has ended, I do think that the switch into the private sector will be good. The competition between the different companies will hopefully lead to new discoveries. I wish the astronauts aboard Atlantis the best of luck as they return home.
ReplyDeleteCheck out Swakker Shuttle and tell your friends how you feel about the end of the NASA shuttle program. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHrBhtNCvgY