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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 163
Practice Squad
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OP
Practice Squad
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 163 |
watched the liftoff from work today.(about 25 miles away...can see it no problem) Seen most of the launches and every one brings a bump in my heart and an intense paternal feeling for the crew. Godspeed to all of them and good luck  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp=23054727�
"I don't want to play golf, when I hit a ball, I want someone else to go chase it"
Rogers Hornsby. St. Louis Cardinals (1915-1926)
Space Coast, Fla.
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,044
Dawg Talker
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Dawg Talker
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,044 |
I didn't have the best visibility, but I saw it before it hid the cloud cover. Amazing, seeing them take off is still something else. I was hoping to make a trip to the Cape, but it didn't work out... Anyways, I'm glad the take off went well, hope their mission and successful and that their landing has the same results. Godspeed astronauts.
I want the Cleveland Browns to be my pallbearers so they can let me down for the last time.
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 11,465
Legend
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Legend
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 11,465 |
I've always thought we should try and figure out Earth and spend the money to make it better than waste money on momentarily exploring space.
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 15,015
Legend
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Legend
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 15,015 |
Many things we have in daily life are in thanks to space exploration. And Space may hold answers to the future of clean energy.
I do think NASA should become more privatized to control costs, because right now all the companies they contract, rake them over the coals on $$ because it's the government.
We don't have to agree with each other, to respect each others opinion.
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Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 359
1st String
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1st String
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 359 |
The reason that most space shuttles do go in to space is to do research and experiments founds this little tid bit for those interested: The Title of the article is called Science that can't be done on Earth http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2003/16jan_sts107.htmFlames are a good example. On Earth, flames have a teardrop shape caused by hot air rising in a gravitational field. On board a spaceship, however, flames break apart into little balls that move around like UFOs. They burn using almost no fuel--something researchers would like to replicate in gas-saving auto engines. One of the experiments on STS-107, called SOFBALL-2, will ignite some flame balls and measure their properties. Scientists hope to learn how they burn and what keeps them lit. Alot of things that can't normally be done on Earth is the reason for space flight and travel.
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Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 2,530
Dawg Talker
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Dawg Talker
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 2,530 |
Quote:
Many things we have in daily life are in thanks to space exploration. And Space may hold answers to the future of clean energy.
I do think NASA should become more privatized to control costs, because right now all the companies they contract, rake them over the coals on $$ because it's the government.
The fact that the US government flipped the bill for the space program did in fact lead to many of the innovations we enjoy in our daily lifes to this day, computers being one of them. I have long been a huge fan of the space program becuase of this reason alone. Not to mention the possiblity of some day finding other energy sources, along with possible other worlds is exciting and hopeful.
The costs have been allowed to get out of control, some of it is justifiable some of it is not. I know this 1st hand because I actually worked at Rockwell International at the time the Endeavor was built. The contract for the space shuttle was cost plus. What that means is that Rockwell was allowed to bill NASA for the actual cost of making the shuttle along with a healthy profit.
Heres where things got out of control. I know this part really really well because I actually blew the whistle on the people I worked for to the corporate ombudsman. I was making the winshield frames for the Endeavor but I had as many as 6 other people charging their time to the job with me although I was the only person actually working on the parts. At the time we were the prime contractor for the B1 bomber which was a fixed contract. The long and the short is this Rockwell was ripping the goverment off, and it wasn't something they just started doing when I turned them in, it had been going on for years and years and years. In fact the division I worked at North American built almost every major large component for every single Appollo spacecraft as well. It goes way back well into the late 50's. This practice of overcharging time to the space Shuttle may seem small but it actually made the Shuttle in my estimation about 4 to 5 times more expessive then it actually should have been. Lets put it this way the machine I made the Winshield on was billed out at approx. $250 per hour times 6 in some instances. Then throw in that it took nearly 6 months to make the 2 halfs well you get the picture.
The long and the short was my supervisor and department manager had no dog in that fight. In other words they really didn't care about the bottom line, that was for others to consider, and when they did they developed the practice of charging more time to these contracts then they had the right to. I almost blew them into the DOD and NASA but decided to let it go as a internal matter. But I am very aware of the abuses...
I think we should continue to give out cost plus contracts with a stronge oversight. We simply can't expect companies to go into a fixed cost contract when it comes to the developement part, however the actual production end should be fixed.
JMHO
Brown to the Bone
BTTB
AKA Upbeat Dawg
Can't believe I am in a group that is comprised of the best NOT just fans but people on the planet.
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,671
Dawg Talker
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Dawg Talker
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,671 |
Phil...If we were to spend the money on underwater exploration of geological mishap warning systems I will agree with you, but to throw it into another general fund fiasco to be totally wasted is a wrong and inefficient use of our dough.
The American people will never knowingly adopt Socialism. But under the name of 'liberalism' they will adopt every fragment of the Socialist program, .
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