Space Station

[Circe]

I know this is way off the usual thread themes but I thought it was worth yapping about.

The Columbus laboratory is finally up at the International Space Station.
YAY !!!

Despite the critics who decry the costs and the time and the inefficiency, I still think (warts and all) space exploration and research are worth while. While the Space Shuttle program has been riddled with government mismanagement (the shuttle's original design was much safer and less reliant on external fuel tanks but the government voted for a cheaper version that is more prone to accidents, go figure. Maybe we can do the same for the elected officials own health insurance, cheaper with less safety.) and the station is way behind schedule, things are finally getting real interesting.

Humans need to progress. Medical experiments in near zero G environments could yield breakthroughs in AIDS and Cancer treatments. Not to mention research on new composites and materials. Chemical reactions and live human subjects (the crew).

It's only hope, but hope is a wonderful thing. Even if all this means is only a 25% gain on solar panel efficiency, that could help out incredibly with the energy crisis.

As for the costs, well in few years NASA will be pulling back on their work with most space exploration in favor of private and public ventures. Like Virgin Galactic and Space Ship One. Space is starting to open to the everyday person, even if you are not a multi-millionaire costs will continue to drop.

Just look at the initial costs of VCRs and Computers and Fax machines. Outrageous at first, then eventually affordable. Even flight in airplanes started out to be only affordable by the very wealthy, nowadays most anybody can pay to fly. $300- $500 can get you to a lot of places.

Yay for hope !
:-)

[Circe]

Sigh, another delay before the Columbus laboratory module is attached.

But Monday is another day !
Yay !
:-D

Yes, but let us not forget one of the most important things we can do with space exploration:

We will one day travel to other worlds and shake hands with tentacle monsters! YAY ALIENS!

[Circe]

Yay Aliens !
:-D

[Xam]

We will live in space and find our way to those aliens. Personally I always thought that if we ever did find aliens it would be something logical and humanoid, like FURRIES! Thats right, somewhere out there is a planet of furries, and I aim to see it before I die! To infinity and beyond space compadres!

[Circe]

I just hope they are cute furries, Xam. Really cute furries, who like us and want to play !
=^_^=

[Xam]

And I hope their race didn't eat the forbidden fruit and walk around in a naked society. Then again that would get boring after a while. Well, as long as they're cute, like you said.

[RobM]

Originally Posted by weaver

While the Space Shuttle program has been riddled with government mismanagement (the shuttle's original design was much safer and less reliant on external fuel tanks but the government voted for a cheaper version that is more prone to accidents, go figure.

This would be the same Shuttlecraft that the Chinese spies have been trying to steal?
I just heard there's been another few arrests for treason amongst the underpaid rocket-scientists that built and designed them.
China might well turn out to be the only superpower interested in space - almost certainly because of the potential military purposes and the ability to exclude other nations from their discoveries - after all, they're the only superpower currently with the money and resources for this sort of project and they've got to put the millions of graduates to use somehow.

Originally Posted by weaver

As for the costs, well in few years NASA will be pulling back on their work with most space exploration in favor of private and public ventures. Like Virgin Galactic and Space Ship One. Space is starting to open to the everyday person, even if you are not a multi-millionaire costs will continue to drop.

Don't get carried away with Joy at Richard Branson and otheres, the bearded wonder doesn't have the midus touch he claims. Usually he keeps the companies he sets up at arms reach, he personally makes a large mint out of consultancy fee's and gets paid money royalties and copyright money for his own companies using the Virgin Name. The company often goes bust bankrupting a number of shareholders while he garantee's his own salary - the Sapceship will go just the same way.

Space travel for the sake of it is cool, but doesn't help anyone.

[Circe]

Well, I gotta agree with ya RobM about China wanting to be top dog in all areas as a superpower. But if the holiday travel disaster that just happened there is any indication of how their space travel will evolve...I won't worry too much YET.

Never said Branson was a hero, or a rolemodel. But as for space travel not helping, the railroads and automobiles were treated the same way initially by some.

But once again I must admit, space travel so far has been a losing venture. It's the future I'm looking forward to.
:-)

[RobM]

Like the great Western Transcontinental Railway... which was built by the Yankee's with Chinese slave labour :P

Tbh, the recent train problems China had has Zippo on Britian and the rest of the world. We ended up in London turning up on January 2nd to go to work only to find that more than HALF the tube, overground and fast-trains weren't running for one reason or another and nobody had even bothered to tell the passengers before they reached the stations.
I wanted to go on the protest with the London Anonymous against scientology... but there's sod-all way I can get from Richmond to central London on a Sunday. There's no trains, no tube and no busses - and if they close Barnes Bridge as they often do there's no bleeding way to drive it either. Assuming I was willing to pay the £12 ($25) charge for driving near central London, not including Parking.
Bastards, I had my V mask and everything.

I mean, regarding China... they're Peasants. I don't think they've ever cared about them. China's coming along in leaps and bounds in other spheres and I don't think it's unrealistic to say they're thinking about sending probes to Mars right now (It IS the Red planet, after all).
I remember people dismissing Russia's building of Supersonic aircraft... right up until people saw Concordski, which was an exact duplicate of the French-British version from stolen plans. (Okay, I don't remember it, I saw it on TV, it was like 30 years before I was born). Let China get ahold of the shuttle plans and you'll be seeing a lot more Taikoanauts strolling about up there.