NASA Talks Tough On Its Future, Again [Nasa]

NASA, huh? Since the halcyon days of Kennedy and the shuttle program it’s sputtered slightly, thanks in no small part to unnecessary wars, poor economics and other earthly foibles. Also: explaining its purpose, especially as it relates to the layperson.

But that’s going to vary! Really! Or, as a minimum it was until the budget was, ahem, affected earlier this year by a mighty stroke from President Obama’s oft-not used ” no, actually we will’t” executive branch pen .

But now it’s going to modify again! So said NASA’s Number Two anyway, in remarks to an assembly at a TEDxMidTownNY event at Manhattan’s Explorers Club this week. Evolution was the theme, as in NASA must evolve for the long run, not get stuck up to now, said deputy chief Lori Garver.

What that implies, specifically, is ditching vestigial Apollo program habits and beliefs, and embracing commercial space flight in low-earth orbit. Also on the docket, ” ambitious exploration missions” to nearby asteroids and that much ballyhooed celestial red-faced neighbor or ours, Mars. One would think, although it’s no certain, that embracing the former would free up funding for the latter.

The increased role of privatized space travel in NASA’s arsenal is nothing new, after all . Back in January we brought you word that privatization was seen as an important boon for the gap agency as looming cuts appeared on the horizon.

Personally, I absolutely believe NASA’s value (and ESA, and JAXA, etc.) can’t be overstated. Historically speaking humans were relatively united, inspired energized and in relation to something, exploration, and I will be able to examine no frontier, save the ocean depths, that could capture our curiosity more than crazy missions of exploration into the deep, dark depths of space.

And, didn’t you hear? There could be methanogen life forms on Titan and Earth-like planets are a trifling year far from discovery.

In the immortal words of Bill Watterson, let’s go exploring . [ MSNBC ]

Source

This post is tagged: commercial space, executive branch, exploration missions, low earth orbit, shuttle program