Off Topic - My other hobby

[oujeeper]

Shouldn't she have known this would cause a "shift in the cosmic balance" BEFORE it occurred and done something to stop this?

[stugray]

Padron,

Pardon me, but I also feel saddened by your comment.

If all americans cared so much about not wasting money, then perhaps we should pay our teachers and police officers better than we pay our basketball players....

I can guarantee that Americans spent more JUST LAST YEAR on sports memorabilia, than the entire mission cost.

The cost to each american for this mission was less than one Big Mac per person. There are rich americans that dodge paying that much in taxes ( in one year ). Maybe you should spend your time going after them.

Stu

[cadeucsb]

privatized vs government spending are whole different ballgames... a person isnt choosing to buy sports memorabilia over paying more to teachers.

Pro sports is another argument i always get sick of. The athletes generate the income, there for make the salaries they do. Does it suck that someone as important as a teacher doesnt get paid more, yes. but doesnt mean athletes should be paid less.

[Deeparchae]

The bottom line is that throwing 330 mil at Africa won't help the situation either. All that would accomplish is to line the pockets of corrupt leaders. The solution to Africa has to come from Africa. We should help, but we should not waste money when it can be put to good long-term benefit by science. It may be difficult to see the long-term benefit of science if you limit yourself to a short-range viewpoint.

[Padron]

stugray,

"I can guarantee that Americans spent more JUST LAST YEAR on sports memorabilia, than the entire mission cost."

The great thing about America is we can choose what we would like to spend our after tax dollars on, be it sports memorabilia, an awesome reef tank, sending money to charitable causes, or whatever.

If put to a vote by the American people, I think the spending of Millions of our tax dollars to study space dust and the origin of the universe, would have been voted down.


"The cost to each American for this mission was less than one Big Mac per person."

So What, that money could have been spent on disease research, alternate fuel sources and many other things that would improve our lives and our childrens.


"There are rich Americans that dodge paying that much in taxes ( in one year ). Maybe you should spend your time going after them."

I already have a job, thats one for the government. Perhaps if they had additional resources, they could hire more people and go after the tax evaders in turn creating more jobs.

I was not going after anyone, just stating my opinion that I thought that project was a huge waste of tax payer money.


cadeucsb,

Well put.



Deeparchae,

"The bottom line is that throwing 330 mil at Africa won't help the situation either. All that would accomplish is to line the pockets of corrupt leaders"

Agreed, Africa was an example of were money could be spent today to impact lives on Earth

" It may be difficult to see the long-term benefit of science if you limit yourself to a short-range viewpoint."

Don't get me wrong, I love science and don't have a short-range viewpoint. I just feel that all that taxpayer money could have been better spent here on Earth to fund other scientific projects and other areas where there is urgent need.

[fishetcinc]

Padron,

The $333 million spent on the impactor project didnt just disappear into thin air nor was it blown up in the collision. It was used to pay the salaries of all the hard working people on this project from factory workers, to engineers, scientists and even the janitors cleaning up after them. Had the impactor project never occured, all of these people would have never had their jobs. The project has created a multitude of new jobs now and for the future and therefore has made things on earth even better by adding more employment into our economy.

Think about all the new jobs created by the impactor project. Think about all the new jobs that will be created by the data that is obtained. Think about all those kids that are watching this project and have decided to become NASA engineers.

Our society needs stuff like this to generate national excitement and open up many new job opportunities. It is a good investement in my opinion of $330million in taxes. Personally, I am happy to see my tax money go into a project like this one. I rather see my tax money spent on creating new jobs and widening our economy over seeing my tax money be given out as handouts or charity.

K.


PS. As for causing a negative shift in the cosmic balance ... well Stu, you guys are on your own on that one!

[Padron]

Thank you for your opinion

[Padron]

Kei,

Spending $333 miliion anywhere is going to create jobs, and as for seeing some, not all or even $333 million of our tax money being given as a "handouts or charity" Are you so selfish that you would be opposed to helping save peoples lives?

Just think if you were born in Africa and were dying of a disease or hunger or thrist. Would you want "handouts or charity" from the richest countries in the world.

[Clown-N-Around]

I was determined not to get into this, but saw a relevent quote in an article on the G8 summit.

FWIW: In regards to how much the US government spends towards aid to Africa:
"Bush... announced last week that he would seek to double U.S. aid by 2010, to $8.6 billion from $4.3 billion last year."

http://www.comcast.net/news/index.js...06/172287.html

Seems like this project is a drop in the bucket (less than a 10th)compared to what we are already spending in aid. And I would gladly give this miniscule portion of my tax money to scientific discovery about what goes on outside our atmosphere.

[Padron]

Thanks Christina,

That was a good read, and once again was only stating Africa as an example.

I still feel $333 million to study space dust is a huge waste of money no matter where our government spends it's tax revenue.

Flawed or not, That is my opinion and I stickin to it.

[Padron]

Here's one of the places I personally am glad to see a very small portion of our tax dollars at work.

http://www.flowergarden.nos.noaa.gov/welcome.html

if you get a chance to go, it's quite awesome. Swim with Whalesharks, and see some of the largest coral heads on earth.

I wish there were more National Marine preserves

[fishetcinc]

My point is that the money was spent and it was spent creating new goods and services which led to more jobs and opportunity in our economy. It was not wasted at all as you claimed.

BTW, your remark about me being "opposed to helping save peoples lives" was very inappropriate. You should stick to the topic and not rely on immature statements to make your point.

K.

[Deeparchae]

My final comments on this thread ( I hope) are these:

We cannot know the outcome of a scientific investigation until long after a particular study is complete. Who knows, there may be some discovery made from this project, or one following up on the these findings that paves the way for a magnificent energy source. If the naysayers and doubters have their way, potentially crucial fields of endeavor may never be realized. That is what I meant by shortsightedness and I stand by my statement.

Second, I was at DMNS the day after the impact, and I saw the light of fascination in childrens eyes as the video played. To me, that look, and the possibility that another Goddard or Hubble or Einstein, or Sagan was persuaded to pursue their dreams was more than worth three hundred and thirty million colored pieces of paper.

Stu, for those looks, and the possibilities created, we all owe you and your team a debt of gratitude and one hell of a big cheer.

R.A. Varney

[stugray]

Oops!

Bumped an old thread by accident. ( that doesnt happen around here.... ).

Just thought I'd mention that NASA is considering a repeat of the Deep Impact mission. We would attempt to hit the comet being observed by ESA-Rosetta.

It shouldnt upset the public tooooo much, we should be able to do it for half as much the second time ;-)


Stu

[stugray]

RIP my old friend.....

http://www.marsdaily.com/reports/Mar...iumph_999.html



Also - the Deep Impact mission has two extensions. One is going to explore a second comet, the other is to look for earth sized planets in other solar systems.

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0611/01deepimpact/

Some reuse from old spacecraft........ maybe some taxpayer's will be happier ( espescially when we deflect the next Extinction Level Event using all that NASA 'wasted dollars' ).

http://www.space.com/news/051103_asteroid_apophis.html


Stu

[bpd964]

Interesting..

[stugray]

I thought I'd bump this one again.

To follow up on some of the rhetoric/discussion from above...

I just read the best article for why we MUST continue space exploration by one of the most noted scientists of this generation.

Read it here:
http://www.parade.com/articles/editi...-05-2007/Space

And to quote ( for some of the above 'misled' that feel we spend too much on NASA exploration programs )

"How many times have we heard the mantra: “Why are we spending billions of dollars up there in space when we have pressing problems down here on Earth?� Let’s re-ask the question in an illuminating way: “What is the total cost in taxes of all spaceborne telescopes, planetary probes, the rovers on Mars, the space station and shuttle, telescopes yet to orbit and missions yet to fly?� Answer: less than 1% on the tax dollar—7/10ths of a penny, to be exact. I’d prefer that it were more, perhaps 2 cents on the dollar. Even during the storied Apollo era, peak NASA spending amounted to no more than 4 cents on the tax dollar. At that level, NASA’s current space-exploration program would reclaim our pre-eminence in a field we pioneered. Right now, the program paddles along slowly, with barely enough support to ever lead the journey."

And if anyone cares about the next 'grand-observatory' class spacecraft being built right here in Colorado:

http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/Kepler/kepler_index.cfm

Oh, and if you think you have a good digital camera.... this one takes 400 MegaByte images every 1/10 of a second for 4 years straight without blinking!

I'll post pics and launch details as we get closer. Launch is set for 2/09. Anyone want to tank sit for 3 months AGAIN?!?

Stu

[osprey77]

see i just think thats cool. I'd allocate a billion for something like that. I remember when hubble went online and as we watched as the first photos came through.

[miwoodar]

Wow Stu - very cool stuff. I'm glad I'm not the only geek left!

[stugray]

Time for a yearly update:

http://kepler.nasa.gov/

Our launch has slipped to April 09.

We just spent the last few days putting the spacecraft into the vacuum chamber. Oh yay, now I get to work everyday until you tell me I can stop ;-)

Stu

[PSEUDOREEFER]

I'm working ops so I get to do 2am shifts for commissioning during finals due to that delay... THE PAIN!!! I take it you're on shift for tvac? Keep an eye out for a Malcolm during next week's LASP personnel tour

[stugray]

Time to go launch this puppy:

http://kepler.nasa.gov/

We ship Dec 30 & launch first week of March.

I will post cool pics of the Flight System once the "ITAR NAZIs" get done looking at our pretty pictures.

Stu - Ready for all the "NASA wastes too much money" nay-sayers

[wanecek]

Hopefully funding isn't decreased because a new administration will be taking over. The amount of jobs and national pride the NASA programs create are very important to me.

[PSEUDOREEFER]

Currently both candidates have almost exactly the same policy for NASA funding, which supposedly includes maintaining the current level of funding. This is just what they're saying now though, so that stance could change in anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 months. (isn't it nice we can trust the word of our politicians?) :P

[zombiereef]

so what is the purpose of finding an earth-like planet?