Originally Posted by
DeltaboundRedux
Stuck there until next year?
I'd love to see the contracts of NASA rocket meat bags. (I mean, they're wicked smart. But can they actually touch anything in the spacecraft or are they basically cargo?)
Loss of bone density. Exposure to solar radiation. Vision problems. Maybe they have actual normal, human relationships on earth that are being erroded by 6-8 months away?
All this to go "Wee! I'm weightless!"?
(Plus "The Science" You'll know how to grow a seedling in orbit if you're one of the .000000000000001% of humainty that gets there. Added bonus: Three Dolphin Club opportunities. For the pedants: yes, I know.)
Congress either needs to pull the funding for NASA's manned space exploration missions or fire some people in charge.
This whole org. has real problems.
IMHO the jig is up. Focus on unmanned probes. Even then, only if you really, REALLY want to know the atmospheric mix of "moon X".
Seems like a lot of money for the nerds.
NASA budget is a tiny fraction of the federal budget. A lot of people like what they do, it's not just "money for nerds". Humans tend to like to explore, it's in our nature, fundamentally that's what the manned program is all about.
Like everybody else, nerds pay taxes so they're just as entitled to their special interests.