NASA Tests a new rocket for 440 Million Dollars

[bjl584]

Now I know that the space program has produced a lot of technology that has found its way into our everyday lives (Battery powered tools, velcro, etc.), and that we as a species have a drive to explore and understand our world and our universe, but launching a rocket on a 2 1/2 minute flight before splashing it into the ocean for 440 Million Dollars seems like a waste considering the state of the economy. Any thoughts?

[KTP]

I agree completely!

A much better use of that money would be to start an incentive program where people with older, less efficient moon rockets could trade up to newer, more "green" moon rockets of today.

Of course we would need to scrap the old rockets in some fashion that would deter people from still using them. We could just wreck the engines and provide the other parts for people whose moon rockets are still servicable though.

I do have some concern that the junkyards might fill up with moon rockets if we can't dispose of them fast enough.

Certainly this would provide a long term boost to our economy.

[disneysteve]

I have mixed feelings on the space program. I think exploration and science and research is all very important. As you alluded to, many discoveries have happened as a result. Not just household products but also scientific stuff, medical research, etc.

I think there are a great many wasteful things that the government does that I would want to see cut long before the space program got cut.

[lovcom]

We don't spend enough in space exploration!

Lets not let financially weak ludites be the deciding factor in going to space.

We must never cease to strive to explore, because doing so brings back dividends like new inventions, new products, health related discoveries, and often new jobs too.

Imagine being in math class and the teacher allowing dumb little Johnny to set the tone and stride of the entire class, and in the process holding back the majority of the students.

[KTP]

Imagine being in math class and the teacher allowing dumb little Johnny to set the tone and stride of the entire class, and in the process holding back the majority of the students.

Welcome to the American educational system. Where have you been for the past 20 years???

[graceful]

Considering the high costs of everything the government spends money on (toilet seats anyone?, isn't anyone thinking that $440 million is cheap? I thought it would have cost more than that.

Some military sheath planes cost more than that each?

[bjl584]

Considering the high costs of everything the government spends money on (toilet seats anyone?, isn't anyone thinking that $440 million is cheap? I thought it would have cost more than that.

Some military sheath planes cost more than that each?

I believe that the recently defunded F22 Raptor costs over $1 Billion per copy.

[Broken Arrow]

I don't recall the link, but I remember seeing the government's budget deficit spending once, and the space program actually accounts for a very small percentage of that. I won't say it's negligible, but it's nowhere the size of military spending, which is nowhere the size of healthcare programs (which we are still short on).

In fact, let me try to track that down.... Ok, here it is.

Granted, I agree that we can't afford for people to waste our tax dollars on needless things. However, we still have a lot of payroll scientists and engineers on the space program that are working on useful and practical inventions that could translate to a better life some day.

The truth is, we can't afford to cut our already-thinned space program. And even if we do, it wouldn't amount to much in the grand scheme of things....

[Broken Arrow]

I believe that the recently defunded F22 Raptor costs over $1 Billion per copy.

Yeah.... that. Clearly, its main foe today is the balance sheet. I'm not sure if each actually costed a $1 billion a piece, but it was still way too expensive for the Air Force to get in large volumes. And of course, that's only the USAF. The other branches were badly in need of updated fighters as well....

Therefore, one of the more interesting aspects of the JSF program is that, besides having to literally do everything including VTOL , it also had to be affordable! The eventual winner, Lockheed Martin's F-35, was reportedly said to be around 20 million over the budget. But it won anyway because it proved to be the more polished and mature fighter during X-plane trials.

Despite the budget overrun, it's still head and shoulders more affordable than the F-22.

This is, without a doubt, one of the biggest military contracts ever laid out in US history. It was so broad that even the UK government was involved. Nova has a great documentary on this by the way, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the subject matter.

[Inkstain82]

The space program is a luxury we can't afford.

Pay off a significant portion of the $12+ trillion-dollar debt, and then we can start talking about those sorts of programs.

[KTP]

The space program is probably one of the best investments our government makes. I always find it remarkable when people are so ignorant about it.

[Caoineag]

I wish our space program was better funded...

[EEinNJ]

It's too bad they couldn't have put a few financial CEO's on board, now that would really have been worth it!

Two of my uncles worked on the Cape, it's a great place to visit. As an engineer, it's a great reminder that we are capable of doing some really cool stuff that has been historic to mankind. How do you put a price on learning about our universe and our place in it?

[GREENBACK]

it's a great reminder that we are capable of doing some really cool stuff that has been historic to mankind. How do you put a price on learning about our universe and our place in it?

This to me is a great reason for our space program. You don't realize what you're capable of unless you push things to the limit.

You don't know what's out there unless you explore beyond all limits.

Wasted money? Didn't they say that about Christopher Columbus's exploratory voyage; how about Lewis and Clark?....that wasn't widely popular either. Look where we are because of this "out of the box" thinking.

[segmond]

$440million is cheap, that includes all the work that went into it from the very beginning of the idea. the next one will not cost $440million and will last longer. when they start using it to move the shuttle, it will save us more money in the long run.