2009-10-12
Should NASA Reconsider Its "Space Tourist" Policy?
The Russians let Charles Simonyi accompany them to space and they even let him wear an American Flag!
In these tough economic times, the government should be tightening the belt. Of course, thanks in large part to the insane socialist agenda of the Obama administration, tightening the belt isn't exactly doable. However, assuming the Obama Administration isn't dead set on destroying this country, eventually the Administration is going to have to look at making cuts somewhere and NASA might be too good of a target.
After all, why should we care about what's happening billions of light years away, billions of years ago? Especially when unemployment is around 10% right here, right now. And now that NASA is retiring the Space Shuttle Program in 2010 and 2011, the temptation to cut the budget of the new capsule programs and other projects exploring the feasibility of a decades away Moon Base and Lunar Landing might prove too enticing for politicians desperately seeking to salvage the US Dollar.
Enticing as it might be, I'm a supporter of the American Space Program (call me a socialist) and I want to see it have everything it needs to do what it wants to do. So, in the interest of not only softening the financial blow of possible budget cuts, but also promoting itself and engaging in a very necessary PR campaign: Should NASA rethink its policy against "Space Tourism?"
The program has had tremendous successes in the Russian Federation, where Space Tourists are dishing out the equivalent of $20-$35 Million to the Russian Space Program in exchange for a 9-15 day trip to the International Space Station. Some have conducted experiments of their own, others were just clowning around.
To date, the Russians have put 7 Space Tourists in orbit on 8 different spaceflights since 2001. What's more, all but two of these tourists have been Americans. That's almost a quarter-Billion US Dollars that went to the Russian Space program instead of the American Space Program.
However, the window of opportunity is quickly closing because once the Space Shuttle is retired, NASA won't be sending anybody, astronaut or tourist, into space. That means they'll be entirely at the mercy of the politicians desperately seeking ways to cut spending while increasing entitlements. Space Tourism allows NASA the opportunity to show to Congress and the President that it's capable of doing space flights and simultaneously bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars to offset the enormous costs.
Archived Comments
Kevin Tracy
I should have probably mentioned this in the post, but before the Russians will let someone go up with them, that person has to undergo all the same physical and psychological testing as the Cosmonauts he or she is going with. That training is virtually identical to that of the American Astronaut..
LD Jackson
For the record, I do not hate homosexuals. I believe the lifestyle choice they make is wrong, but that is their decision. That does not mean that I want them to have access to marriage and I do not believe it is discrimination to deny them that access. There should be a way to give them the same rights as married couples, possibly through civil unions.
As for the issue with the military, I don't see how homosexuals can harm the moral of those in the military any more than some of the sex scandals that we have seen thus far. How many adulterous affairs have we heard about? I have lost count. Somehow, I don't think a person's sexual lifestyle choice is going to me on someone's mind if they are getting shot at. Someone shooting bullets at you would tend to take everything else off your mind.
Kevin Tracy
I should have probably mentioned this in the post, but before the Russians will let someone go up with them, that person has to undergo all the same physical and psychological testing as the Cosmonauts he or she is going with. That training is virtually identical to that of the American Astronaut..
