The President's Space Initiative Speech

Sure, there is plenty of unconstitutional spending that could be cut to
pay
for other unconstitutional activities.

I can see why Federal spending on a rain forest in Iowa would be
unconstitutional -- it clearly is -- but space exploration?

Who else BUT the Federal government could do it?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:P8xNb.72880$8H.111891@attbi_s03...

I can see why Federal spending on a rain forest in Iowa would be
unconstitutional -- it clearly is -- but space exploration?


Do you find a provision for space exploration in the Constitution?



Who else BUT the Federal government could do it?


No other single entity could, but that doesn't make it constitutional.

In article , "Dan Luke"
writes:


No, we simply came to understand (some of us) that manned space travel
is unconscionably wasteful until we get past rocket ship technology,
which may take decades.
--

It will never happen if we do not create the need for it by reaching the limits
of rocket technology.

Don

--
Wm. Donald (Don) Tabor Jr., DDS
PP-ASEL
Chesapeake, VA - CPK, PVG

In article krlNb.68069$I06.307311@attbi_s01, "Jay Honeck"
writes:


I think Bush is comatose. You see him as a genius. Therefore one of us is
a
fool and I think that you are it.

No, he's no genius. But he does have that "vision thing" when it comes to
space exploration -- something this nation (and the world) is sorely
lacking.

Now it'll be up to your kind to kill the dream again.
--

And if they do kill it this time, I'm afraid it is dead for good.

Once the baby boomers hit Social Security, funds for exploration are going to
be hard to come by if the constituency is not established first.

If we can't establish exploration, for it's own sake, as a priority for the
human species now, then it will be 40 years before there will be a better time.


Don

--
Wm. Donald (Don) Tabor Jr., DDS
PP-ASEL
Chesapeake, VA - CPK, PVG

In article . net, "Mike
Rapoport" writes:


Agreed. Unmanned space programs accomplish much more at a fraction of the
cost.

And they fail to accomplish the one really important thing, to find and stretch
the limits of mankind, no matter how much we put into them.

Besides, the trip to Mars is already paid for.

The benefits we have already received from better weather forcasting and
communications alone put us in debt to NASA for a couple of trillion so far.
How much is GPS worth over the next 50 years?

Manned flight is really just a perk they have more than earned for the benefits
that have accrued to us through serendipity from earlier Buck Rogers stuff.

Don

--
Wm. Donald (Don) Tabor Jr., DDS
PP-ASEL
Chesapeake, VA - CPK, PVG

On Thu, 15 Jan 2004 12:39:29 GMT, "Jay Honeck"
wrote:

I'm willing to pay for a real space program. I'd rather pay
for that than a lot of the stupid stuff Congress jams into
the budget that just ****es our money away.

The Federal Gubmint (thanks to our own Senator Grassley) has appropriated $5
million (it may be more) to build a RAIN FOREST here in Iowa City.

You heard me right -- a goddam RAIN FOREST. Most people around here are
dumbfounded, since the developer was unable to drum up any local support for
the cockamamie idea.

Still think we can't afford to cut the budget enough to pay for a real space
program?


If the funding ever does materialize for these initiatives do you
really think that it will be at the expense of "pork". I think not.
If anyone in Washington is really serious about this, they had better
start rethinking their fiscal policy.
Rich Russell

I can see why Federal spending on a rain forest in Iowa would be
unconstitutional -- it clearly is -- but space exploration?


Do you find a provision for space exploration in the Constitution?

Of course not. But that doesn't make it unconstitutional.

The question is this: Does space exploration fit inside the framework laid
out by the Constitution?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Jay Honeck" wrote:
You know what, Dan? I, too, am appalled at the federal deficit,
and the waste, and all the examples of Gubmint crap.
It makes me ill to see it.

Well, Jay, doggone it, we can't go on like this. I've done contracts for
NASA. When it comes to blowing money, the welfare system ain't in the
race with them. (And by the way, NASA and the military have a peculiar
talent for spending way more money than necessary while still driving
small contractors to bankruptcy.)

There are lots of things we want and need - we just have to realize we
can't have it ALL. It is a particularly American idea that there are no
limits: this has served us well in some respects because we dream big
and achieve big, but we are going to sink this country if we do not get
our priorities straight and our finances under control.

In a thousand years America will be remembered for just two things:...

I'd like to think we'll still be around. I'd also like to think we'll be
zipping around the solar system. We won't be if we don't take care of
the things that really make our country strong.
--
Dan
C172RG at BFM
(remove pants to reply by email)

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:EDxNb.74569$na.42315@attbi_s04...

Of course not. But that doesn't make it unconstitutional.


No? Then what does make something unconstitutional?



The question is this: Does space exploration fit inside the framework laid
out by the Constitution?


One man's space program is another man's rainforest.

In article B7xNb.72889$I06.326075@attbi_s01, "Jay Honeck"
writes:


The science behind interplanetary space travel dictates that a moon base
WILL make space exploration cheaper.

The main cost of space exploration is in the booster system required to
escape Earth's gravity. Launching from the moon's lesser gravitational pull
is much easier, requires smaller rockets, and is thus much cheaper.
--

And from L5, the trailing Trojan position in the moon's orbit, the cost is even
less.

If you can find it, read "Halfway to Anywhere" by Jerry Pournelle.

Don

--
Wm. Donald (Don) Tabor Jr., DDS
PP-ASEL
Chesapeake, VA - CPK, PVG