Friday, January 29, 2010

Nelson To Obama: Build A Super-Sized Rocket

President Obama should funnel money into the development of a super-sized rocket for missions beyond Earth orbit rather than pumping all of a $6 billion bump in NASA's budget to commercial crew transportation services, a key Senator said today.

Administration officials this week told Florida Today and The Orlando Sentinel that the proposed 2011 budget President Obama will deliver to Congress on Monday will include an extra $6 billion over five years. NASA's total budget over that time would be $100 billion.

The officials also said NASA would be directed to invest money in the development of commercial means of ferrying astronauts to and from the International Space Station. Operations at the outpost would be extended to 2020, the officials said.

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Orlando, said the implication is that the $6 billion is going to just the development of the commercial rockets, and that would be a mistake."

"What we need is aggressive R&D toward building the new (NASA Saturn V-class) rocket to have NASA go do what it does best, which is explore the heavens, and therefore fulfill what the American people want, which is to explore and to develop technologies," Nelson said.

Nelson applauded the administration for increasing NASA's budget at a time when discretionary programs all are undergoing a budget freeze. He also noted that an estimated 1,700 jobs created by the new commercial enterprise would lessen the blow after the retirement of the shuttle fleet later this year or in 2011.

NASA and local officials expect 7,000 jobs will be lost. Nelson said he is actively lobbying the White House for new work that would further ameliorate the flurry of pink slips.

"You've got to bring jobs to the Cape to pick up the slack," Nelson said.

Nelson said he also would advocate for adding a sixth shuttle mission to NASA's current manifest. Five flights are scheduled between Feb. 7 and mid-September.

A fully stacked external tank-solid rocket booster set, and the orbiter Atlantis, will be ready to fly a rescue mission if Discovery is severely damaged on the last currently scheduled flight.

Nelson said he would advocate for launching Atlantis on one final supply run to the International Space Station even though no rescue shuttle would be waiting in the wings.

31 comments:

Anonymous said...

MORE SOCIALISM

Tax the Tax payers and fill the pockets of Defense Contractors who use the workers as an excuse to do it.

Give them higher pay than the rest of Brevards workers and pay them with the tax dollars the rest of Brevards workers have to pay in.

SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM

Anonymous said...

Bill you just thought of this now?

For the past few months you've been lobbying for KSC to get one of the shuttles for a musuem piece.

And you are one of the most senior Senators from one of the largest states.

Brilliant!

Anonymous said...

Conservatives think that NASA = GLORIFIED SOCIAL WELFARE PROGRAM

and that US Tax Payers = CASH COW


Call Posey and tell him to end this Glorified Social Welfare Program today, here is the number:
Bill Posey Phone: (321) 632-1776

Anonymous said...

So Sen. Nelson has Obama s ear on space ? Sure he does he s one of Obama s main Space advisor s . How did that work out for the space coast ?

Anonymous said...

“What we need is aggressive R&D toward building the new (NASA Saturn V-class) rocket”
This is exactly what needs to be done not only to stimulate local economy but also the young minds of the United States. People on other forums joke about KSC workers moving to India or China to pursue a position with their space agency, this is no longer a joke, it is reality. I left the cape a couple years ago to pursue a career in academia, there is a large percentage of our research funding that comes from Indian aerospace firms. We send students to conduct research in India rather than the US because NASA has a limited research budget. The Indian youth are also extremely enthusiastic about aerospace versus the youth in the US.

Anonymous said...

Folks, we're experiencing the end of the American manned space program. Killing the shuttle without a solid replacement plan is the kiss of death. Nine times out of 10, when you end something without a plan to resume or replace, you likely will not go back. This organization can't keep plans on the table while we have a manned space program. We're going to be able to put something together once we start hitching rides with the Russians?

I hated Bush's plan when he announced it because I don't want to see the shuttle program come to an end, but at least that plan had a shuttle replacement as part of it. Obama's plan, if you can call it that, looks like it was thown together by first graders. If the shuttle ends, and we don't hae a firm replacement plan, NASA will never launch people into space again.

Assuming Washington wants America to have a manned space program (which I'm not convinced of anymore), it needs to extend the shuttle program until we have a replacement plan signed off...like we did in the 70s when Apollo was winding down and the shuttle was already in production. If Washington wants to kill the American manned space program, then just have the jewels to say so.

I know for a fact people voted for Obama specifically because he said he would close the gap between shuttle retirement and the next system. Now, I doubt we will have a next system. I wonder how those voters feel today. "You LIE!" comes to mind. I think I saw someone posted "American's Manned Space Program, 1961 - 2011" and I couldn't agree more. Hey, it was a nice run.

Anonymous said...

brilliant!

Anonymous said...

Big dumb Rockets?

Anonymous said...

When we all leave the state to find other jobs there goes your tax base. What's your house going to be worth when there are 6 empty houses on your street because we all walked away. A state income tax is on the way once we all leave. You be sure and enjoy that...

Anonymous said...

Obama and his Democrat thugs have an exit strategy. Just hop on the rocket and blast off, leaving Washington in a mess.

Obama, Biden, Pelosi, Reid, Rahm, Bill Nelson, Ben Nelson, Kosmas, Grayson, etc,, have to go!!!!

Anonymous said...

There was a demonstration going on at 520 and A1A a couple of hours ago. Can't imagine why.

Anonymous said...

Democrat thinking - Making Babies and Social Health Care = Glory ho SOCIAL WELFARE PROGRAM

and that US Tax Payers = CASH COW

USA said...

Democrat thinking, let China and Russia do it and leave the Americian workers jobless. NO GOOD JOB's for the USA - DIG Ditches and build roads. Who's going support programs with no one working good jobs?? OBAMA is selling out the USA. Let's raise China's flag over the White house and hail Obama. Don't trade your freedom for a goverment bowl of soup and a two week wait for free health care.

Anonymous said...

The brightest moon of the year is beaming into the start of the manned space programs longest night. Isnt it interesting that the last week of January has another disaster to remember?

Repeal Ratification of the Outer Space Treaty, and claim ownership of the Moon. We can then sell pieces of the moon to pay off the astronomical federal debt.

Also, establish homestead regulation for the Space Territories of the United States of America.

Anyone who registers ownership of a space object in the name of the United States, and occupies that object for a Lunar month, owns that object free and clear as a US FLagged territory.

Let the great space race begin! Just get out of the way! Any jalopy that can push off Earth to a rock will be launching withn a year!

Anonymous said...

http://www.problem-solving-techniques.com/US-Space-Program.html

There have been thousands of technology “spin-offs” from the US Space Program that that has improved national security, the economy, productivity lifestyles and more.

It is difficult to find an area of everyday life that hasn’t been improved by these spin-offs. Collectively, these applications represent a dramatic return on the national investment in aerospace research.

For example, out of a $2.4 trillion budget for 2005, less than 0.8% was spent on the entire space program! That's less than 1 penny for every dollar spent. And not much has changed from then…except that the technology improvements keep coming.And that last point is key!

Most people do not know the tremendous advancement of environmentally friendly technical advancements (and other technology advancements) that are a direct offspring from the US Space Program.

Anonymous said...

Bill, if you worked half as hard to get funding for NASA as you do on health care and snakes in the Everglades, NASA would have all he money they need.

Anonymous said...

The Chinese and Russians are rubbing their hands and licking their lips at all the business Obama is sending their way.

Anonymous said...

Maybe, upon his election, Obama got access to the hateful and racist pre-election e-mails about him that were being circulated on NASA Government computers. Just a hunch.
But on a more scientific and technical note, a massive rocket would be required to launch Bill Nelson's ego into orbit.

Anonymous said...

It's a shame that so many people take for granted all of the wonderful things that NASA has given us over the years. So many people think that the DOD is responsible for creating much of the technology we take for granted today. When in fact NASA has helped push computer technology, home designs, health and medicine, increased industrial productivity, streamlined manufacturing technology, improved public safety, and transportation. Don't believe me, do your home work and Google or Bing it yourself. Simply type in "NASA Spinoff" and see for yourself. For 20 years I had to honor of working with some of the most intelligent and bright minds that both NASA and its subcontractors had to offer. NASA and their subcontractors have literally developed and tested thousands of various types of technologies. So, what happens to all of these gadgets’s that NASA and their subcontractor's create. They go in to NASA spinoff where all of this information is available to we the people for free! That's right free for the taking. I know of dozens of small businesses that have found commercial uses for many of NASA's spinoffs. Some are small and others have grown into large corporations. So why should you care, because spinoffs create jobs. Spinoffs create jobs in Florida, and throughout the US. Have you ever heard of another government program that can crate thousands of new high tech and low tech jobs? How's that high speed train coming along or that highway improvement program doing? God bless the men and women who work on those projects, but it's simply not for me. Look NASA is not perfect, because it is, well another government entity. It is however continually creating new jobs and improving our everyday lives. America is supposed to be a leader. We are supposed to think outside of the box and give our kids something to look up to. Shame on you Mr. Nelson and Mr. President for killing what so many kids dream of doing some day. Explore and dare to dream and ask why. Now for that some day to happen you will have laid off thousands of American's. You will have forced my kids to fly to Russia to see a world without borders. A world without color or raise discrimination. I say shame on you both.

Anonymous said...

Enough sadness and panic! Mr. Obama PROMISED he'd "bridge the gap between the Shuttle and the next rocket. Space jobs are a top priority." There, see! Everything's going to be FINE!

A Marxist Community Organizer now runs the show. Into the dirt.

WordsmithFL said...

Who said this is the end of the American manned space program?!

We're still hiring astronauts. We're still running the ISS. In fact, Obama proposes to extend the life of the ISS. The only quibble here is what vehicle will be used to get to the ISS. Ares wasn't going to be online until the end of ISS, which meant it was a waste of time and money. A lunar flight wasn't going to happen until 2028 -- in other words, never. It was a joke.

People are running around posting all sorts of blarney that just isn't true. I don't know if they're mistaken, they're delusional or they're spreading disinformation to further their political agenda. But it's very clear that Obama's proposal keeps America in space.

phillip said...

When did people think Ares was going to come online??? 2018 at the earliest. If you want to blame anyone, blame the last administration since it was in the plan all along. People here are also forgetting part of the plan was to ditch the ISS in 2015--so where was Ares meant to be flying to???

About the shuttle and Apollo--guess when the last Apollo flew and the first Shuttle flew. Shuttle may have been in "production" but there was at least a FIVE year gap between Apollo and Shuttle. If you have at least another $2billion/year extra than keep on flying shuttle--but I would rather NASA did something different with that extra money. So you would fly shuttle to when? Commercial space will be lucky if it gets $5 billion total over 4 - 5 years. Please tell me how much Ares I has cost so far? $9 Billion and counting and that was not even for a down payment on Ares V! Constellation was a program waiting to scrapped or heavily modified! I can only hope and pray that Constellation is heavily modified on Monday. As the Augustine Commission pointed out, even if there was no development funds for it--the program was too expensive. Why not give commerical a chance, it could not do as badly as the POR.

And yes--I do support NASA, but Constellation needs fixing!

Paul Whitmore said...

I love how the accompanying image to this article is of a Shuttle Derived Launch Vehicle. I always thought that programs like the DIRECT Launcher were worthy of much more consideration then the Ares I and V.

Anonymous said...

There is no need for NASA to develop a heavy lift vehicle as it requires no new technology. ULA and SpaceX already have proposed designs. If NASA has a 100+ ton payload they want to launch (right now they do not) all they need to is issue an RFP. NASA involvement in the design process would be pointless, as it was for Constellation.

What NASA should be doing is producing practical benefits with new R&D that supports economic development, clean energy and environment, medical advances, and national security. The White House issued a memo telling them to allocate more resources in those areas immediately. So far they haven't changed any allocaiton of resources.

Anonymous said...

If you think Space X will develop a crew rated vehicle faster than NASA then I hope you volunteer for a ride on it. This is nothing more than good ol Chicago politics at its best. Mega payback for campaign funding by Elon Musk and Space X. Lets see how much Orbital gets out of the deal...

Anonymous said...

I say again...these nitwits on here who are jealous because they couldn't get a job at the Space Center with their 6th grade education will feel the hurt from the loss of our space program as much as anyone. KSC is the motor that runs this county and if you don't believe that you've had your head up you derriere for a long time. Instead of spouting nonsense about "cash cows' and "Tax waste" you should be pushing your elected officials hard on not only saving but expanding the space effort. This will result in jobs and prosperity on both sides of the fence....or would you rather BO simply funnel this money to one of the many wonderful government programs that contribute NOTHING to the common good ?

Anonymous said...

So we should change the name to the National economic development, clean energy and environment, medical advances, and national security Administration.

NEDCEEMANSA Nice!!!!

Marv said...

Hmmm here's an interesting thought....you want a heavy lift launcher all ya have to do is dig out the old blueprints for the Saturn V!! No R&D cost, proven technology all you have to do is start re-manufacturing the thing. Oh wait if you did that there would be no need to spend all that money to develop a new one would there? Sometimes newer is not always better.

Anonymous said...

>>If you think Space X will develop a crew rated vehicle faster than NASA then I hope you volunteer for a ride on it.<<

I've been through dozens of NASA safety meetings, maybe hundreds. I can't recall anyone at these meetings who ever put hands on hardware. They create mountains of documents and procedures but don't understand the most basic elements of reliability engineering. Prime example: the idea that "failure tolerance" will ensure reliability. Thus virtually every system has to be redundant. But what about Challenger? The O-rings were redundant; if one failed, there was a second, but they both failed. That's because most launch vehicle failures are deterministic, rather than random, and in a deterministic failure all the redundant systems will often fail simultaneously. Failures are often only revealed in actual flight. When this happens, the design is changed to eliminate the failure mode.

Mountains of paperwork doesn't keep you safe in space; you need vehicles that are simple, reliable, and thoroughly tested in actual flight. SpaceX knows how to build them.

Graham (from england) said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Stew said...

Oh please, we don't need any more rockets or missiles or other aircraft hardware engineering! What we need is jobs, food on the table and lesser tax. The government should focus more on reasonable spending than all these crazy hullabaloos.