US Space Program - Space Force

[Abrigon Gusiq]

Any comments on the direction the US Space program is going, and is it
going any where?

Mike

[R.Glueck]

The United States is still leading the rest of the world in space
exploration - for the present. No doubt the Chinese, Japanese, and others
will be at the heels of the US for years to come. Without these worthy
competiters, I'm afraid the US president, would easily allow NASA to sink
into miserable funding levels, ignorant of what space exploration does for
the economy and human life in general. The Russians have been reduced to a
support extension of the US, but fortunately, one which is capable of
standing on its own.

[Dav Vandenbroucke]

Post by R.Glueck
I'm afraid the US president, would easily allow NASA to sink
into miserable funding levels, ignorant of what space exploration does for
the economy and human life in general.

I don't like the current president at all, for many reasons irrelevant
to this newsgroup. However, he does seem to support the space
program. He is the one who put together the plan to establish a base
on the Moon and send an expedition to Mars. It may be that this was
all just window dressing, but the programs are going forward (if
underfunded). I haven't heard of any of the presidential candidates
mentioning a position on the space program.


Dav Vandenbroucke
davanden at cox dot net

[RamRay]

The upcoming plans by ESA, NASA and the Russians to go to Mars is
promising. There is much sharing of information and in all likelihood it
will be an international effort, with the lead as well as the lion's share
of the costs going to NASA. Pres. Bush has been a strong proponent of
space and the current plans to go back to the moon as a stepping-stone to
Mars is well thought out.

There are now talks of expanding a military force in space to keep a
strong US presense, and the likely choice will be the Air Force as they
have had the role since it's inception (much to the chagrin of the Navy.
Much will have to happen and a viable threat in space would have to exist
before a US Space Force is created (and I am sure the US Navy would fight
that as they would anything that takes space $ away from them). More than
likely the USAF Space Command would get more money and duties, perhaps
leading a path one day for a US Space Corps to evole, still under the
auspices of the Air Force. BUT, until there is a viable space threat, it
remains much debate only. Star Trek remains fiction only.

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