SCRAP NASA! says Schmitt Replace with NSEA

"NASA should be scrapped in favor of a new agency, one with the sole objective of furthering America's exploration of deep space. So says Harrison Schmitt, the last man to set foot on the moon, in a proposal published online today (May 25)."

Source: ca.news.yahoo.com...




Interesting the last man 'to walk on the moon' (if you believe that!) says that NASA has lost it's focus and should be scrapped. He wants to see a new agency take its place and has even determined the name:
National Space Exploration Administration

Interesting and potentially many different offshoots here for thought:

What would the mandate for the new agency be?

Should NASA be scrapped? Is it worth the money?

Would current NASA employees be switched over to the new agency right away?

What current ongoing billion dollar projects would be scrapped as well?

Schmitt say's the agency would send men back to the moon by 2020 and potentially establish settlements there?

Also, NASA = Never A Straight Answer
so NSEA means....?

Personally, NASA has been a joke for a long long time. The amount of money, the same old designs that cost billions upon billions...

Your thoughts?!

PS - First Thread, so be gentle

Originally posted by Nspekta
What would the mandate for the new agency be?

According to that article, the mandate would be nothing more except selfishly making sure that only one country, the USA, controls space, and not letting anyone else have any control.
That seems to be it, really.

Schmitt believes refocusing on space exploration is crucial for
the United States to maintain its status as a superpower.
"This is not just a competition between nations; it's a competition
between freedom and tyranny,"

Very thought provoking post OP! Good Job!

I totally agree with the above statement. Back when NASA was created during the Moon Race against the Russians, NASA's overall general sole purpose was to seek advancements in space tech. and explore space.

Now that there are many probes traveling throughout this solar system and many satilites orbiting other planets and many large telecopes looking at other galaxies, NASA's focus has shifted more towards understanding space than to explore it and understand along the way.

I think a new agency who's one purpose is to explore space is the one thing that will kick start a technologic advancement in this generation and others to come as scientist would strive to push further out into space to explore. And to that would require them invent newer and more advanced technologies.

Overall I think an agency like this a great idea, but let it be run by civilians rather than government agents.

reply to post by alfa1


Sure sounds like it! He is 75, and from the old school too, still living in the cold war era. Space should not be owned, and avaialble to any country or individual who has the means to get there

Space should be explored by a joined effort of the entire planet. Too bad that will never happen. End all the BS wars and get exploring...

Originally posted by TheMessenger1
Very thought provoking post OP! Good Job!

I totally agree with the above statement. Back when NASA was created during the Moon Race against the Russians, NASA's overall general sole purpose was to seek advancements in space tech. and explore space.

Now that there are many probes traveling throughout this solar system and many satilites orbiting other planets and many large telecopes looking at other galaxies, NASA's focus has shifted more towards understanding space than to explore it and understand along the way.

I think a new agency who's one purpose is to explore space is the one thing that will kick start a technologic advancement in this generation and others to come as scientist would strive to push further out into space to explore. And to that would require them invent newer and more advanced technologies.

Overall I think an agency like this a great idea, but let it be run by civilians rather than government agents.

Thx! Mostly i was worried that it had been posted already haha didn't wanna be one of those damn newbies who doesnt check thoroughly! Anyways, yes, a civilian run agency would serve the people and be a great thing! I'm sick of NASA's non-transparency on certain issues. Maybe a new agency with different ideals would allow the flow of knowledge to be freely distributed!

reply to post by Nspekta


The concept of "high ground" eludes many. The truth is space is the "high ground," and who controls it, controls earth. This is why the notion that an alien species who can travel between the stars attacking us here on earth is such Hollywood nonsense. Grab a rock out by Mars, and fling it at the earth: Instant win, no contact.

Likewise -- any nation with a grudge can construct a mass driver with available technology, and launch telephone pole sized objects at their enemies, creating far more devastation than any conventional force. Space should be owned by all of us, but until we are united as one, no single country can be permitted the high ground. It's just common sense, IMO.

Originally posted by 0zzymand0s
reply to post by Nspekta

 

The concept of "high ground" eludes many. The truth is space is the "high ground," and who controls it, controls earth. This is why the notion that an alien species who can travel between the stars attacking us here on earth is such Hollywood nonsense. Grab a rock out by Mars, and fling it at the earth: Instant win, no contact.

Likewise -- any nation with a grudge can construct a mass driver with available technology, and launch telephone pole sized objects at their enemies, creating far more devastation than any conventional force. Space should be owned by all of us, but until we are united as one, no single country can be permitted the high ground. It's just common sense, IMO.

I agree, whoever controls space can control the earth through potential devastating attack. I have heard of those tungsten rods that could be dropped from space and cause so much damage, crazy! As for the alien part, very true! We could be wiped out before we even knew it. The only reason i could think of them actually coming to attack us would be to save destruction of resources or whatever they may be seeking that could be destroyed by flinging an asteroid/comet our way. Again, fully agree. Space should be either owned by none or owned by all, and accessible to all those that wish.

Yes... shut down NASA's human space flight. But don't bother starting another agency to replace it, until they are ready to implement quantum-field-based anti-gravity-launched ships.

reply to post by Larryman


And how exactly are they ment to develop that sort of tech without manned space flight.

Also for those who say that countries could never work together for one cause like this, what exactly have the likes of Russia, Canada, Italy, France, Japan, Spain, Belgium, Germany etc been doing since about the end of the cold war. All these countries and more have contributed to ISS.

The aged idea that countries cannot work together belongs in the same confinds of history as Schmitt's America only agency.