Presidential Visions For Space Travel(50 years worth).

Found this the other day and thought it was interesting. Hope you all enjoy.

www.space.com...

On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy announced a bold new plan for NASA and the nation: To send an American to the moon, and to return him safely, by the close of the decade.

Kennedy's speech, which came just six weeks after cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person to reach outer space, had a huge impact on NASA and space exploration. It jump-started the agency's Apollo program, a full-bore race to the moon that succeeded on July 20, 1969, when Neil Armstrong's boot crunched down into the gray lunar dirt.

Kennedy, of course, isn't the only leader who had a vision for the nation's space program. Since NASA's founding in 1958, every president from Eisenhower to Obama has left his mark. Take a look at how each U.S. commander-in-chief helped shape and steer American activities in space.

reply to post by usmc0311


It's a shame that we've fallen so far under obama to the point where we have to bum a ride to the space station from the russians.
Wonder what President Kennedy would have to say about obama killing the shuttle program? I think he would be very disappointed in him.

Originally posted by Chance321
reply to post by usmc0311

 

It's a shame that we've fallen so far under obama to the point where we have to bum a ride to the space station from the russians.
Wonder what President Kennedy would have to say about obama killing the shuttle program? I think he would be very disappointed in him.

The end of shuttle program was decided under Bush. And correctly so, as shuttle was the most expensive and economically inefficient launch vehicle in history, and one of the reasons why we were stuck in low Earth orbit since 1972.

reply to post by Maslo


I don't know, I wouldn't concider $51million a trip bargin: uk.reuters.com...
Not to mention the cargo and components the shuttle took to the station.

Originally posted by Chance321
reply to post by Maslo

 

I don't know, I wouldn't concider $51million a trip bargin: uk.reuters.com...
Not to mention the cargo and components the shuttle took to the station.

It is quite a bargain, if you account for the fact that one shuttle flight is anywhere from $900 million to $1.7 billion.

Cargo and components could be lifted by unmanned rockets such as Delta IV, Atlas V, Ariane 5 or Proton for a lot less money. Not to mention that there would be no 2 year hiatus as after Columbia disaster.

Originally posted by Chance321
reply to post by usmc0311

 

It's a shame that we've fallen so far under obama to the point where we have to bum a ride to the space station from the russians.
Wonder what President Kennedy would have to say about obama killing the shuttle program? I think he would be very disappointed in him.

yea really, we were about to launch the first manned rocket to mars then obama came in and halted the whole darn thing.

what was he thinking???!!

really? the space program has been in decline for years? we were going to shut it down and replace the shuttle regardless? well colot me blue and shuck my feathers.....