NASA: Just Lose the Shuttle, Will You?
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I was just at Seth Godin’s Talk, and somehow the topic of NASA came up. Seth mentioned that if he were to suggest one thing for NASA, it would be to remove the Shuttle program. He said that the Shuttle program we know is unsafe, costly, and has issues. He suggested that were they to get rid of it, it would create an emergency situation, and the Government and NASA would be forced to enter “A Dip”, and come up with something way better. I think I have to agree with him on this one.
BTW, if anyone is interested in a free copy of the Dip, write me a story of why you want it, what you would do for it, etc. and I’ll post the best stories here and give the best their own free copy.
May 25th, 2007 at 12:51 am
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May 25th, 2007 at 1:07 am
I have to disagree with your evaluation of NASA.
I do agree that the space shuttle is relatively unsafe, costly, and has issues. However, the space shuttle was designed 30 years ago! It must have been an amazing design to last that long, but it is starting to show it’s age.
The reason we needed a space shuttle in the past is because there was NO space station! Now that we we have the (nearly completed) ISS, the requirements for space flight have changed. Instead of a self-sufficient long-term living vehicle, the new transport vehicles only need to get the astronauts to the space station.
Oh, did I mention that NASA has already designed and chosen the replacement to the space shuttle? Please read the many great resources on this page to get caught up:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/main/index.html
The new design is much more cost efficient, safe, and versatile. My wife works for the company that makes the rocket boosters for the space shuttle, and NASA has decided to use a slightly modified rocket on the new transport vehicle. This decision has saved years of time and millions of dollars in the testing that has gone into these “man-rated” rockets.
I hope you find this information useful!
May 25th, 2007 at 9:52 am
Tristan,
I grew up in Houston, and have very high regards for NASA. They have actually had several designs to replace the shuttle, but for some reason the shuttle just keeps on going, keeping the new designs from coming forth. My point is, were the Government and NASA to scrap the shuttle program, it would force them to either move to one of these other plans, or re-evaluate the purpose of the space program. I also think you would see more private companies step up. I think the shuttle program is slowing down those processes.
May 26th, 2007 at 11:52 pm
The Dip sounds like a book for quitters.
If we were to hold those standards then what would we achieve?