Does NASA serve a purpose?

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   Texasbetaposted 13 years ago

   I've just read that NASA checked on a hole in an asteroid that they shot an 800lb bullet into a while back, that made a dent in the asteroid about the size of a football. Does this agency serve a purpose or should they be closed for being ridiculously useless?

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      stoneyyposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I see you substituted NASA for Congress.
      
      Much has been learned from the endeavours and continues to be.  If you read the same article I did, you would have known the mission of the spacecraft was completed.  The mission was completed and it still had fuel left.  Using the craft to do further research is being thrifty.
      
      The spacecraft which fired the 'bullet' wasn't in a position to stick around after. The article, which I just referenced, indicated the 'bullet' threw up so much debris its view was blocked.

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         Texasbetaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         "Other research" like shooting a bullet into an asteroid? Are you worried that NASA is going to lose his singing voice when he goes through puberty?

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   Cagsilposted 13 years ago

   To spend money.

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   wildernessposted 13 years ago

   Unless they shot an 800# bullet of styrofoam a half mile across this does not seem reasonable.  Might I ask where the information came from?

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      Texasbetaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110215/ap_ … tine_comet
      
      Sorry, it was a comet, not an asteroid.

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   Mighty Momposted 13 years ago

   Well, if we are prohibited from drilling  off the coast of the US and the Middle East continues to be volatile, we better hope there's oil on one of those planets!

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      Texasbetaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      But we prohibit the drilling because of a risk vs reward issue. At the highest speculation, we could have enough oil to power the US for 1 year, if we went all out, allowing everything. Is the risk of destroying all of the environment around those wells worth the 1 yr of oil? Plus, oil only comes from living things, and large amounts of them...plants, animals, etc. We haven't found anything so far, much less a viable way to transport the product. So again...do they serve a purpose?

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         stoneyyposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Again, yes they do-unlike the superstition industry.

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   wildernessposted 13 years ago

   NASA has consistently come up with useful "inventions" for everyday life.  Check out this:
   
   http://curiosity.discovery.com/topic/tr … tions1.htm
   
   for just a few of them.  Everybody complains about the cost of research, but likes the result of it. 
   
   Not to say that NASA is lily white in the use of their money, but it has actually had quite a large practical positive result in our lives.

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      logic,commonsenseposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Exactly right!  They have pushed the envelope and created many useful items worth far more than what they have spent.  We are just so used to getting more that we do not appreciate the effort that goes into producing what we have.
      We waste so much more on other useless crap, we could spend double on NASA and still be money ahead.
      Last year $886,000 on bottled water for Congress.
      Nearly 2 million dollars per Representative for staff payroll, not including benefits.  Take that times 435.  Haven't found out about the cost of the Senate staff.
      Over 400 people on the White House staff.  Talk about waste!
      The list goes on.

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      Texasbetaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Dude, memory foam and invisible braces? Yeah...that's not going to cut it for me on this argument. The sham-wow guy did as much. Give me more.

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         wildernessposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         OK - how about kidney dialysis machines?  Or CAT scanners?  How about freeze dried foods?  Insulation barriers used in cars, water purification systems used by cities, MRI technologies, cordless power tools and appliances, cool suits worn by race car drivers and hazardous area workers, gas detectors used in hazardous locations to detect harmful gases.  All either direct inventions or spin offs from NASA research.
         
         http://space.about.com/od/toolsequipmen … offs_3.htm
         
         Do you want more?  There are some 1400 inventions from NASA that directly benefit people and business.  The point is that benefits from NASA go far beyond whatever they were trying to find out about comets with your 800# bullet.

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            Texasbetaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Solid. Much better. I yield. Those are killer and totally worth it. I was hoping someone could convince me, as a staunch liberal I felt kind of bad about wanting to just shut it down in disgust.

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               wildernessposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               Pure research is easy to poke fun at and ridicule, but an awful lot of what we have has come from it and in totally unexpected directions.  Research almost always pays off in some form (although I except "research" done by some jerk with the sole intention of earning a paycheck, writing a nonsense paper and getting their name in print).
               
               It is one of the problems in America, I think.  Corporations seldom invest in research that won't pay off in a year or two, and it is hurting us.  Things that can be found cheaply by the garage mechanic are few and far between any more; it takes millions or billions of $$ to do most research now, and not many are willing to foot the bill. 
               
               As an example, the hard drive in your computer.  While it will hold more and is faster than it used to be the basic technology hasn't changed in years and years.  Why not?  No one will risk the money to find something totally new - it is more profitable (in the short term) and safer for the stockholders (and the CEO) to improve what we already have.  If America is to remain a technological leader that must change.

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   Mighty Momposted 13 years ago

   Texasbeta,
   I hope you didn't think my post was serious.
   But honestly, I think one of NASA's functions is to determine if there is any planet out there that can sustain human life, as sooner or later we're gonna run out of space and resources here on earth!
   MM

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      Texasbetaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I am a moron on some nights, most nights actually.

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   Cyrellysposted 13 years ago

   Hi guys,
   
   Joseph P Farrell's work Nazi International poses some very interesting questions backed by a literal mountain of documents dating from WWII clear up to present where more recent researchers have contributed.  He compares his contexting of postwar Nazi activities against Richard C Hoagland & Mike Bara's Dark Mission and says "the implications are stunning, and chilling."
   
   Farrell reiterates words by his colleages that essentially says that NASA is a "co-opted organization" and that "it is not and was never intended to be at its innermost core and highest levels, a civilian agency." 
   
   "Sec.  305....(i) The (National Aeronautics and Space) Administration shall be considered a defense agency of the United States for the purpose of Chapter 17, Title 35 of the United States Code..." ~ research quote from Hoagland & Bara, Dark Mission.p.ii.
   
   He goes on to explore and talk about the real goal and purpose for the Nazi International's presence in both NASA & the CIA was an archeological reconnaissance mission to recover exotic artifacts and potential technology left by a prior interplanetary civilization on the Moon.  That the hunt stopped with Apollo 17 when the Apollo Program was abruptly terminated due to 'mission accomplished'.  That this explains the curious german technology transfers that occured shortly after WWII as part of their continuing pursuit of "all aspects of the wartime agenda." ~ see page 376 about the 2-track space program - one for public consumption with rockets & the other secret with exotic technologies courtesy of one 'very mad [nazi] scientist' which the A.F. took seriously per documentation.
   
   Now here's where it gets even more interesting....
   
   TITLE:  DoD confirms reality of Solar Warden project to UFO researcher http://www.allnewsweb.com/page1199999485.php
   
   Quote EXCERPT:
   
   Rumors of a secret international space program called "Solar Warden" have been floating around for years. One alleged whistle-blower described described Solar Warden as such: "There were, as of 2005, eight ships, an equivalent to aircraft carriers and forty-three “protectors,” which are space planes. One was lost recently to an accident in Mars' orbit while it was attempting to re-supply the multinational colony within Mars. This base was established in 1964 by American and Soviet teamwork."
   
   it is said that part of "Solar Warden's" agenda was protecting Earth from any hostile aliens.
   UFO obsessed hacker Gary McKinnon from the UK claimed to have found allusions to "Solar Warden" while snooping through NASA files. These files mention "non-terrestrial officers", amongst other things.
   
   
   Now a reader of this publication and a respected UFO researcher from the UK, Mr Darren Perks, claims to have received the following email from the DoD (under the freedom of information act) on the matter:
   
   "About an hour ago I spoke to a NASA rep who confirmed this was their
   program and that it was terminated by the President. He also informed
   me that it was not a joint program with the DoD. The NASA rep informed
   me that you should be directed to the Johnson Space Center FOIA Manager.
   I have ran your request through one of our space-related directorates
   and I'm waiting on one other division with the Command to respond back
   to me.
   I will contact you once I have a response from the other division.
   Did NASA refer you to us?"
   
   End EXCERPT.
   
   
   If any of this is accurate, then history has given us strange bedfellows.  Anyone feeling warm & fuzzy?
   
   Cy

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      Texasbetaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Are you kidding me? These two people appear on Art Bell at night. Let me give you a slight bit of advice...it is usually a bad idea to go half cocked in believing people who believe there are secret alien civilizations on the Moon and Mars, and NASA is hiding it, and the NAZIs are involved, OR that appear as guests are Art Bell at 3am AM radio. If you choose to ignore, well then have fun being one of those people who in pod people, the Bush family are secretly lizard people, and that Superman is actually real. Then again, we have a nation of Evangelical Christians that half of which think that evolution is fake, the world is 6000 yr old, and that the Flintstones were a documentary.

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         Cyrellysposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         No I'm not kidding you.  And FYI Art Bell is largely retired.  Has been for years.  Coast to Coast AM is hosted by George Noory now, has been for years.  Farrell doesn't do interviews much or often. 
         
         And Tomion, I don't ever recall doing one.  Tomion was dedicated almost entirely to his work.  He invested every bit of himself in it.
         
         You're reaction is one generally made by someone who does not read research books nor follow up on research to cross-reference any of it for accuracy. 
         
         The silly comparisons you are making to the works and individuals I cited which you say entail the Bush family/lizard people rumor/Superman or Evangelical Christians or a 6000 year old planet is just about the nuttiest thing I've ever heard.  You'd make a nice comedian, but if this insulting of people who work for their information and invest their lives into reading military & civilian government documents, interviewing witnesses, investing personal money into FOIA searches, or field research inspect sites or collect samples is the best that you can do?  I guess there's no one who can help you.  Plenty of mindlessness on mainstream tv awaiting your return.  I don't equate sitcoms with education but it seems I've discovered someone who does?  Wow.

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            Texasbetaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Don't forget Ian Pundett on the weekends.  Art comes back once in a while when his back is feeling better, usually from his place in Guam. His wife is very much against it and wants him to entirely give it up with the little 2 yr old now in his life. Oh yes, I still listen.
            "I love me" some conspiracy theories, but even I don't buy most of them. I don't believe in Loch Ness, Bigfoot, magic, or secret ancient civilizations on the moon and Mars, like RCH promotes. Sorry...I just can't go that far. You have read Houghlan's The Monuments on Mars and Dark Mission right? I cand send them to you if you don't have copies. Yes, the people you've cited believe there are secret civilizations on Mars that we are communicating with, but the government is keeping it a secret. Sorry...too much for me. It is cute though that you refer to me as opposed to yourself as being someone who equates sitcoms with "education", as I would link sitcoms with fairtytales and would refer to this kind of "out there" conspiracy theories in the same manner. To each their own though.

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   BillyDRitchieposted 13 years ago

   Well, according to the Obama adminstration, NASA's primary mission should be to improve relationships with Muslim countries....

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      Texasbetaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Don't be ridiculous. He listed a long line of goals for NASA, one of which was getting Muslim countries excited about science, thus improving our relationship, promoting a more educated and thus a more freedom seeking populace within said countries. Read between the lines man; there is a premise that you, as an educated citizen, are going to be able to understand without having it spelled out to you like a 7y old.

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         BillyDRitchieposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Well, they certainly have the act of beheading innocent human beings down to a science, now don't they?

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            John Holdenposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Bit rich from a man living in a country that inhumanely executes innocent people.

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            Texasbetaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            All Muslims in general huh? Nice. Was your post so short because you had to starch your white hood?

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   Cyrellysposted 13 years ago

   ROFL, I'd forgotten that one Billy!  Thanks for reminding me.  The day I first read that I had a classic:  "SAY WHAT?!" moment and imagined someone in the OA with a high cumulative blood alcohol level,because for the life of me I couldn't make any sense out of a hard science operation going culturally anthropological with no real impetus.

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      Texasbetaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      OR...maybe some people DO need it spelled out for them like a 7 yr old. Oh good lord people, I get less and less confident in our capabilities daily. Wow.

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    Cyrellysposted 13 years ago

    Hi everyone,
    
    I just threw together some of what I know on the Solar Warden development and the history of NASA into a quick article along with other pertinent info for paradigm perspective.  Cheers,
    
    http://hubpages.com/hub/solar-warden-up … irmed?done

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    melporposted 13 years ago

    A lot of good things have come out the NASA program. That microwave oven sitting on your kitchen counter is one of the products from the program and there are many more that made our life easier. People are simply unaware of the results from the program. One day all the inhabitants on earth will be thankful that this program was started about 50 years ago.

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       Cyrellysposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       I do agree with melpor.  There are alot of good things that have come out of the NASA program, and I think that it should continue...but I also think based on the amount of data on the other track that it is time to meld the two tracks back together.  All of science, the public, and the many government, academic, and corporate infrastructures would gain a leap in opportunities by doing so. 
       
       There would no longer be a need for security to be wasting time intimidating independents.  The social rifts caused by the secrecy could finally mend.  The next generation of students would have real or complete scientific and historical paradigms to study and contribute to.  Problems would have the full strength of the population and infrastructure from which to draw solutions and resources from.  The list is almost endless. 
       
       The secrecy was originally created because the people involved felt that the public was not capable of modifying their mindsets to see themselves as members of a Greater Community with all its benefits and drawbacks, or issues and opportunities.  They made choices based on public reaction to the radio broadcast of War of the Worlds and a white paper report called The Brookings Report:  Proposed Studies on the Implications of Peaceful Space Activities for Human Affairs  http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/brook … report.htm 
       A Report Prepared for the COMMITTEE ON LONG-RANGE STUDIES of the NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION by THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION
       
       That document was obtained via FOIA request by Dan Woolman of Washington DC in 1960.
       
       Basically the report expressed concern about humanity's ability to adjust to change.  It only briefly spoke of Contact.  The primary decision as I understand it to mandate secrecy was based on adaptability to change.
       
       Quote:  Certain potential products or consequences of space activities imply such a high degree of change in world conditions that it would be unprofitable within the purview of this report to propose research on them. Examples include a controlled thermonuclear fusion rocket power source and face-to-face meetings with extraterrestrials

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    manlypoetrymanposted 13 years ago

    There is this:
    
    http://www.eastfieldnews.com/2.6688/min … n-1.974765
    
    That way all that we learned and spent from going to the moon could be taken to the next step.

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