Comments on: Spacecraft AWOL: Where Is NASA's New Solar Sail? http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2010/12/14/spacecraft-awol-where-is-nasas-new-solar-sail/ Mon, 22 Apr 2013 21:34:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: nick http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2010/12/14/spacecraft-awol-where-is-nasas-new-solar-sail/#comment-24205 nick Thu, 16 Dec 2010 00:14:04 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/?p=23749#comment-24205 If you're doing everything perfectly, you're not doing anything new. If you’re doing everything perfectly, you’re not doing anything new.

]]> By: Torres http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2010/12/14/spacecraft-awol-where-is-nasas-new-solar-sail/#comment-24204 Torres Wed, 15 Dec 2010 18:31:46 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/?p=23749#comment-24204 I agree with Darius, sorry TJ. Humans learn most effectively through trial and error. If NASA's projects always go swimmingly they wouldn't learn as much as when they experience failures. Furthermore, NASA has had some outstanding successes in their history, the Spirit and Opportunity rovers illustrate this point remarkably. Years after they were expected to expire they are still sending back data from the red planet. Lastly, at this moment, there is not a private company, nor another national government in the world that can perform some of the feats NASA pulls off. I agree with Darius, sorry TJ. Humans learn most effectively through trial and error. If NASA’s projects always go swimmingly they wouldn’t learn as much as when they experience failures. Furthermore, NASA has had some outstanding successes in their history, the Spirit and Opportunity rovers illustrate this point remarkably. Years after they were expected to expire they are still sending back data from the red planet. Lastly, at this moment, there is not a private company, nor another national government in the world that can perform some of the feats NASA pulls off.

]]> By: Darius2025 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2010/12/14/spacecraft-awol-where-is-nasas-new-solar-sail/#comment-24203 Darius2025 Wed, 15 Dec 2010 16:35:46 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/?p=23749#comment-24203 Don't know TJ but i think you fail to realize that as humans... we mostly learn by trial and error. Take a look at the history of spaceflight and you will see how many failures NASA and RASA experienced when they were first pioneering spaceflight. Today's failures dwarf in comparison. Based on the complexities of spaceflight, I think that their track record is much better than you give them credit for. Thats not to say that I don't think NASA is full of ****. The politics and fear of withdrawn funding don't allow for full disclosure. We will probably find out what happened to this perticular satellite in about 50 years time. Don’t know TJ but i think you fail to realize that as humans… we mostly learn by trial and error. Take a look at the history of spaceflight and you will see how many failures NASA and RASA experienced when they were first pioneering spaceflight. Today’s failures dwarf in comparison. Based on the complexities of spaceflight, I think that their track record is much better than you give them credit for.

Thats not to say that I don’t think NASA is full of ****. The politics and fear of withdrawn funding don’t allow for full disclosure. We will probably find out what happened to this perticular satellite in about 50 years time.

]]> By: TJ in NJ http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2010/12/14/spacecraft-awol-where-is-nasas-new-solar-sail/#comment-24202 TJ in NJ Tue, 14 Dec 2010 18:28:49 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/?p=23749#comment-24202 NASA does not have a very good track record. they have had fewer than 250 shuttle flights and 2 of them were catastrophic disasters (Colombia and Challenger). They bounced a martian lander off the Martian atmosphere because of a conversion error, and now they lost a satellite. With a budget that dwarfs the closest private competitor, shouldn't they be doing a bit of a better job? NASA does not have a very good track record. they have had fewer than 250 shuttle flights and 2 of them were catastrophic disasters (Colombia and Challenger). They bounced a martian lander off the Martian atmosphere because of a conversion error, and now they lost a satellite. With a budget that dwarfs the closest private competitor, shouldn’t they be doing a bit of a better job?

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