I’ve been talking about this for months, as have space advocates, but it’s still good to see that the MSM (main stream media) are talking about the looming NASA budget cuts. This article does not paint a pretty picture, and I’m happy — well, not happy, but satisfied — to see this part:
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, who has long served on the House Science Committee, also is concerned about NASA’s science programs. She is urging Griffin to trim budgets across the board rather than abandon some programs to pay for others.
“NASA only has to survive until October,” she said. “We’re having these problems across the government, but the minute we panic at NASA and begin to start shifting major funds, I think that is a disaster waiting to happen.
“It’s unfair to those of us who believe in basic research and human space flight, and that happens to be the bulk of the Science Committee,” she added. “I don’t think they’d take kindly to a major cut in science.”
The continuing resolution for funding the government is hitting all agencies across the board– NASA is not being singled out, nor is science. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see Congress ignoring the science angle… yet there they are, making a special note of it. I may yet have hope.
January 17th, 2007 at 11:10 pm
Sheila Jackson Lee… isn’t she the one who asked if the Mars Pathfinder had photographed the flag left by Neil Armstrong?
Not meaning to use an ad hominem attack to undermine a valid point, but still, her ignorance is a matter of record.
January 18th, 2007 at 5:35 am
You know, this sounded like a joke that grew a semblance of reality on the web, but here’s the link:
http://www.seds.org/spaceviews/970915/cap.html
Houston’s got a real winner of a representative there…
Lorne
January 18th, 2007 at 6:35 am
I have a good idea of what could be cut to support NASA’s budget. And I think many might know what that thing is….
January 18th, 2007 at 7:12 am
There’s plenty to cut in the NASA budget, but unfortunately no one has the courage to cut the pork projects.
January 18th, 2007 at 7:44 am
I expect he’s talking about that useless thing called WAR!
At 50 plus $billion a year, just think how much science could be done for that.
Gary 7
January 18th, 2007 at 8:53 am
Unfortunately it never works that way. Everyone in congress has their pet, pork-barrel projects and they’ve just find a way to waste it on these things.
January 18th, 2007 at 10:50 am
Correct Gary, I do speak of that useless war going on now.
January 18th, 2007 at 12:06 pm
You know, about 12 years ago when I was going to the University of Victoria shoring up some astronomy and honors courses for going into grad school in astronomy, I had an epiphany, that going into astronomy as a career just wasn’t going to work out. It sucked (I had been eager to go into the field since Voyager 2 got to Saturn). So I went into meteorology.
Probably the best decision I made in my life.
January 18th, 2007 at 2:17 pm
Is that the war on poverty? War on drugs?
January 18th, 2007 at 4:03 pm
Lorne, she may be dense, I wouldn’t know, but if you google SJL and Pathfinder there are 900 hits, ALL of them from Neo-Con blogs. I take politicians at their official word, not what the rabid opposition says. She has been in office for 11 years, she must be doing something right.
January 18th, 2007 at 9:28 pm
Being from Houston, I can tell you that the SJL and Pathfinder quote is true. I saw this quote in the Houston Chronicle, hardly a conservative newspaper, and cut it out and saved it.
She may not be the greatest person in Congress but she does represent her district well and has been a good supporter of NASA over the years. When she ran for Congress she beat an incumbant Democrat who had one of the worst attendence records and consistantly voted against NASA. She used both of these against him.
January 19th, 2007 at 9:16 am
Stop complaining, Dubya is taking us to MARS!
January 19th, 2007 at 12:15 pm
Their are many cuts to be made everywhere. The notion that the war in Iraq is the reason the politions want to cut NASA funds is absurb. I for one want more money put into NASA but I want them to spend it more wisely too.
January 22nd, 2007 at 12:50 am
Fortunately for the human race, the UK has plans (still been voted on) to increase funding for a solo space program so we no longer rely on the European Space Agency. So at least science could continue, but cutting projects based on thier cost is always a bad idea. Smaller budgets are managable, dropping or postponing projects could lose the forward momentum. Mind you if NASA stopped copying things that were proved unecconomical by other countries, like SCRAM jets, there would be more money.