A Bush Policy I Agree With, Totally

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http://www.space.com/news/061007_bush_spacepolicy.html

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New Bush Space Policy Unveiled, Stresses U.S. Freedom of Action

Many times, it is claimed by those on the right that the 'Bush-haters' wouldn't give him any credit for good decisions even if they saw them, out of some sort of irrational decision to hate everything flowing from the man.

I have argued that this is not true, and this is a great example: I agree with the policies and goals put out by the Bush admin re: US space policy. For years I have argued that the need to colonize and conquer our near space (and farther) trumps pretty much every other strategic concern that we have as a people. The rewards for doing so are literally incalculable, and it is well understood from a military standpoint that he who controls the sky, controls the ground.

I commend the Bush admin and team for putting together a sensible space policy. Though I would, of course, like to see 10 times the funding, at least the words on paper look good.

I encourage all of you to read the PDF if possible and begin thinking about the future of Human colonization and expansion. With this week's news about NK nukes, it is time to start getting on top of the new frontier in war as well, and that's space. I am a pacifist, but I would like to see America acquire at least defensive Kinetic weapons before other nations do, for safety reasons if nothing else.

Cheers

Cycloptichorn

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You say that now, but just wait until the first detention center opens on Mars....

Wink

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Or until we decide to preemptively invade Venus...

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I like that money is going to science, so I'll live with the rest of it -- but I think a focus on manned spaceflight is a waste of money. Just not enough benefits for the cost involved, although I recognize that the glamour of it all helps attract people to scientific fields...

Colonization is something else, I guess, decidedly mixed feelings there but would want to research more.

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sozobe wrote:

I like that money is going to science, so I'll live with the rest of it -- but I think a focus on manned spaceflight is a waste of money. Just not enough benefits for the cost involved, although I recognize that the glamour of it all helps attract people to scientific fields...

Colonization is something else, I guess, decidedly mixed feelings there but would want to research more.

Sorry, but I think that you are incorrect when it comes to the manned spaceflight not being worth the cost. It is most definately 'worth the cost,' as ambitious space programs require on-the-spot decisions that robots and computers simply can't be trusted to make.

If we are serious about visiting the Moon, Mars, or more importantly, the Asteroid belt, anytime soon, it will be through manned missions. The qualities and abilities of an astronaut vs. a robot are simply impossible to compare; a well-trained astronaut is infinitely more adaptable and usable in space then the limited robots we currently can build.

I'm not sure why you would be against colonization, as it is currently the greatest imperative that our species has. It literally dwarfs any other concern, all other concerns combined, greatly. Colonization of space represents the only chance of survival for our species in the long run, and depending on your point of view, the short run as well.

Cycloptichorn

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One reason for putting men into space, is to get good at it so that in the future we can put a lot of men into space, and colonize the moon, Mars, perhaps a few other bodies in our solar system, and eventually the nearer stars. At least this is true if one believes that Man should not remain confined to the Earth forever.

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You are 100% correct, Brandon.

In the short-term, I believe that there are a large number of military advantages to controlling space, and very few downsides. I think that those who claim that some are stuck in an 'old war' mentality, and that we need to adjust to the 'new war' against Al Qaeda, are fighting the 'old war' themselves.

Cycloptichorn

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Cycloptichorn wrote:

You are 100% correct, Brandon.

In the short-term, I believe that there are a large number of military advantages to controlling space, and very few downsides. I think that those who claim that some are stuck in an 'old war' mentality, and that we need to adjust to the 'new war' against Al Qaeda, are fighting the 'old war' themselves.

Cycloptichorn

That's the one and only thing about the proposal that bothers me -- we're already turning hostile and looking at the 'military advantages.'

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I agree to an extent, but what are we to do? Kinetic energy weapons (basically a rock you drop on something from space) have the potential to make ordinary warfare as obsolete as the rifle made the bow and arrow.

What options do we have as a people; to get on top of this, or to sit around and wait for someone else to get on top of it?

Cycloptichorn

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Oh, I know that from a strictly pragmatic point of view you're right, Cyclo. It just bothers me that the human mind still works this way, even after millenia of evolutionary growth. We still look at a piece of real estate and think, "If I grab this, how will I defend it?" instead of thinking, "Ain't this purty? I'd sure like to share it with some other people."

BTW, Robert Heinlein, in his The Moon is a Harsh Mistress posits exactly what you're talking about re: kinetic energy weapons. In the book there's an insurrection by colonists on the Moon against an oppressive world government on Earth. What do the Moonies do? Why, they drop large rocks on Earth, of course! Smile

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They've been looking at the military implications of space since before Sputnik.

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A Bush Policy I Agree With, Totally

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