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Philip Marquis
01/11/09

In reply to Rogue NASA Science Team Pitches New Spacecraft Designs to Obama
JUPATER CRAFT IS FAIL

ARIES IS FTW

saddly the fucktard obama wil lission to them

or cut nassas budgit all togather

but the buity of aries is its MULTI PURPOSE

meaning the milatary can use it to put payloads into orbit
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fierfek99
01/11/09

@Philip Marquis:

Wow, your poor grammar and choice of words

doesn't help your cause at all.

Neither does your military hoo-rah attitude,

topped off with insulting the president-elect.

It seems to me that you're just another

unpatriotic warmongerer
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GitEmSteveDave_HurtHisKnee
01/11/09

@fierfek99: No, he's an illiterate troll. His response to comments about his grammar and spelling is "TS", even though spell check is included on most browsers. He is anti-Barack, but he can't coherently explain why. I swear he must have gotten a zero on any standardized test, b/c they only give you 200 points if you "speel" you name correctly. Check out this gem of his: [gizmodo.com]
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GitEmSteveDave_HurtHisKnee
01/11/09

In reply to Rogue NASA Science Team Pitches New Spacecraft Designs to Obama
But Obama's face on it, or change it's name to "Change-1" or "Hope-4" or the "Ba-rocket", and it might pique his interest.
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Richard Wilkins
01/11/09

In reply to Rogue NASA Science Team Pitches New Spacecraft Designs to Obama
I may regret sharing this with you because I may have made a mill or bill from it.

Keep this in mind the current shuttle uses something like a 3rd of it fuel just to get moving. So, If I was designing a shuttle. I would first design a mag lift track to carry the shuttle and run it in a loop. This would enable the shuttle to get up to 300 mph to maybe a hopeful 500mph (that about the 6th of the speed needed for exit).

Now, the shuttle is running at 400 mph, you can load the crew, start thrusters and change a track junction which will now leads the shuttle to the upwards pointing launch magnetic cannon.

Now the shuttle can be lighter and smaller. Long term costs should be smaller to and you can rent the track out to 3rd parties that may use it for none space reasons.

So, what do you think?
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GitEmSteveDave_HurtHisKnee
01/11/09

@Richard Wilkins: You expect astronauts to jump into a shuttle moving at 300-500 mph? Maybe Nowak would, but only if you gave her some extra space waste containment garments.
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frigg
01/11/09

@Richard Wilkins: I like the way you think. /puffs cigar, makes phone call.

Reminds me of the ship in "Contact," 16th century petards, railguns, and slingshots.

The big question I have is what sort of 3rd parties would be allowed to rent out the track for non-space applications? Joy rides for BASE jumpers wanting to increase their chances of death from sport? A way for corporations to jettison underperformers? An updated Carousal in a remake of "Logan's Run?" So many possibilities, so little time! Time to start saving up magnetic cereal box prizes and come up with a working prototype!
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mr.dada
01/11/09

In reply to Rogue NASA Science Team Pitches New Spacecraft Designs to Obama
nasa should hire me for the mars missions. i could design wiper blades to remove dust from the solar panels.
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KhaiJB
01/11/09

@mr.dada: ok do it in 3 grams or less, on 1 volt / amp.
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frigg
01/11/09

In reply to Rogue NASA Science Team Pitches New Spacecraft Designs to Obama
Given the lack of evidence that any species limited to a single planet avoids extinction, NASA should be hard at work on a plan to shuttle us all to other teraformed worlds post haste.

And if there's no time for that, at least create a large, interstellar floating media center, like the Axiom in Wall-E, so we can have a place to comfortably chill in the meantime.
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LazyPanda
01/11/09

@frigg: the lack of evidence? What are you using as a control group for this comparison? If you know if any species that lives on multiple planets and you can verify that they have never and will never go extinct I'd like you to share your knowledge with us.
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frigg
01/11/09

@LazyPanda: First, I want to let you know that I'm sensitive to the whole "extinction" issue coming from a panda.

As for evidence, I have plenty that single-planet species tend to go extinct. As for a control group of multi-planetary species that do not, I have that as well. However, and I truly apologize for my inability to be 100% forthcoming at this time, certain NDA's and privacy policies prevent me from making full, or really any, disclosure. However, at next year's Macworld, I will reveal all. I promise.
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James 'Puke' Schmill
01/11/09

In reply to Rogue NASA Science Team Pitches New Spacecraft Designs to Obama
It's only tax-victim money.

The gov't will waste as much as it wants to.

It makes me angry that all those good minds are trapped in the bureaucracy of NASA. Imagine how much better space travel would be if they actually had to compete for funds?
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nutbastard
01/12/09

@James 'Puke' Schmill:

NASA DOES compete for funds, just not with other space organizations. Out of last yearas budget of 2.9 trillion, NASA got 17.3 billion, or 0.6%.

I hate the way NASA is managed too, but I could say that about pretty much any government entity.
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nutbastard
01/12/09

@nutbastard: Don't blame me i voted for Ron Paul edition:

oh and just so you know those figures are not adjusted for inflation since Jan 1 ; )
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alexmg2420
01/11/09

In reply to Rogue NASA Science Team Pitches New Spacecraft Designs to Obama
I can see the up-front cost savings, but if the pictures are to scale, it appears that using two Jupiter 232's would eat up 2/3 more fuel than one Ares V. Since we're going to be using these for many years, I think the Ares is the way to go, it seems more fuel efficient. The only advantage the Jupiter has is the reuse of some old (like 20-30 years old) SRB's (whose design led to the explosion of Challenger, btw, [they say it's been fixed, but who knows]) that are laying around and reusing a fuel tank's DESIGN. The external fuel tank is destroyed upon re-entry after each launch, so the only cost-savings there is that of designing a new one. The US Space Program is about moving FORWARD, not looking back and holding on for dear life for fear of change (NOW does Obama=change?).
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frigg
01/11/09

@alexmg2420: The SRBs are not the problem. It's the TPS that keeps 'em up at night.

While I agree it should be about moving forward, I think the practical space issue facing the administration is national security. After the shuttle is retired, the lack of an instant successor and a dependence on Russia for the interim is perceived as a risk. While NASA's grander ambition is to bring us to Mars, the administration's immediate concern is to have a self-reliant response to China's growing space competency and belligerence.
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myspace.com/airmanshirk
01/11/09

In reply to Rogue NASA Science Team Pitches New Spacecraft Designs to Obama
Put NASA under Air Force control...

i wanna be involved :]
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alexmg2420
01/11/09

@ipod-Therefore-iam: They tried that once (in the beginning). It didn't work. If you really want to be involved (I envy you) get transfered to Patrick AFB or Vandenberg...that's as close as you'll get (Air Force Space Command).
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myspace.com/airmanshirk
01/11/09

@alexmg2420:

I would try but they would probably make me a pilot and send me to mars.. so i guess ill just watch from a distance :]
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frigg
01/11/09

@ipod-Therefore-iam: Apparently, Obama does plan to somewhat merge NASA with the Pentagon's space program.
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alexmg2420
01/11/09

@ipod-Therefore-iam: Many Astronauts are civilians, so they'll probably want somebody worthwhile (yourself) on the ground if that's any console. :)

@frigg: No complaints there, maybe we'll get more funding...
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frigg
01/11/09

@alexmg2420: What's not generally known is that the Pentagon's budget for its military space program (~ $22 billion in 2008) exceeds NASA's total budget (~ $17 billion in 2008) by around a third. Since both are in the rocket building business, might as well share recipes.
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Guy Whitey Corngood
01/11/09

In reply to Rogue NASA Science Team Pitches New Spacecraft Designs to Obama
Now all these rogue NASA dudes need is a team of mavericks to pilot the damn thing!

Also, I can see the moon from my house. Does that make me a qualified astronaut?
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GitEmSteveDave_HurtHisKnee
01/11/09

@Guy_Whitey_Corngood: You could do it, but they'll be busy writing checks their butts can't cash, fly-bying the tower, and leaving their wingmen.

BUT, at least they won't lose that loving feeling.
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nobodyzhome
01/11/09

@JM2¢_GitEmSteveDave: were you saving that? LOL!
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GitEmSteveDave_HurtHisKnee
01/11/09

@nobodyzhome: No, he said Maverik and pilot in the same sentence. It just clicked. My second idea involved a spoof based on Tina Fey's "Maverick" stuff.
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