🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Dec25.135425.1@acad3.alaska.edu> nsmca@acad3.alaska.edu writes:
>Reasons for Space Program: Well maybe with the technology provided by the Space
>Rpogram we can better predict the future climatic changes and more and help
>Somalia and other places to stop being such a pain on the resources.. Not to
>say Somalia deserved what they have, but with out some major changes of their
>culture or atleast basic ideas of agriculture and more, they will be back where
>they are in a few years. Remember Ethipia next door, it was less than 15 years
>since they had the same problems that Somalia has.. 

Somalia's problems aren't climatic. They've had periodic droughts 
throughout history. Their problem is political. Ethiopia is the same, 
a Marxist government that decayed into civil war and anarchy.
The local culture was tuned to this drought cycle in both nations,
but it was disrupted by Marxism and the resulting decay of the
nation into war and chaos. Space offers no solutions to these
political problems.

>Maybe the Space Program is expensive, but is that becuase they are not doing
>anything or is that because of poor management? I believe the benefits they
>provide are benefitial toa ll, including Somalia.. Maybe the Shuttle is to many
>things and can't get any done wuite right, well maybe we need to change our
>expectations and build more specific space vehicles..

Space is expensive because of the one G field and air resistance we
fight to get from being stationary on the ground to travelling 17,000+
miles an hour 200 miles up. Travelling 200 miles, even straight up, 
isn't that energy intensive, but doing that while accelerating to
orbital speed in atmosphere is very energy intensive, and energy,
especially compact lightweight energy, isn't cheap, nor is the equipment
needed to harness it.

Sure NASA is inefficient, as is any government endeavor, but the problem
is simply hard, and will remain so until some radically different method
of reaching orbit is developed.

Gary
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