Space Forum / Space Policy / March 2004

Nobody seems to "get" the new Bush space policy.  They
look at it and are unimpressed or at least nonplussed.
It's easy to be unimpressed, it sets pretty low goal
posts, doesn't spend a lot of money, and keeps a lot

http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology/moonbase_next_040303-2.html
This article claims that most of the infrastructure of the Apollo era is
still and place and 'enormous advances have been made' since. But except for
some faster computers, the required technology is ...

John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, has testified before
Congress on how Bush's Mars fantasies are destroying real research.
It's clear that Bush used the Mars proposal merely to cut back funding
for real research in order to distribute the savings to his rich pals

See:
"http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20040227-105754-2873r"
Analysis: NASA studies new booster
By Frank Sietzen

History Professor Jeremi Suri discusses the promise and perils of space
empires:
http://www.washtimes.com/commentary/20040304-082405-1445r.htm
--

What will President Kerry do with NASA?  My guess is that
he will want to dump the Bush Moon/Mars plans ASAP, but
will he be able to stop CEV and the end of Shuttle?
- Ed Kyle

As I put my new Toshiba computer on standby, I noted with pleasure
that the power button, which had a cool blue glow around it when
powered up, turned to a cool yellow glow that periodically brightened
and dimmed.  I thought - kewl.

Toulouse, the 27th of February
Galileo : US - EC negotiations outputs.
After 3 years of difficult negotiation, an important step has been reached
the 25th of February 2004. Brussels and Washington agree on the principle of

You would think that astronaut hero John Glenn would be the first to cheer
getting Americans back to the Moon and eventually to Mars. However, retired
politician John Glenn has other notions:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040304/sc_nm/space_bases

The Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act of 2004 just passed the House
with a vote of 402 to 1.
 <http://www.house.gov/science/press/108/108-195.htm>
The Senate version of the bill is still under consideration.

shuttle C dreaming
http://www.slepsummit.com/IIStrategy.pdf
Read down to page 17 through 20 and you can see shuttle c dreaming
again.

This is interesting, and is just another sign that US should be
wary of the so called special relationship with the UK.
There is now a growing minority of British groups and
individuals; whose primary motive is to threaten US

=
                        INSTALLMENT #5:
            3rd UPDATE to "The Signalling Event"
    Five weeks ago, I posted a link to the first installment of

I've been playing with Len Cormier's Bear Cub.  As a tether
enthusiast, I'm interested in the impact of using a tether with the
Bear Cub.
A hanging tether can give as much as 800 m/s sub orbital grapple or

The following from:
"http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/02/26/politics135
2EST0651.DTL"
"The Associated Press chooses an issue three times a week and asks the
presidential candidates a question about it.