Straight From the Horse's Mouth

Okay - wanted to get this out there ... because as many of you know, I am very big into supporting our space programs & NASA ... and the recent decisions in congress & the WH (and there has never been such a large cut to the space program as there is now) .... I just HAD to share this quote with you:

" ... While the President's plan envisages humans traveling away from Earth & perhaps toward Mars at some time in the future, the lack of developed rockets and spacecraft will assure that ability will not be available for many years. Without the skill and experience that actual spacecraft operation provides the USA is far too likely to be on a long downhill slide to mediocrity."
Neil Armstrong, Apollo 11 Astronaut

Here - Here!!!

so what were the numbers?

It would cost us $40 million over 5 yrs to develope a rocket to take us into deep space -- well that's a sneeze in the budget isn't it??

It was pointed out that there is still $500 BILLION in unspent Recovery Act funds -- hey, how come NASA doesn't qualify for that money? Why can't they get some of that financial help?

You don't have to be a rocket scientist (sorry for the pun) to figure out that there is plenty of money in the budget but that the politicians are more interested in getting re-elected than put it where it does the most good.

yes you heard me....

computers - NASA driven
calculators - NASA driven
smaller computer components - NASA driven
compressed data - NASA driven

there is a LOT of everyday stuff that people don't realize was driven by contracts from the military & NASA to help make space flight possible ....

people don't realize how much military & space funding effects businesses across the nation - manufacturers, designers, engineers, etc.

how many people will be out of work now -- how many companies will go belly up now -- that the military/space program will not be able to meet the obligations of its contracts???

and then to send that money over seas ....

it puts a pit in your stomach .... really