from the what-would-Ian-Betteridge-say? dept.
Should the Trump administration succeed in establishing a Space Force or something like it, the move may have serious consequences for NASA. Depending on its mission, the Space Force is likely to require launch capabilities for satellites and perhaps human missions. Although a Space Force may be able to purchase these services from companies like SpaceX, if they choose to develop an in-house launch system, they may duplicate already existing NASA efforts. Doing so would also likely cause a brain drain at NASA as in-house engineers and experts migrated to the Space Force with promises of new missions and new funding.
There is also a question of whether the Space Force may simply take over current NASA missions. In the wake of the Space Force announcement, the Trump campaign sent out an email to supporters asking them to vote on a potential logo. Although this was a fundraising maneuver, one of the "logos" was themed around Mars with the wording "Mars Awaits." Given that the overall mission of the Space Force remains unclear, there could be a push for human spaceflight efforts to be subsumed under a Space Force. NASA's recent failures in the development of the Space Launch System, or SLS, and the James Webb Space Telescope only further reinforce the image of a NASA spread too thin to accomplish major space endeavors.
Finally, NASA's budget is already quite low considering its mission: US$19.7 billion in 2017 with $19 billion requested for 2018. This represents less than 0.5 percent of the overall federal budget. A Space Force could feasibly take away funding from NASA, especially for the development of human spaceflight capabilities thus cannibalizing NASA's already low budget.
Service means citizenship.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 20 2018, @11:59AM
We already have a duplicate system. Complete shuttle launch systems was built in California for the Air Force. It has planned for Miltary Shuttles mainly. It also does missile test firing and other air space work.
It did not end NASA. Why would Space Force be any different?
Remember is is all PORK spending... Giving every state a little of pie of space. Else why would mission control be in Texas? Test falsities in Mississippi. Critical assembly in Alabama, launch in Florida, Deep Space California... and on and on. For cost savings all should be in ONE PLACE.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by bzipitidoo on Saturday October 20 2018, @12:39PM (2 children)
One way to get funding for basic research is somehow spin it as a defense project that will protect against something or other, or that can be weaponized and we wouldn't want to have a weapon gap with our enemies, you know, sort of like the dreaded basselope gap.
While that can work to get desperately needed funding, there's a high risk that the military boys will slap secret and top secret classifications over everything, and bury it. Makes getting the results published a bit of a problem.
But the US has been in a fearful mood for quite a while now, pretty much since 9/11. Anti-intellectualism and anti-science are also on the rise. It has become a lot harder to get funding for basic research. Really, I am amazed NASA has been able to survive and largely stay clear of all the fearmongering, unlike FEMA which got merged into the Department of, wait for it, Homeland Security.
As to space, I recall that we have treaties that forbid the weaponization of space. Seems that just starting a Space Force would be a violation of those treaties.
(Score: 2, Disagree) by legont on Saturday October 20 2018, @01:05PM
Still better than private business stealing everything.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Sunday October 21 2018, @12:50AM
How does creating an Earth-side bureaucracy weaponize space?
Let us also note that it is trivial to withdraw from the relevant Outer Space Treaty. Just give one year's notice.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 20 2018, @02:24PM (3 children)
No.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Ethanol-fueled on Saturday October 20 2018, @08:56PM (2 children)
Let me tell you what will mean the end of NASA, though -- diversity hiring, gender pronouns, and too many women. So despite your comment, NASA is in trouble. You saw what happened when that women business designed that bridge that collapsed. Well, just imagine what would happen if we had a life-threatening asteroid headed toward Earth.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Sunday October 21 2018, @12:48AM
Ridiculous. Even if we fully grant your claim that those would destroy an actual space program, NASA is about pork spending. All they need are people smart enough to cash checks.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 21 2018, @03:08AM
We should simply make it a policy that in space, we refer to all 102754 genders as "he." That will solve the problem.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 20 2018, @02:44PM
I have an easy way to double the NASA budget. Simply take half the $37 billion away from NIH where its being wasted and give to NASA. As a bonus this should reduce the number of crappy papers people and doctors need to sift through.
https://nihrecord.nih.gov/newsletters/2016/07_01_2016/story3.htm [nih.gov]
(Score: 4, Interesting) by takyon on Saturday October 20 2018, @02:45PM
'nuff said.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 20 2018, @06:57PM
The situation's analogous to NOAA. They don't vanish because the Navy and Coast Guard exist. If anything, collaboratively, they become more able to do interesting things.
Between NASA, the Air Force and the Space Force, I think there's a lot of potential.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Sunday October 21 2018, @12:53AM
Let us note that they could be doing a lot more with that money. I'm not feeling the need to give them more money when they show they can't do good with the money they currently get.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 21 2018, @01:20AM (1 child)
Moonraker will show you how absolutely stupid a space force will be. Only a complete moron would think that was a good idea.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Sunday October 21 2018, @02:03AM
So we should watch a work of fiction in order to conclude that renaming the Air Force Space Command is a stupid idea. Sure thing.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by ilsa on Monday October 22 2018, @07:39PM
No it wouldn't, but it would be the beginning of the end of the bug menace!
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