NASA Budget Space Shuttle Thoughts

Regarding the issues with the Space Shuttle andshould be wasted. I know these things happen, hell
the in flight explosion of the Columbia. I believethat is the cost of going for it, but it still sucks.
that of course that hindsight is always easy toThe crew knew it and actually jet boat drag
use to place blame, however we must continueracing is still the most dangerous sport known to
the program and the Space Shuttle as it sits mayman, or underwater welding for a profession. I
not be the best technology as newer technologyhave a friend who was a TRW materials specialist
is now available for re-useable craft such as; areand it just seems that it is old technology and we
newer ideas for heat tiles being considered andare better than that now. I have heard
new technology of materials being introducedspeculation by conspiracy theorists, crazy stuff
some of which obviously cannot be talked aboutlike; talk that the UFO caused it and shot down a
here. me discuss a few ideas, which can be usedU-2 over Korea also. Then if you look at the
to prevent a similar occurrence. Now anyone whoChinese, they have some devises also. Another
owns a boat knows that before you sail yourrumor that the White Sands Chemical Laser
boat, you give it a once over, truck drivers takeBeam was tracking it and was able to cause the
a bat to the tires, pilots pre-flight the planes. Whybreak up. Even if this talk is fiction still one might
would you not send a remote controlled,consider the need for some sort of reflective
self-propelled robotic tethered devise around aemissions during critical phases of space
shuttle before heading for home for a visualexploration to prevent such potential problems in
inspection? The unit could be pointed toward thethe future.Fiction or not shouldn't we have a plan?
shuttle and continuously view the craft; spin itA tethered video camera would solve this
slowly. After all you are going to fly a spacecraftproblem of possible damage during missions, okay
at mach 25, through the atmosphere atthen lets keep going and complete the mission,
2200-3000 degrees and pray that all iswe have so many experiments that are worthy
well?Eventually we can send in the scram jetof our tax dollars and the future of mankind, we
engines and fly it back under power at yourmust stay on the cutting edge of technology, we
discretion. Or ask the UFO people to tow youmust not allow over allowances for safety to
back? HA HA. You know things are differentprevent the need to risk it all for the betterment
inside of a vacuum. All those who study spaceof the future. It is some of the most dangerous
and vacuums know this. Just because you havework known to man, yet it must be done. So
an old piece of hardware that runs, does notwith this solution, we can prevent a re-occurrence
necessarily mean that it can make the transitionof that problem which downed one of our
from the atmosphere into the vacuum of spacegreatest accomplishments and killed some of our
and back again safely. Not to mention thegreatest Americans.We must not allow them to
inhabitants during solar flares in space.Let's see thedie in vain, we must continue to push for the
new X-Planes and what they can do. Meanwhile letfuture and push the envelope and go where no
us put in a few simple techniques to use theman has gone before. Never, ever, ever, ever
current craft and allow those astronauts who feelgive up. Push forward; it is the only way to that
they wish to take the risk to volunteer to useanything has ever been accomplished by our
the older craft until it is replaced. We need thesespecies. We are on a roll, we must continue. Think
experiments and resources to be used; nothingon it.