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It was a sad day when the U.S. government supplied NASA with a $154 million device for turning astronauts’ urine and sweat into drinking water aboard the International Space Station and it shut down. Engineers scrambled to figure out what went wrong.
It is time for the government to get its head out of the stars and its feet back on earth. What has the U.S. space station cost us, the taxpayers?
Robert E. Barrett
Greensboro
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Comments (5)
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"What has the U.S. space station cost us, the taxpayers?"
According to the Independent (UK) the Space station has cost around $100 billion shared among participating nations. I'm guessing about half of that is US cost so for the last decade about equivalent to 5 months in Iraq.
Their conclusion.
Was the International Space Station worth the money?
Yes...
* It ensured that Russian rocket scientists did not stray to rogue states with nuclear ambitions.
* It cemented a bond of scientific collaboration between nearly 20 nations involved in the space station.
* It is a brilliant scientific and technological achievement that will be useful for further space missions.
No...
* The little useful science it has provided could have been gathered more cheaply using robot spacecraft.
* It has given science a bad name by involving commercial gimmickry such as space tourism and space golf.
* Low-earth orbit is intrinsically less exciting than the exploration of the Moon and planets.
==================
To my own mind it keeps pushing the envelope of technology and keeps us in an arena that is of strategic and economic importance.
Posted on November 29, 2008 3:25 AM
"It was a sad day when the U.S. government supplied NASA with a $154 million device for turning astronauts’ urine and sweat into drinking water aboard the International Space Station and it shut down."
Robert,
You can drink urine & sweat when you get there, but I want that darn thing fixed by the time I arrive.
Posted on November 29, 2008 3:39 AM
NASA is one the governments best programs, but we only ever hear about it when ultra-expensive satellites crash because of a stupid mistake or when a pee machine breaks.
Your smoke detectors, scratch-resistant glasses, cordless drill, and your mom's pacemaker can all thank NASA programs, and that's just the tip of the asteroid.
Posted on November 29, 2008 9:54 AM
By the way, when the pee machine does work, imagine how much money it will save when precious transport cargo space no longer has to be devoted to delivering water.
Posted on November 29, 2008 9:57 AM
If the pee machine doesn't work they can always call Joe the Plumber!!
Posted on November 29, 2008 2:09 PM