The Washington Times
  • Subscribe
  • Times News Services
  • RSS
  • Mobile Headlines
  • e-edition
  • E-MAIL ALERTS
  • REGISTER
  • LOG IN
  • E-MAIL ALERTS
  • WELCOME
  • Your Profile
  • Log Out
  • Front Page Image
  • Classifieds
  • Autos
  • Real Estate
  • Jobs
  • Special Sections
  • Customer Service
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Sports
    • NFL
    • NBA/WNBA
    • MLB
    • NHL
    • Tennis
    • Golf
    • Motorsports
    • Soccer
    • NCAA
    • Olympics
    • Outdoors
    • Other
  • Culture
    • Home & Living
    • Family & Kids
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Health
    • Washington Visitors
    • Books
    • Military History
    • Life
    • Auto
    • TV Listings
    • Movie Listings
    • Death Notices
    • Entertainment
  • Themes
  • Communities
  • Shopping
    • Stores
    • Coupons
    • Daily Double
    • Promotion
    • How It Works
  • Videos
    • Two Guys
    • Birnbaum on Washington
    • Liz Glover
    • Amanda Carpenter
    • Morning Briefing
    • Documentaries
    • Joe Giganti
    • Video Game Minute
  • Podcasts
    • About Headlines
    • Audio and Radio
    • America's Morning News
  • Politics

    Ads add heat to health care debate

  • National

    At the Mall of America, it's big business as usual

  • World

    Drug lords finding safe haven in Bolivia

  • Business

    Health, climate bills seen to stifle hiring

  • Local

    Mayor Fenty's approval in D.C. divided by race

  • Sports

    Terps' Friedgen faces tough road ahead

  • National

    VERSACE: Follow the shopping bags

Tuesday, July 1, 2003

Manifest Destiny in outer space

Rate this story

Average 0.00
after 0 votes
Login or register to rate this story

  • Font Size -+
  • Print
  • Email
  • Comment
  • Tweet this!
  • Share
  • Article
  • Comments ()
  • Click-2-Listen
  • Videos

More Stories

  • Obama calls service members on holiday
  • Gay marriage vote stalls in N.J., N.Y.
  • Shaq pays for murdered girl's funeral
  • IAEA: Iran investigation at 'dead end'

By

In the wake of the Columbia disaster, it is gratifying to see that the majority of political leaders across the spectrum have met the setback with an attitude of resolution rather than retrenchment. There is no doubt: America will persevere in space.

Yet, it is not enough to continue the quest. We must win it. The American space program, begun so brilliantly in the era of Apollo, has spent the past thirty years without remotely comparable levels of achievement.

Why was the space program of the Apollo era so much more productive than that of today? Was it because of vastly superior funding? In point of fact it was not. NASA's average budget during the period from 1961 to 1973, when it built up from near-zero space capability to storm heaven with the Mercury, Gemini, Ranger, Surveyor, Mariner, NERVA, Apollo and Skylab programs, was $17 billion in 2003 dollars. That is only slightly more than NASA's current $16 billion budget. The problem is not lack of money but lack of focus and direction. For the past three decades the US space program has floundered without any central motivating goal. As a result, funds have been spent at a rate comparable to that of the 1960's without producing anything approaching commensurate results.

We need a defining goal to drive our space program forward. At this point of history, that focus can only be the human exploration and settlement of Mars.

Why Mars? Because of all the planetary destinations currently within reach, Mars offers the most -- scientifically, socially and in terms of what it portends for the future of humankind.

How do we get there?

Humans to Mars may seem like a wildly bold goal to proclaim in the wake of disaster. Yet, such a program is entirely achievable. From the technological point of view, we're ready. Despite the greater distance to Mars, we are much better prepared today to send humans to Mars than we were to launch humans to the moon in 1961 when John F. Kennedy challenged the nation to achieve that goal -- and we were there eight years later. Given the will, we could have our first teams on Mars within a decade.

How can we do this? Let us start with the present, with the space program flat on its back.

The Shuttle needs to be replaced with a small crew transfer capsule, which at a mass 10 percent of the orbiter would be light enough to launch on top of a Delta or Atlas launch vehicle. These expendable launch vehicles cost one-tenth as much as a Shuttle launch, and would be safer to ride to orbit as well, since they are modern, brand new every time they are flown and positioned beneath the payload they are lifting rather than to its side. Thus, if something goes wrong with the booster, (as in the Challenger incident) the crew capsule can get away, and if something should fall from it (as with Columbia), the crew vehicle will not be hit.

12Next »

Post a comment

There are comments on this article, submit your opinion!

Commenting is disabled for this entry.
If you feel there is still something worth mentioning about this entry please contact the author or the site admin.

Ask a Question

You Report

Do you have another point of view, photos, audio, video or more information about a story?

Top Stories

Most Read

  1. EDITORIAL: Hiding evidence of global cooling
  2. Climate 'czar' says hacked e-mails don't change anything
  3. Top Republican lawmakers not attending State Dinner
  4. Grade-schooler unearths fossil at dinosaur park
  5. EDITORIAL: The global-cooling cover-up
More Top Stories »
  1. D.C. sports icon, Wizards owner Pollin dies
  2. List of W.H. state dinner guests
  3. Climate czar rejects doctored data claims
  4. EDITORIAL: Obama's sacked inspector general
  5. Conservatives seek test for RNC funds

Most Shared

  1. EDITORIAL: Hiding evidence of global cooling
  2. EDITORIAL: The duty of a nation to obey God
  3. EDITORIAL: The global-cooling cover-up
  4. Grade-schooler unearths fossil at dinosaur park
  5. Climate czar rejects doctored data claims
More Top Stories »
  1. VAN CLEAVE: A Thanksgiving message from Russia's spy agency
  2. The United Socialist States of America
  3. EDITORIAL: A call to prayer and repentance
  4. Climate 'czar' says hacked e-mails don't change anything
  5. White House logs point to donor access

Most Commented

  1. EDITORIAL: Hiding evidence of global cooling
  2. Climate 'czar' says hacked e-mails don't change anything
  3. Climate czar rejects doctored data claims
  4. Obama to attend Denmark climate summit
  5. Ky. hanging, ruled a suicide, leaves bloggers at loss for words
More Top Stories »
  1. EDITORIAL: The duty of a nation to obey God
  2. A-listers, fundraisers at W.H. state dinner
  3. EDITORIAL: Kennedy vs. Catholicism
  4. Obama taking emissions goal to summit
  5. 9/11 families sharply split on civilian court trials

Listen to Washington Times Radio

  • America's Morning News

    with John McCaslin and Melanie Morgan

Blogs & Columns

  • Hot Button Blog

    RNC: Breast cancer recommendations may lead to 'rationing'

  • Belief Blog

    Evangelicals OK civil disobedience

  • Out of Context

    Foods that might kill libido

  • On the Fly

    United lifts some 'award' blocking

  • Technology

    Facebook wins round against phishing spammer

  • Redskins 360

    Redskins matchup

  • SNOBlog

    Beyond 'Woody'

Videos

Advertising Links
TWT Store
  • e-edition
  • Print Edition
  • Weekly Washington Times
TWT Affiliates
  • Middle East Times
  • Golf
  • UPI
  • Arbor Ballroom
  • Washington Times Global
  • About TWT
  • Press Room
  • F.A.Q.
  • Work for TWT
  • Advertise
  • Sponsors
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Site Map

All site contents © Copyright 2009 The Washington Times, LLC.