The idea of Mr Obama funding NASA as it is now just seems a real shame. The waste in NASA is a part of the system and even Mr Sean O'Keefe with all his ability was beaten by the system of shell games that NASA plays with money and projects. I wrote my last diary on NASA just last week and one of the persons who replied to the diary said Mr. Jack Schmitt told his group that the Moon landings might be extended into a permanent Moon base if all goes well. If that's what was indicated by the speaker at "superheed"'s meeting, and it sounds just like normal NASA propaganda, it is not true. Let me assure you NASA has no plans for making one of their quick landings on the moon into a permanent Moon base. The amount of stores, lunar capable shelters and power modules needed for an extended stay on the lunar surface are just not in any budget I've seen. Are there some plans for lunar modules that I haven't seen? Yes, I'm sure there are many things I haven't seen, but I know of no shelter on the drafting boards or in funding, or in planning for long duration use on the Moon. In short, the manned Moon missions are now planned to be just a short series of one stop hops to get man back into space till the Great Foolish one-off Manned Mars Mission can be sold to Congress
instead of a realistic permanent Moon base. NASA has almost never told the American public what a program's real cost was or is and NASA has often presented things like a Manned Mars Mission as a necessary "next step" when in fact that has never been a true statement. NASA has worked hard to destroy its credibility with the public and I hope the future can be different.
The other thing at NASA that must be changed is the treatmenet of personnel like Lisa Nowak, the astronaut who lost her mind and committed a felonious act against her rival in a love triangle. The idea that Ms. Nowak was more at fault than some of NASA's other people is just not the case. I guess we all have heard of the substance abuse adventures that some of the male astronauts have been involved with and there have been some rumored cases of senior staff that have strange ideas of hygiene in public and the (tread lightly here) use of NASA property and equipment for gratification has long been a rumor for some funny stories. On the darker side, NASA members with major family problems have been left uncensured and drunk astronauts have been seen on duty without even a report being filed. These folks seem to be just like regular people with all types of problems so why then was a woman like Ms. Nowak, with mental problems, fired without any of the pity or offers of help that were extended to other NASA family members?
No! Ms. Nowak wasn't thrown under the bus; she was tied down and then NASA drove the bus back and forth over the top of her. The idea of "the NASA family" that is talked of at NASA functions was totally abandoned when Ms. Nowak was abandoned in her time of need. Ms. Nowak's crime was not that she lost touch with reality, for many of the workers at
NASA show little regard for what we call reality when they show no ability to do simple tasks like figure the cost of an activity or program, and many of the workers at NASA have no idea in reality of how to charge the cost for a purchase to the proper fund or department, her crime was embarressing NASA. Through all this some employees of NASA have been helped when they
had problems with substance abuse, mental troubles and family problems, but I think the choice of who to help and when at NASA is just like the choice of NASA's space goals. The choice NASA makes doesn't follow good science or fair logic.
NASA needs to help all the members of its family or set firm rules and help none of them. NASA also needs to plan for a permanent Lunar base and tell the truth that the Manned Mars Mission is a one-shot event with no hope of a Mars colony and no hope of a return to Mars. Just as Dr. Griffin (NASA head) has finally told the truth in his leaked email about the Space Shuttle,when Dr. Griffin indicated the Shuttle is the only real hope for American till "plan B" can be worked out. Thank you, Dr.Griffin for waiting till the last to report the obvious truth that bloggers have been talking about for years. What NASA really need is the truth when
plans are being made like the truth that short hops to the Moon are not planned to be a Permanent Moon base and that the Manned Mars Mission is a one-off mission.