Using The Shuttles External Fuel Tank In Our Return to The Moon and

I agree with you Ed. I asked this question at the National Space Society's International Space Development Conference (ISDC) back in 1996 in New York City and the impression I got was NASA was more interested in empire building rather than making space exploration and settlements a real possibility for common people. Looking at the work of the Space Island Group web site and other information on the Internet I still believe it was and remains a viable option in creating a permanent human presence in space. I am very much afraid that the present proposal may degenerate into another flags and footprints space program that leads no where in the long term.
Alex Michael Bonnici

http://www.spaceislandgroup.com/home.html
http://www.spaceislandgroup.com/mars.html
http://www.kachoria.com/content/18.htm
Alex Michael Bonnici
Ed Minchau wrote: --- In ssi_list@... Alex Michael Bonnici
>
> Hello Gang,
> As news comes in that the President will announce an
> ambitious new space program that will return the United States to
the
> Moon and take us on to Mars, a venture that may have a huge price
tag
> connected with it, I am left wondering why NASA never seriously
> considered the various proposals to use the shuttle's external
tank (ET)
> as the building blocks in developing a permanent space station and
> cyclic spacecraft that would take us to the Moon, Mars, and
perhaps to
> the Asteroid Belt, and Outer Solar System. Why wasn't this idea
ever
> really given the attention it deserves? Looking at the proposals
made by
> the Space Islands Group and various other companies and
organizations
> this proposal seemed to have real possibilities.
>
> Alex Michael Bonnici
NASA isn't about making real progress towards space colonization;
NASA is about maintaining the US government's control over the
ultimate high ground. It is not in NASA's interest to allow
hundreds or thousands of non-NASA personnel in space, which is what
would happen if a space island type of structure were to exist.
McDonnell-Douglas engineers had this all worked out 30 years ago; it
could have been built by 1985. However, had NASA done so, and truly
opened up space to the average person, NASA would lose power and
more importantly those multi-billions they siphon from american
taxpayers every year.
Ed