People aren't supporting Moon Plan

>Date: Sun, 25 Jan 2004 13:18:55 -0600
>
> > In short, it just seems too fanciful to expect an idealistic volunteer
> > effort to get us out of the gravity well. A concerted and coordinated
> > effort, which will be by necessity one that is capatilistic in nature,
> > will
> > be needed to get us off planet in a significant way.
>
>I think that where we differ is money. If I had unlimited resources and
>did not care about public involvement then everything would be done via
>commercial services. However the assumption of unlimited resources is
>never justified. From my background of 20 years in the aerospace
>industry and a few encounters with NASA contracts, my expectations of
>NASA using their $13,000,000,000/year wisely and accomplish laying a
>foundation for space colonization is near zero. In fact I will predict
>that any projects that NASA undertakes with their new direction will
>somehow preclude the goal of space colonization. Yes, that is not what
>the president said, but a new NASA budget based on the new priorities
>has yet to make it though congress. What emerges from congress is
>likely to have little semblance to what we think should happen and then
>it has make it though the politics of NASA contracting. Therefore my
>expectation is that there will be as much money directed toward space
>colonization as there ever was, zero. Having no money to buy expensive
>services, our only choice is volunteer labor no matter how painful that
>may be.

It pains me to see that pang of resignation in your writing! Don't give up
the fight! :-)

If things continue as they are, I am forced to agree with you :( . What I
am advocating is a change in perspective and thus approach. Yes, I know that
this is a verry unlikely wish, but I must follow my own advice and aim high!

These things never happen quickly, or at least very rarely. The more letters
to congressman, positive public exposure, and public feedback at the polls
there is, the more this message will sink in to the powers that be. We
cannot start yesterday, but we sure as heck can today.

So, how do we start - by presenting a unified fromt that the bigger and the
further we reach into space the better. No public bd mouthhng of projects
that got the money we would like to see elsewhere - if its flying into space
we pump it up, and the bigger a deal it is, the more pump we put behind it.
No negatives towards the space efforts.

Val