Homer Hickam: Dear Astronauts

The "plan" was a fraud from Day One. It never had enough funding to get to the Moon, let alone stay there.

No it wasn't. The plan -- as I understand it -- was to found a permanent base on the Moon. That's quite different from a half dozen landings and departures. Combined with the discovery of vast amounts of water on the Moon that could be utilized by such a base, having a permanent presence on the Moon would seem to be quite a significant step forward.

While you have to return in order to settle. Returning is notsufficient to settle. The constellation plan was to return andre-abandon the Moon.I can't think of a worse more damaging way to spend money.

Interesting ... So, Camping on the moon... Do you know what you are talking about? I doesn't sound like it. How do you suppose that we will do "space settlement" without returning to space?

>
> Why should we care if NASA is spending Billions to camp on the Moon, except
> for the waste of money. This group is about settlement and settlement
> requires resource utilization which was not part of the constellation plan.
>
> > I am a little puzzled as to why the people on this group were not more
> > disappointed by the canceling of the constellation program. I was equally
> > surprised at the lack of enthusiasm for the constellation program when it
> > was announced.
> >
> > --- In ssi_list@... s.com 40yahoogroups. com>, "markreiff"

> > >
> > > FYI,
> > >
> > > "Dear Astronauts"
> > > Homer Hickam's Blog
> > > http://www.homerhic kam.com/cgi- bin/blog. cgi?id=49
> > >
> > > : Dear Astronauts of the Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas:
> > >
> > > : I just had to write you. I know I said I wasn't going to comment on
> > > : NASA anymore in my last blog titled "Homer Shrugs," but the bad
> > > : news keeps getting worse so I'm driven to the computer.
> > >
> > > : In case you haven't been paying attention, it appears that the
> > > : Obama Administration simply is not going to listen to anyone and is
> > > : going to proceed on its plans to shut down NASA's human spaceflight
> > > : program. That means you have a target on your back (and your front,
> > > : too). President Obama will be making a quick touchdown at Kennedy
> > > : Space Center to announce this plan on Thursday, probably couching
> > > : it in obtuse, meaningless inspirational language including a
> > > : vacuous call to send Americans to Mars. He also will announce an
> > > : increase to NASA's budget, then leap back onto Air Force One to go
> > > : to Gloria Estefan's Miami mansion for a $30,000 a plate fundraiser.
> > >
> > > : Of course, he won't mention that most of that increase is going to
> > > : be used to shut down NASA facilities, pay the Russians off, and
> > > : create study after endless study that will go absolutely nowhere.
> > > : You do realize that, don't you?
> > >
> > > : Mars? If we can't go to the moon, we sure can't go to Mars. It's
> > > : idiotic to think we will without a real plan and there is no real
> > > : plan except to use NASA as a slush fund to try to prove global
> > > : warming. John Holdren, the head of the White House Office of
> > > : Science and Technology Policy, is a climate change loon who now has
> > > : his hands on all the levers to make NASA into his image. In more
> > > : serious societies, John Holdren would not be allowed anywhere near
> > > : the center of power. He would be the daffy professor on the old
> > > : bike teetering to his class where his students would snicker at him
> > > : and throw spitballs when he turned his back. What have we come to
> > > : in this country to put such a man over our space and science
> > > : programs?
> > >
> > > : So listen to me carefully, all you in the CB Office of JSC,
> > > : i.e. astronauts. Make no mistake. The Obama/Holdren plan means no
> > > : more of you are going to fly into space except for maybe a few
> > > : every year (for a little while) as passengers with the Russians.
> > > : For those few of you who get to play spam in the can, we taxpayers
> > > : get to pay through the nose to the tune of fifty million dollars
> > > : for each seat you occupy. What you get to do, besides fly (don't
> > > : touch anything, now), is to pretend that those smirks on the faces
> > > : of your Russian trainers aren't because you are the representatives
> > > : of a once great space power now reduced to the capability of, I
> > > : don't know, say, Belgium.
> > >
> > > : Right now, there are around 120 of you in the Astronaut Office at
> > > : Johnson Space Center. Most of you are now out of a job whether you
> > > : are willing to admit it or not. You are NOT going to fly into
> > > : space. You ARE going to be allowed to wear your blue suits and go
> > > : around and pretend to be astronauts. Space campers are going to
> > > : laugh at you since the kids will have better training facilities
> > > : than you do. The Obama/Holdren plan is going to end up with Johnson
> > > : Space Center tagged with a great big placard that announces:
> > > : ABANDON IN PLACE.
> > >
> > > : The only way to head all this nonsense off, in my opinion, is for
> > > : at least ONE of you to stand up and announce you have had it and
> > > : you aren't going to take it any more. Is there not one of you
> > > : willing to resign in the face of this treachery by NASA
> > > : Administrator (and former astronaut) Charlie Bolden? Or at least
> > > : voice a dissenting opinion?
> > >
> > > : You have your jobs because of the courage of men like Alan Shepard.
> > > : What do you think Admiral Shepard would have done if the likes of
> > > : John Holdren prissed himself up and said he was going to shut down
> > > : the space program? After Herr Professor picked up his teeth,
> > > : Shepard would have announced to the world he was no longer going to
> > > : be a part of a hollow program and was going back to flying jets for
> > > : the U. S. Navy. Just about every astronaut of the old breed would
> > > : have done the same. How about you?
> > >
> > > : In my opinion, the only people left who can derail the end of NASA
> > > : are you, the astronauts. During my entire time at NASA, every
> > > : engineer, manager, technician, and janitor deferred to you. We
> > > : treated you like gods. Nothing you said was ever wrong. How about
> > > : giving a little back now? Stop this thing. Stand up and tell the
> > > : world the emperor isn't wearing any clothes, that the space program
> > > : he touts will destroy your hopes and dreams, not to mention all
> > > : those who have supported you so well. What are you waiting for? Are
> > > : you afraid it will keep you from flying? Get over it. You're not
> > > : going anywhere unless you lower yourself to kowtow to your masters
> > > : to crawl aboard the Russian Soyuz leaving the rest of your buddies
> > > : still stranded on Earth. That's demeaning. You're better than that.
> > > : Aren't you? The Right Stuff, remember?
> > >
> > > : So, there it is, my challenge to all the residents of the Astronaut
> > > : Office. Let the powers that be know what you think. Show all
> > > : deference to the President or the Administrator or even John
> > > : Holdren but after you're through shaking their hands or saluting
> > > : them, whatever is proper, turn your back on them. And you might
> > > : also want to hold up a single finger showing that you believe the
> > > : United States should still be the #1 space power. The choice of
> > > : finger is up to you.
> > >
> > > : Your former colleague,
> > >
> > > : Homer Hickam
> > >
> > > Mark Reiff
> > >
> --
> Space Solar Power Information Service
> http://spacesolarpo werinformationse rvice.blogspot. com/
>

Mark I. WallachAttorney At Lawmwallach@...
Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP1400 KeyBank Center800 Superior AvenueCleveland, OH 44114-2688

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