2025 NASA Vision

[Wesley]

NASA`s Vision for the Future of Flight in 2025 and Beyond - Government IT - News & Reviews - eWeek.com

Nice pics.

[State43]

Seems to me that most of these are design over practicality. NASA = Waste of time and money. Remind me of the last time they achieved anything significant since 1969. How we have not taken a significant step to space exploration (That we know of) comes a huge shock to me.

[Wesley]

Seems to me that most of these are design over practicality. NASA = Waste of time and money. Remind me of the last time they achieved anything significant since 1969. How we have not taken a significant step to space exploration (That we know of) comes a huge shock to me.

For me, Hubble telescope was spectacular. Now they are placing giant spy satellites into space.

[State43]

True. And if we were to explore anything, finding a place of value to visit would be most important. Jumping around another dead planet like Mars would be pointless imo. Some of these moons, like europa and titan seem interesting though.

[Senolcyc]

For me, Hubble telescope was spectacular. Now they are placing giant spy satellites into space.

As long as NASA can provide some real tangible benefits, thumbs up. But the era of doing things in space just to say you did them is long gone. And there is no need to go to Mars. I don't care if they have pictures of Martians playing badminton, there's no need to go there. Huge waste of money.

[RayShimley]

Seems to me that most of these are design over practicality. NASA = Waste of time and money. Remind me of the last time they achieved anything significant since 1969. How we have not taken a significant step to space exploration (That we know of) comes a huge shock to me.

What?

Did you miss the part where we deployed an unmanned rover on Mars? Were you expecting us to land a person on mars a couple years later?

Minimum distance to moon ~220 thousand miles

Minimum distance to Mars ~36 million miles

Does that put it in perspective?

[RayShimley]

True. And if we were to explore anything, finding a place of value to visit would be most important. Jumping around another dead planet like Mars would be pointless imo. Some of these moons, like europa and titan seem interesting though.

They are interesting, but now you just hopped up to 300 million miles away to almost a billion miles away.

[Cyclones423]

Number 6:


Fisher-Price Airplane:


Anyone think they look alike?

[iahawkhunter]

Seems to me that most of these are design over practicality. NASA = Waste of time and money. Remind me of the last time they achieved anything significant since 1969. How we have not taken a significant step to space exploration (That we know of) comes a huge shock to me.

For me, Hubble telescope was spectacular. Now they are placing giant spy satellites into space.

I would add

• Voyager probes were launched in the 70's and are still going strong (the data from which have helped make those moons you referenced, State43, so interesting).
• The Mars rovers significantly outlasted their mission design. One is still sending back valuable data and the other was a fantastic resource before being hibernated this past winter (unfortunately, it may not be able to be revived).
• We've sent multiple probes to Saturn and Jupiter (e.g., Cassini and Galileo).

Also, the benefits from NASA extend well beyond space travel and exploration. Most people forget that the first "A" in NASA stands for "Aeronautics". NASA performs a lot of bleeding-edge research on aircraft design and performance. Several common technologies/products, such as Teflon, got their start in the space program and without them our society would be much different.

People seem to view NASA as a magician of sorts, continually wanting to see them pull a bunny out of a hat (or put a man on a virgin interstellar object). But just as a magician spends a lot of time developing and perfecting his act before performing, NASA must spend a lot of time and resources preparing for their next feat(s). NASA's budget (when adjusted for inflation) has remained relatively consistent, and actually decreased, since the Apollo missions, but now instead of having a singular flagship task to accomplish they are pulled in umpteen different directions and have become the budgetary punching bag. (NASA Budget - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

While I believe that NASA can do some of its work better and cheaper, I see the bigger issue as the short attention span of our society and a societal unwillingness to responsibly plan for the future.

</rant>

[Cyclones_R_GR8]

I wonder how much money they wasted to draw up those pictures.

[jsmith86]

I wonder how much money they wasted to draw up those pictures.

Pretty sure most of those pictures, even though it says it is "NASA's" vision of the future, are taken from designs for future planes from various aerospace companies.

[State43]

I know they can't just hop on a shuttle and head to Mars or Europa for that matter. I simply pointing out that lack of anything beyond jet engine fire.
I did find this interesting.
Huge rocket blasts into space - OC Science : The Orange County Register
This quote in particular was interesting "bearing a secret “national security” payload for a government agency that builds reconnaissance satellites."
I do find the New Horizon's probe to be interesting too. Will be interesting to see some pictures up close.

[CycloneTony]

Seems to me that most of these are design over practicality. NASA = Waste of time and money. Remind me of the last time they achieved anything significant since 1969. How we have not taken a significant step to space exploration (That we know of) comes a huge shock to me.

January 12, 2011
Meet a Planet Hunter
Posted: 619 GMT
NASA’s Kepler mission has found the smallest planet outside our solar system. Its name, Kepler-10b, doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. But you’ll definitely want to remember it. Scientists are calling Kepler-10b the “missing link” in the search for Earth’s twin.

News Stream: Blog Archive - Meet a Planet Hunter « - CNN.com Blogs

[Fishhead]

What?

Did you miss the part where we deployed an unmanned rover on Mars? Were you expecting us to land a person on mars a couple years later?

Minimum distance to moon ~220 thousand miles

Minimum distance to Mars ~36 million miles

Does that put it in perspective?

Supercomputers used to be the size of a room. Does this put it into persepective?

[cyman1189]

pic #7 seems extremely advanced!