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Space

Prsident Bush Cancels Space Shuttle Program 86

Posted by CmdrTaco from the somehow-I-almost-believe-this-one dept.
CDQZ writes "US President George W Bush declared today that he had signed a rare presidential decree canceling any further expenditure of Federal funds on the US Space Shuttle program."
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Prsident Bush Cancels Space Shuttle Program More

Prsident Bush Cancels Space Shuttle Program

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  • I'm not quite sure how .... (Score:3, Funny)

    by isometrick ( 817436 ) on Friday April 01, 2005 @12:09PM (#12111872)
    ... but ... is this really the frist post? Wow.
    • Bizarre. Perhaps Prsident Bush had the other messages deleted? :)

      Anyways, happy April Fools day everyone!
    • Bush got re-elected president?! Oh god I thought his term was up... I should get out more.
    • Not sure why anyone is surprised by this fact. It was predicted a day after Bush announced he was appropriating $12 Billion for NASA to goto Mars. At that time NASA was already receiving $11 Billion, so the difference was $1 Billion to formulate a mission to land a human on Mars. If that's all it took to get to Mars, we'd all be there by now. I'll try dig up the articles, but they were in Popular Mechanics and Popular Science or one of those Magazines. NASA, while known for it's contributions to Space Exp
  • Stupid of Bush to cancel it. Ah well. :p

  • hmm (Score:1, Funny)

    by QQoicu2 ( 797685 )
    so what, are we boycotting this supposed "april-fools mediocrity" by going on a posting strike?
  • Hmm. That's interesting. An article posted 6 hours ago just showed up on the front page. With the misspelling and glorious lack of editing.

    We shall stand back in awe at this article from The Mysterious Past...

    As for the "story" itself, I wouldn't particularly mind if it were true... but then again, I didn't RTFA.

  • Art Bell cover this last week along with Richard C Hoglan. Yea the monument of Mars guy.

    This the so called problems with the Space Station and the Hubble being forced off line. Its to hid the fact that Planet X is comming next month to smash into the Earth. Wiping out everthing!

    They want to use the remining shuttles as escape pod for key memebers of the goverment.

    Kind of Ta Ta! And thanks you for the Fish!

  • Pope (Score:1, Insightful)

    by JoaoPinheiro ( 749991 )
    I think everyone's too busy posting on all the April Fools threads to actually read news.
    Maybe tomorrow we'll have a video of the Pope on TV saying "Haha! Prank! Fooled ya!!"
  • Hmm, trying to read the article, Firefox tells me it has blocked a popup window, but nevertheless opening one. This is not kind. In addition to that I cannot (easily) go back using the back button. Ugly site...
  • haha.. april fools! (I hope)
  • ...but that's a stretch. Bush supported a large increase for funding to NASA a little while back, so it's a complete 360.

    April fools jokes need to be more subtle. :)

  • This is obviously an April Fools' (Score:4, Funny)

    by MrEd ( 60684 ) <tonedog@ha[ ]ail.net ['ilm' in gap]> on Friday April 01, 2005 @12:25PM (#12112048)
    If the Bush Administration cancelled the space shuttle program, they'd do it by passing a "Space Access Freedom Act". Except it would be better named, and would work out to an acronym of SUPER or SPACETACULAR or STARS or something like that.
  • The Astronomy Picture of the Day site http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html [nasa.gov] is about breaking news the water has been found on mars.

    : 0
  • According to the article, Bush says "I don't want to see another NASA administrator - appointed on my watch - left to justify a program to Congress based on lies, dis-information, half-truths and sexed up reports."

    Using that logic, shouldn't we cancel everything the US goverment does!

    • Not a bad idea (Score:2, Interesting)

      by marcus ( 1916 )
      4/1 or not, actually cancelling the STS and redirecting the funds to the next gen SSTO would be a good decision.

      I agree with the idea of cancelling the gov as well. As it stands, much of the gov has already cancelled itself anyway. They do nothing constructive. What we need to do is cancel their paychecks.

  • because the article says that the press at the white house received Easter Eggs from officials. Surely not.... right?
  • I believe there stupid enough to do it anyway....

    On the other hand, since the US is almost broke they will have no option but to cancel in the near future, would be a shame though.

    Anyways Ebay bids start at 100 euro's...

  • This has to be a joke. The shuttle is schedule to launch in May. Please tell me this is a joke.
  • Jeez louise, I mean, I know that a lot of us here have Asperger tendencies and don't pick up on subtle social cues (and even more simply don't RTFA), but I can't believe how many people are falling for this obvious April Fool's troll!!!

    Sometimes geeks can be so gullible...

    • I thought it was slightly suspicious. BUT, the last quote of the article where Bush says that they might sell the space shuttle on Ebay; it sounded like something he might say.

      ...so yes, I was FOOLED!

  • fool's evidence (Score:3, Interesting)

    by LuxFX ( 220822 ) on Friday April 01, 2005 @01:11PM (#12112610) Homepage Journal
    I think this paragraph gives it away:

    During the press conference Bush told reporters, "I don't want to see another NASA administrator - appointed on my watch - left to justify a program to Congress based on lies, dis-information, half-truths and sexed up reports."

    The way I see it, it's basically commentary on how the WMD reports and the failure to find any. There was a new report that came out a couple of days ago saying that our intelligence was, quote, "dead wrong." I think this is a reference to that report.

    (at least, I hope...)
  • He did something I agree with.

    (Yes, I know it's an April Fool's joke. A foolish nation and its overpriced, underperforming launch system are not soon parted.)

  • And if you weren't such a Bush hater you would have realized that this isn't really a good April Fool's joke.

    Now something like: 'Bush offers to be among first lunar/mars colonists if Congress agrees to fund it', could have been spun into a much funnier joke that both sides could have gotten a laugh out of.
    • And if you weren't such a Bush hater you would have realized that this isn't really a good April Fool's joke.

      There are quite a few NASA supporters who think the aged, underperforming and overpriced shuttle program should be canceled as well.

  • Bush says "we got these at walmart"

    The only association that man has ever had with a Wal-Mart may be reviewing their stock options. You don't buy stuff from Wal-Mart if you wear Armani...

  • I wish they really would cancel it! (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Eric Smith ( 4379 ) * on Friday April 01, 2005 @01:28PM (#12112858) Homepage Journal
    I'm in *favor* of having a manned space program, but the Space Shuttle is a f$%^ing useless waste of money, now that it's only going to be used to get to the ISS, which is also a huge waste of money. It would be better to cancel both and spend the money on doing the next generation of space vehicles and stations properly, rather than having Congress and the administration whittle away at them until nothing useful remains.

    Anyone remember what STS, as in "mission STS-nnn" stands for? It was supposed to be a Space Transportation System. The shuttle was originally intended to be one component of the system, but due to budget cutbacks the rest of the system didn't get built.

    Similarly, due to budget cutbacks, the ISS can't be staffed enough to do any worthwhile research. Although they're still planning to expand it (which will be completed by about the time it has reached the end of its working life), they never built the crew escape vehicle, so they still can't have more than three astronauts/cosmonauts there unless the space shuttle is nearby.

    People say that the space program is worthwhile for the technologies developed and spun off, but the Space Shuttle hasn't been doing that for years now. It's the space equivalent of a beat-up '57 pickup truck. At least it's useful if it can service something that does produce worthwhile results, like the Hubble. But if it can't do that any longer, what's the point?

    C'mon, if we're going to build a space vehicle, let's build something that can actually go somewhere. And if we're going to build a space station, let's build something big enough to be useful (ideally rotating), with escape vehicles designed from the outset, rather than being an afterthought that gets cancelled.

    I'm fairly happy with Bush's space plan, but let's do away with the ridiculous crap we're wasting money on now. I don't see any point to more shuttle missions if they're not going to service the Hubble.

    And as far as the supposed risk goes, I doubt that NASA would have any trouble whatsoever getting enough of their astronauts to volunteer for a Hubble servicing mission, even if it is believed to be somewhat more risky than a mission to ISS. Note that NASA has not even done the risk analysis for a Hubble mission; they just decided a priori that it's dangerous!

    Sigh.

    • Re:I wish they really would cancel it! (Score:4, Interesting)

      by Kymermosst ( 33885 ) on Friday April 01, 2005 @02:42PM (#12113691) Journal
      I wish they really would cancel it!

      That was my first thought, too, upon seeing this Slashdot post.

      The shuttle is damn expensive to operate, as this guy points out [ghg.net].

      The single biggest problem is, IMNSHO, is that the shuttle was designed three decades ago, and is still a first-generation vehicle. Sure, there have been upgrades, but there is one simple fact: We could build a better system right now.

      We have experience. We have new technology. We have a long list of "lessons learned" from the shuttle. We have new partners in space exploration.

      With these assets in mind, we could presumably devise a new reusable launch vehicle, hopefully one that reduces cost to less $1500 per kilogram to operate.

      Wish I had more time to think about this, but unfortunately, Linear Algebra awaits...
    • Why is having shuttle go to station such a horrible horrible thing? I can't say I disagree to much with your thinking that both programs are not what they should or could be and wanting more. But shit in one hand and want in the other and see which one fills up first.

      What he have are two lobotomized programs but they are better than none. And for the first time in its life Shuttle is actually be used as a.... SHUTTLE. Continually amazes me that now shuttle is being used in one of its primary designed missi

      • Why is having shuttle go to station such a horrible horrible thing?

        It wouldn't be, if ISS was actually useful for something. Right now, the Shuttle is only useful for assembly ISS and ferrying things to and from it, and ISS is only useful as a place for the Shuttle to go. It's not clear that either will be any more useful in the future.

        I think a better option than repair would be putting together the spares on the ground, including a PERFECT mirror as opposed to the flawed one that got launched, a

        • yeah getting the weight out there would be a problem.... would be nice if we had just mothballed the sat V production capacity rather than dismantled it. Technically Energia could still be produced and it would be more than capable, also could do the shuttle C or Z concepts. Considering it looks like we are serious about the CEV then I imagine we would have the ability to get out to geosync to service by the time it was needed. Roll of the dice certainly but in return you dust off a heavy lift design, and g

          • We could [...]

            Sure, we could do those things, but what do you think the likelyhood of any of them actually happening are?

            IMHO that 4bn would be spent a hell of alot better than the 2 for a reservicing mission.

            That would be great, except that nobody's offered to give them 4B to do it.

            IMHO the 40B they're going to spend on the remaining life of the shuttle and ISS would be better spent as 4B for a couple of Hubble service missions to keep it going until the replacement is ready (since these things

            • I just don't see the reservicing mission. Not like it is gone, it will continue for a while yet and may still provide some surprises. and the longer it lasts the more chance of it lasting till a replacement is up. Right now I think the only hard limit on its life span is the decay of its orbit... but I think that margian is enough that the real concern is how long the gyros last and the bats can be conserved. Now if they start talking about de-orbiting it before it croaks I will be screaming bloody murder.
              • I am kind of surprised you point to DC-X as a prooven
                DC-X was fully operational and met all of its objectives, until it was destroyed due to human error.

                That's not to say that everything needed for the full scale Delta Clipper was proven, but it was much closer than that stupid X-33 design for which they couldn't even make fuel tanks.

                • Well I think when I wrote that I had DC-X and the 33 mixed a bit. But they may well have hit the same problem reagarding tanks with a full scale up. Margians get real slim when your limited to 500isp. Though I agree... far more down the road to working that the 33 ever got.
        • I think a better option than repair would be putting together the spares on the ground, including a PERFECT mirror as opposed to the flawed one that got launched, and launch Hubble II.

          I agree that this would be good, although I doubt very much that it can be done by cobbling together leftovers. Last I saw, the estimated cost of such a thing was around $4B, vs. under $2B to fix the one we've got.

          Actually, the cost of a new and much improved Hubble (including launch) would be more around $1B:

          http:/ [jhu.edu]
  • This is the law of development--if you don't do it and there is some benefit to it someone will.
  • If you're going to make an April fools joke you might as well spell President right.
  • If not for the bad spelling I would have thought real news had made it through the April Fools foder.... :-)
  • that shit aint funny! i wouldnt put it past him . hb

  • NASA immediately re-named its launch vehicles to "Death Gliders", and found that their budget had suddenly increased by $120 billion.

  • of this immediate threat of being poked in the eye by terrarists with their shuttles. These weapons should not fall into terrarists' hands.

  • Bush calls for more subsidies to the AMTRAC.

    Or Bush produces the money to save the Hubble Telescope.

    Or Bush's IQ has risen considerably after the last measurement by 92 thus he is the smartest president of the USA ever.

    • "President Bush to Liberate Alaska" [alaska-freegold.com]

      "US president George W. Bush, in a speech to Congress today said, "Now that the situation in Iraq is under control, and after we've overthrown the governments of North Korea, Cuba, New Zealand, Iran and Madagascar, I'll be asking you for a further $50 billion toward my administration's efforts to help liberate Alaska, and give freedom to the Alaski people."

      The Alaskan governor, Frank H. Murkowski has long been a thorn in the side of the federal government by frustratin

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