Space Scientists Looking To Crowd-Fund Planetary Exploration 90
The Bad Astronomer writes "The White House budget for NASA in 2013 is bleak, with big cuts in many areas. None is worse hit than planetary exploration, which got slammed with a 20% reduction. Several top-notch space scientists have taken matters into their own hands, looking to create a privately-funded alternative for space exploration. Called Uwingu — Swahili for 'sky' — they're hoping to get seed money to create a program which can generate millions in donations to explore our solar system. Astronomer Pamela Gay has more info at her blog, Star Stryder."
Donate $2 billion, get this free coffee mug (Score:4, Funny)
Considering that SETI couldn't even raise [discovery.com] $2 million a year, I'm thinking we need to offer more incentives on this one. A $1 billion donation gets you a nice tote bag. $2 billion gets you the mug.
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I donated my time back in the 90s to find ET, but damn it all if the little grey blob never visited my house and ate my butterfingers.
Swahili (Score:2)
The whole thing was fine until the "Uwingu" name, and its Swahili origin
It's getting tiresome to read so many things in the same foreign language - as if Swahili is the only legitimate foreign language in this world
How about the Persian language? How about the Vietnamese language? How about the Tahitian language?
To me, the use of yet-another-Swahili-word shows the lack of imagination, and/or the laziness therewith, of those 'scientists' in charge
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There is nothing wrong with Latin or Greek, or for that matter, Sanskrit.
It's just thtat if they think they truly and absolutely need a word from a foreign language for their new fangled project or it would never fly, why can't they just pick a random word from a random language - including Latin, Greek, or Sanskrit - instead of putting up yet-another-Swahili-word
It is beyond tiresome at this point
I dunno about you, but this yet-another-Swahili-word project has become very turn-offish for moi
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Persians aren't noble savages. They're just rug makers.
> How about the Vietnamese language?
Vietnamese aren't noble savages. They're just fast-food makers.
> How about the Tahitian language?
Tahitians aren't noble savages. They're just dancers.
The only way way we can prove how global and non-racist we are is by using a word from those lovely noble darkies down in Africa. Their customs go back over 10000 years, you know!
(I normally receive approval from my anthropologis
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If I can have a word with your anthropologist g/f, I would tell her to not that stand-offish
I'm sorry, but this "Swahili this, Swahili that" thing is really getting on my nerves lately
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How dare you stand against this beautiful buzz-trend???
(that was sarcasm, by the way)
Yeah, I whole-heartily agree. It's some sort of "we heard of this Swahili language, therefore we're smart, therefore you should trust us" thing. Project Sky isn't good, we need project Uwingu because it sounds mysterious, sci-fi-ish and generally makes people say "Oh, shiny!".
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I donated my time back in the 90s to find ET, but damn it all if the little grey blob never visited my house and ate my butterfingers.
They were Reese's Pieces you dope. There is a bucket near the door, be sure to drop your geek badge in it on the way out.
Damnit, he must be the one who screwed up SETI by putting out the wrong bait.
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In order to conduct science, we need to fund it. Rant aside, this is important enough that i for one will contribute to the cause. AstronomyCast FTW.
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Additionally, whoever came up with the name "Uwingu" for a space program should be smacked in the mouth with a rolled-up newspaper.
Here's why - Space exploration pushes the limits of our scientific and technological prowess. "Challenger," "Spirit," "Opportunity," "Virgin Galactic," "SpaceX," "Voyager." Those names are what a good space program should sound like. "Uwingu" sounds like the ookings of a gorilla resting on his haunches and chewing on a grub in the midst of third-world filth. It evokes action of
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Additionally, whoever came up with the name "Uwingu" for a space program should be smacked in the mouth with a rolled-up newspaper.
My thoughts exactly. Swahili for 'sky' ???
You want to appeal to my wallet? Start by naming it something from a civilization that at least got as far as indoor plumbing.
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Additionally, whoever came up with the name "Uwingu" for a space program should be smacked in the mouth with a rolled-up newspaper.
My thoughts exactly. Swahili for 'sky' ???
You want to appeal to my wallet? Start by naming it something from a civilization that at least got as far as indoor plumbing.
Racist prick.
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Ethnocentrist, not racist per se. The same comment could be applied if the word were specific to....West Virginia for instance. Just sayin'! Lol
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Rrrrrrrracist!!
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"You can't object to that, that's political correctness." The age-old defense of the racist.
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Mod parent troll (Score:3)
"Uwingu" sounds like the ookings of a gorilla resting on his haunches and chewing on a grub in the midst of third-world filth. It evokes action of a primate Uwinging / from tree to tree / but only in between / poo flinging
You are a disgusting, disgraceful, half-educated racist motherfucker. Just thought you should know.
Re:Correct me if I'm wrong... (Score:5, Insightful)
Private capital is rarely transparent and often has more strings attached than most people realize. Also, the ROI on space exploration projects is so low and spread over such a long time period that no private capital group in their right mind would ever fund it, let alone convince other investors.
Re:Correct me if I'm wrong... (Score:5, Interesting)
You're assuming its an investment, not a donation. A decent planetary science mission will cost $500M in NASA dollars. Take out federal procurement and the endemic requirement growth and you can imagine a worthwhile mission for $300M.
As Ed Lu (B612 Foundation CEO who is launching the Sentinel mission) pointed out in a recent talk, this is an equivalent amount to a new wing in an art museum -- not insignificant, but not impossible. The conversation he had with a fundraiser went like this:
Fundraiser: "So you can really launch something into an orbit around the sun???"
Ed Lu: "Of course. You can really raise $300M in donations???"
A science mission won't return a monetary investment, and no one should expect it to. This doesn't mean that you can't fund it as you would other public works projects.
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A science mission won't return a monetary investment, and no one should expect it to. This doesn't mean that you can't fund it as you would other public works projects.
But there should be some form of return for such form of sponsorship direct from the public. For example, use and prominent display of public domain tools, like GNU-Linux, etc. Advocacy for the public domain nature of the Web and advocacy for net-neutrality. Get to work with Tim Berners-Lee, who launched the Web while at CERN (a public institution) and other prominent scientists and advocates of the public domain like Lawrence Lessig.
Get it right and that in itself will help funding and do good for all of u
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Sorry to reply to my own post, but...
I am at the University of Cambridge, where outreach activities are quite valued among academics. The Raspberry Pi originates from here, among other educational interesting ideas. I could suggest of few names to help form a committee. Contact me.
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Private capital is rarely transparent and often has more strings attached than most people realize.
The same can be said of public capital. The difference is that the owner of the private capital chose to make the gift. While the owners of the public capital had pretty unaccountable people making that decision.
Also, the ROI on space exploration projects is so low and spread over such a long time period that no private capital group in their right mind would ever fund it, let alone convince other investors.
Again, no more reason for public funding either. It's only in the twisted, pollyannish world of politics that lack of usefulness is a reason to fund projects.
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Private capital has some big weaknesses. It isn't available for anything but the most immediate and sure returns. And it isn't enough for big projects.
As an example, you would have thought a transcontinental railroad was a no brainer. Took about 7 years to build and start earning a return. But that's too long and too much risk for the market. The companies could not find buyers for their stock. They had to rely on huge government land grants for the bulk of their costs, and that still wasn't enough.
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Private capital has some big weaknesses. It isn't available for anything but the most immediate and sure returns. And it isn't enough for big projects.
Neither of those is a weakness of private capital. There are plenty of examples of long term thinking with private capital even in the areas of science. A lot of current universities (most by number of colleges though probably not by number of students these days) in the US were created through private funds. Some modern research is being funded by private means as well.
Frankly, I think it's great news that even space-based research is starting to consider private funding.
As to your continental railr
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Even those who do become skilled at engaging the stock market are not good at investment these days, because they have become skilled at making earnings on a system of speculation.
Speculation is a form of investment and everyone who invests, engages in some degree of speculation (minimally, that what they invest in doesn't tank).
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No they are distinct. Well it depends on which definition you are using of course, actual investments don't exist in the real world since nothing guarantees return of principal (governments go bust on occassion).
But the usual useful definition would be speculation is buying something because you expect it to be worth more in the future (or selling something because you think it will be worth less in the future). Whereas investment would be something that promises a interest payments or dividend payments ov
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No they are distinct. Well it depends on which definition you are using of course, actual investments don't exist in the real world since nothing guarantees return of principal (governments go bust on occassion).
Indeed. Hence, my argument that investment is speculation and vice versa.
But the usual useful definition would be speculation is buying something because you expect it to be worth more in the future (or selling something because you think it will be worth less in the future). Whereas investment would be something that promises a interest payments or dividend payments over time without any expectation or price changes.
And here we see the speculation of investment. The promise of interest or dividend payments is the expectation. You invest or speculate because you expect by the action to result in more wealth for you in the future.
Further, there is no neat division of the two ideas even along the lines you mention. For example, you might value a dividend paying stock higher because you speculate that its dividend payment will grow over time. That
I will donate! (Score:2, Interesting)
But then again, if everyone was to demand a souvenir in return, it might be easier if NASA became a business that sold space souvenirs.
Kickstarter (Score:1)
So what do I get for contributing to their Kickstarter?
Don't forget about rover Opportunity! (Score:2)
Step #1.... (Score:1)
Find a better and more memorable name. Seriously, names are important. They need to be memorable, easy to spell and hopefully represent what you do. This name, I've already forgotten and have no clue how to spell had I simply heard it. You can't go to the moon (or stars) on a rocketship that nobody can spell let alone fund.
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That was my second thought. My first was "millions...hey, that's kind of cute, and off by a several orders of magnitude."
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Couldn't agree more. Wish I had mod points.
Have a 'dry' day. (Score:2)
So if every drinker in these two countries countries were to donate a single days spending on spirits to this program they would raise almost $330 million dollars.
Re:Have a 'dry' day. (Score:4, Insightful)
And have a good fraction of three hundred million people who should be drunk walking around stone cold sober? You, sir, are putting us on a collision course with certain destruction.
Open source (Score:3)
Just curious. If someone at NASA put out some requirements for a small subsystem how many people here would work on helping develop it in their spare time? I've tried to make this point. There are some things that can be crowd sourced. I think the public could get involved if the ITAR stuff could be avoided.
For example let's say a bracket was needed to hold a sensor. NASA could post the mass, size and Interface for the sensor and list the shock and vib requirements. Then let whoever wants to submit a design with analysis. Then the responsible engineer could review them and pick a design.
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Just curious. If someone at NASA put out some requirements for a small subsystem how many people here would work on helping develop it in their spare time? I've tried to make this point. There are some things that can be crowd sourced. I think the public could get involved if the ITAR stuff could be avoided.
For example let's say a bracket was needed to hold a sensor. NASA could post the mass, size and Interface for the sensor and list the shock and vib requirements. Then let whoever wants to submit a design with analysis. Then the responsible engineer could review them and pick a design.
Or he could design it himself in less time than it takes to write the detailed specs and vet the submissions.
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FWIW, I'd love to see this sort of thing. Even if "the crowd" only ended up designing the hangar they store the rocket in before it goes to the launch pad or whatever, it's still part of the whole picture, and you can't do space exploration without boring things like hangars and brackets.
However, as someone else points out, the specs required would be so detailed you could probably design the thing in less time than writing the specs. There might be some room for crowd sourced testing though ("Hey, we made
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If they only published detailed designs that they were actually proposing to produce, and set up a process of the public "voting up" recommended changes, you would be amazed at what could be done.
Part of a the beauty of a good design comes from inspiration. Problem is, inspiration doesn't work from 9 to 5. Even the most uncreative can have a moment of total brilliance that will change the direction of a large project. The hard part is separating the wheat from the chaff, and testing is damnably expensive
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Thanks for the feedback. Part of NASA's mission is to educate. But most of the stuff you see publicly is aimed at younger kids. They gloss over the real work and give a CSI view of engineering.
The university stuff is usually better but most of the process is hidden from public view.
I always thought it would be interesting to have a real open project where all of the work is made available for public review. So many times everyone is so busy review arent that useful. If it was made public there are people th
Something similar here for a chopper (Score:2)
orbiters for Uranus and Neptune (Score:2)
The specific goals I'd like funded are orbiters to Uranus and Neptune. Those seem far and away the most obvious, valuable, and doable projects no one has yet tried.
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Why don't we just crowd-fund NASA? (Score:1)
Uwingu is not a Swahili word for anything (Score:1)
imho it's not aiming big enough (Score:1)
Opaque. (Score:2)
Their ideas are so elegant that I can’t believe they haven’t already been done, and because it would take about a week for someone with very modest venture capitol (that part they are missing) to implement the idea well This is where the campaign is asking for your trust and your donations to allow us to setup a new model for funding space, but we can’t give you the details, because if we do the idea is going to get built by someone else and the profit will go somewhere other than to rese