Australia Finally Creates Its Own National Space Agency (yahoo.com) 117
50 years after Australia became the third country to launch a satellite into space, they had another big announcement. An anonymous reader quotes AFP:
Australia on Monday committed to creating a national space agency as it looks to cash in on the lucrative and fast-evolving astronautical sector. The announcement came at a week-long Adelaide space conference attended by the world's top scientists and experts including SpaceX chief Elon Musk. It brings Canberra -- which already has significant involvement in national and international space activities -- into line with most other developed nations, which already have dedicated agencies to help coordinate the industry and shape development. "The global space industry is growing rapidly and it's crucial that Australia is part of this growth," acting science minister Michaelia Cash said in statement.
The Australian government estimates that the global space sector now drives $323 billion in revenue each year.
The Australian government estimates that the global space sector now drives $323 billion in revenue each year.
Great. Just great. (Score:5, Funny)
So, in the future, anyone going to the moon will need to watch their step so they don't trip over all those oversized Fosters cans that'll be laying around everywhere.
Re:Great. Just great. (Score:4, Funny)
So, in the future, anyone going to the moon will need to watch their step so they don't trip over all those oversized Fosters cans that'll be laying around everywhere.
If there's any Fosters cans it won't be us, we don't drink that filth - we ship it overseas for all of you.
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Nah, you just know once the publicity is over they will shut it down to further fund the http://www.ausport.gov.au/ais [ausport.gov.au] for most other countries that S would stand for science but in Australia it stands for stupid and the I can't spell one hundred pounds but I can lift it crowd. Why, because of votes brought about by government subsidised sports advertising, so Australia main stream media ultimately makes the bulk of the money and in return they fund their favourite corrupt politicians, to further fund sport
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The problem isn't the AIS, it's that the funding model is wrong. State institutes and the AIS shouldn't compete for athletes, and athletes should pay back their scholarships (as with HECS/FEE-HELP/whatever it's called now) if they earn over some figure.
In the absence of a space agency, the AIS produces most of Australia's non-defence technological spinoffs. I wrote firmware for a nanotech device developed in conjunction with the AIS. There are some really good scientists working there.
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AIS is fine. You or I might not enjoy kick-ball, or batorb but millions of folks do.
The problem is we have a retarded govt that managed to turn a world leading fibre to the home project into an even more expensive, later and vastly shittier copper to the home project because their policy is "Do the oposite of what the other party does and try and blame communists for some reason, even if they havent existed since the 70s in australia". And now we're spending a hundred mil on a flawed goddamn non binding sur
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That is still funding that should go to Australia's future, as in an Institute of Science and not subsidise sports advertising selling junk food, telling people to spectate and not participate.
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Re: Great. Just great. (Score:1)
They're designing new space suits but can't decide whether to put the corks on strings inside or outside the helmet.
It's a smoke screen Re:Great. Just great. (Score:1)
Current government having a bad run in the poll??? Look over there !!! A shiny new distraction (insert pie in the sky distraction here, ie. Space Agency), polls?, what polls??? Call my cynical, yep, I am....
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Pretty sure this is where all those nasty moon spiders come from...
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We won't be taking American tourists into space for a while - so no need to worry about giant Fosters-branded litter.
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So, in the future, anyone going to the moon will need to watch their step so they don't trip over all those oversized Fosters cans that'll be laying around everywhere.
No one in Australia drinks that crap so we need to get rid of it somewhere.
Re:Government has no business allocating resources (Score:5, Insightful)
Do you feel the same way about the interstate highway system? How about waiting for individuals to create their own justice system? Oh wait, that IS what libertarians want.
There are a whole lot of things that are too big for individuals to do. It's why we need government.
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Just like with all humanity some of them are certainly assholes. Not all of them. Just like CEOs, some of them are assholes, some of them aren't.
The problem with no regulations is that you're going from some assholes being in government, to every wolf for himself. That's not a solution given how involved humanity is right now.
Five hundred years from now, maybe. But for now we still need some checks, and government is the best we've got, even with some assholes in government.
Re: You've contradicted yourself. (Score:1)
Ha ha. And this is why the US has crappy healthcare and crappy broadband.
Nice of you to try it, though. Saves the rest of the world thinking it works.
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Nobody's coercing you to live in a country that has an effective government, taxation, and public services. You're perfectly free to move to a country without any of those. By remaining where you are, you're voluntarily agreeing to abide by that country's social structure, which includes constitutional laws, a democratic government, taxation etc.
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Would you Ron Paul fanboys shut the fuck up? You don't know the first thing about civics or economics. If you want to live in a civilized society then pay your taxes, vote for the politicians who you think will spend the money wisely, and get back to work.
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Are you really trying to equate individuals wearing footpaths along common routes with the building of the interstate highway system?
No, individuals didn't "seek" justice. They took it if they were strong enough. Before governments, most people just had to suck up whatever "justice" the warlord wanted to impose. "Justice"
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If it is valuable to allocate resources to activities in space, then individuals can choose to invest their own damn resources in those activities; it is not the purpose of government to make such investments for people, especially against individuals' will.
The government can and will make an investment on the part of the individual and their community to benefit a nation as a whole. ...No, no not me, my mummy and daddy built the roads
NASA wasn't a kick-starter campaign you twat.
Most of the private enterprise now looking to space is still using government money.
Fucking libertards, you all drive on roads made by social contributions and for the most part, live in safe societies built by communities where governance gave them strength and collective resourcing.
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Don't be a selfish prick. If you don't want to be taxed, go live by yourself and derive nothing from other people or society. Otherwise you pay your dues.
Re:Government has no business allocating resources (Score:5, Insightful)
We aren't America mate. Keep your own political ideologies to yourselves.
We're quite happy to have the government step in. Private companies have seen Australia have the worst internet infrastructure and outrageous bank fees.
We're only too happy for the government to step in and provide services such as the armed forces, medical care and education.
Of course, if you think the government has no place in the space industry you might want to tend to your own backyard first before decreeing how the rest of the world works.
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Here it is again: "BACK OFF, AMERICA!"
America backs off
"Jesus Christ you're abandoning us, get back here! Isolationist!"
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Australia has the worst internet infrastructure because it's one of the most geographically isolated countries. Getting Internet to the continent is more expensive, which raises the price floor, resulting in an overall lower level of service for a given population density at a given price.
Bank fees are outrageous because the country's economy is small (
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Well, it does very much depend on how the government steps in and what the next government decides to do about it, qv, the NBN, the ETS, the ABC, Medicare, negative gearing...
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What a shallow, transparent troll: You should be grateful you weren't blocked from Slashdot permanently.
It is the purpose of government to provide services that benefit its people. If you want to disparage the need or ROI of an Aussie space program, go ahead but quit the 'eevil gubbermint' rhetoric: Aussies think their government, although distracted by far-right stupidity, is better than your corporations.
Space, the final shrimp on the barbie (Score:1)
These are the voyages of the AUS Boganprize, its continuing mission, to seek out and explore strange new sources of potable water, to boldly deforest where no cane toad has gone before...
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Train them like the 9/11 hijackers, they only need to know how to take-off, not how to land. Save budget money, half-price.
Hijackers generally don't do the taking off either.
THe price of rubber bands is likely to go up (Score:2)
I think that is our proposed launch technology.
Re:THe price of rubber bands is likely to go up (Score:4, Funny)
No, they just release the launch clamps and let the rocket fall off the planet.
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No mate just breed the highest jumping kangaroos together, soon enough they'll be jumping into orbit!
It was called CSIRO (Score:1)
The CSIRO was a world leading space agency. See AUSSAT and FedSat, and the technology that is now mainstream throughout the world.
But since CSIRO fails to deny climate change it is being disbanded.
Hence our 'new' agencies; except for the climate change one.
Re: It was called CSIRO (Score:2, Funny)
All behold the new Australian Space Society.
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This is Australia, mate.
We'll call it the Australian Rocketry Space Enterprise.
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The hell have you been smoking? CSIRO has, is and for the forseeable future will be a research organisation primarily designed for efficient industry which in Australia means better agriculture.
The AUSSATs were launched by the Americans and the French. FedSat was put in space by the Japanese.
The CSIRO isn't being disbanded in the slightest, it is merely cutting 1% of its workforce in divisions of mineral research, and was asked to reduce focus on climate research, but not on solutions to climate change.
Hence our 'new' agencies
Did
National Nomenclature (Score:1)
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At first, I assumed that the reason it took so long was that in every previous attempt, somebody got the idea of calling it the Australian Space Service, and the unamused among them decided it was better to scuttle the whole thing.
Then, I realised that they spell it with an 'r' over there.
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No need for yet another job title. "Taikonauts" isn't a Chinese title, by the way, this was thought up by some blogger. The Chinese space agency refers to its spacefaring personnel as "astronauts".
Re: National Nomenclature (Score:1)
Surely Austronauts or Austranauts?
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We just call all our spacemates "Bruce".
Ground crew are all named "Dave". Davo if you want to be less formal.
Mission # 1 (Score:1)
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Except that in Australia our toilets don't swirl.. No siphon, all surface tension and hydrodynamics. :)
A huge rush of water like a set of white water rapids and all is gone.
Makes sense (Score:2)
Until you mention the word "immigrant".
misleading summary (Score:5, Informative)
50 years after Australia became the third country to launch a satellite into space,
While it's true that a satellite was launched from Australian soil, this was part of the British space program, with Australian involvement not extending much beyond allowing the British to build their launch site. The launcher and satellite were developed and built in Britain.
Re:misleading summary (Score:4, Informative)
Rubbish, while its true that WRESAT built on work done in the SPARTA project, which was a joint Australian/British project. WRESAT was entirely Australian.
Tue, the rocket was an american Redstone rocket. But the satellite was built in australia by WRE in conjunction with the University of Adelaide.
Re:misleading summary (Score:4, Interesting)
My apologies, I was thinking of Prospero, launched on a Black Arrow rocket from Woomera in 1971. No idea an Australian satellite preceded it.
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Polite, respectful, and informed. This comment has no place on the internet.
Re:misleading summary (Score:4, Informative)
Rubbish, while its true that WRESAT built on work done in the SPARTA project,
For Reference the 3rd nation was the UK launching Ariel 1 in 1962 WRESAT wasn't launched until 1967 see here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
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It was 3rd in the sense of both building and launching it themselves. The Ariel was launched from Cape Canaveral.
Admittedly the distinction is a bit of cheat since they used an American built Redstone rocket :-).
Just what we need ... (Score:2)
More wasted money and effort trying to reinvent the wheel.
If the nations of the world pooled their resources, funding and expertise into a single space program Humanity could have a self sustaining colony on both the moon and Mars within 15 years.
But no.
Instead Australia is going to spend how much money trying to get a "home grown" launch vehicle working? And how much more again to get an Australian into space on a rocket built in Australia by Australians?
I wish Australia luck, seriously. Maybe they will
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Sounds great in theory, unfortunately human society doesn't work that way without a LOT of luck/effort. Just look at the launch industry here in the US for the past couple decades if you want a good example. Boeing & Lockheed were competing with each other and launch prices were at least staying stable if not dropping a bit, then they merged their launch branches. Shortly after creating ULA for "cost saving" their prices began a significant and steady rise, by some estimates they were closing in (or
Bonzer (Score:2, Funny)
Strewth! Chuck another abo on the barbie and get me a tinnie out the eski, mate.
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Marinade, mate. It's all down to the marinade. Protip: don't add any goon, there's plenty there already.
You are just soooooooo wrong ......... (Score:2)
Australia's 1st satellite was launched November 29,1967. Canada's Alouette satellite made us Canucks the 3rd country behind the Soviet Union and the USA when it was launched September 29, 1962.
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We bought it, we paid for it, we built it, and we designed it. It was a Canadian-owned and operated scientific satellite. NASA got involved after we convinced them that they'd benefit from the collected data - they didn't think the technology was advanced enough for what we wanted to do.
I know a lot of Canadian, British and Ge
Makes sense (Score:2)
If they launch from the Grossglockner they are already out of the thickest part of the atmosphere.
What a load of balls. (Score:1)
What a load of balls. Oz government wont even finance a decent, not great, just decent, internet standard for the whole of Australia. Because that would instantly invalidate several 'broadband' licences currently enjoying lucrative profits.
As if they going to stump up a few billions to get it working, they cannot tax the population that much, it would mean 57% taxation across the board. And as we all know, that just means those who can pay, wont. Oz is a nice place, but it just cannot afford to play space r
Tunnel (Score:1)
Now they just have to dig a big tunnel through the earth, so they can launch from down under.
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They are going to have to build an island too, because if they dig straight through the middle of the earth, they are going to end up in the middle of the North Atlantic.
https://www.antipodesmap.com/
National Australian Space Agency (Score:4, Funny)
I think a good name for it would be National Australian Space Agency.
It is rocket science (Score:2)
Third nation to launch a satellite.... (Score:1)
Time for another Bruces skit... (Score:2)
Dammit Rhonda! (Score:2)
It's always Rhonda's fault.