Australian Space Agency

[casstony]

Nice to see the government doing something constructive and planning for the future. Our own space agency would be inspirational to young Australians and might offer some exciting employment opportunities to Uni graduates.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-25/government-to-establish-national-space-agency/8980268

[julianh72]

This could be great news - or it could be a complete and utter national embarrassment, if they apply the same "faster, cheaper, more affordable" philosophy that has crippled the NBN before deployment is even half-complete.

(See attached concept for the new space launcher.)

[LewisM]

Yeah, like the QLD Space Base from the 80's...another never happened.

We'll see. Heck, the Kiwis can...why can't we?

Darn it, even the Thais do better than we do

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUkNv-ILXok

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Xtj4TD6M4g

[strongmanmike]

Almost certainly how this government will proceed with this...they are certainly not innovators nor have any vision, that's for sure, many of them deny the science of climate change and believe in an imaginary friend for adults, soooo I don't see this going very far... :rolleyes: (unfortunately)...unless it is powered by coal of course :lol:

Mike

[LewisM]

It's powered by hot air, that's certain.

[casstony]

The Liberal Party would be doing a lot better if the Abbott faction wasn't undermining Turnbull at every turn. I tried searching for Abbott's position on space policy but nothing came up; it does seem that all sides of politics regard Abbott as a wrecker. I'm curious to see if he opposes an Australian space agency simply to weaken Turnbull.

[strongmanmike]

But they always will...so no hope unfortunately, besides Mr Turnbull isn't as smart as many people think he is :shrug:...just ask Gary Kopf :lol:

[DJT]

Hmmm...what a shame a thread on something we have all been screaming for, investment in a foreseeable future, is going to get locked because of the politics TOS??

How do we celebrate the fact there is a committent and worry about the implementation later? It’s a start, right? :shrug: such negativity..sigh..

Sooo...if the government presented you with a significant fully funded pot of cash to invest in our future in the space industry, what projects would you implement that would generate job opportunities etc and allow us to contribute alongside every other country who already has an Agency?

[multiweb]

Regardless of funding or who's agenda it's great to see something using grey matter for the kids rather than digging or pumping sh|t and selling it overseas. Hope it goes ahead. A refreshing change.

[strongmanmike]

You are quite right David, pardon my pessimism but there is pretty good reason for it...but of course I do hope this comes to something worthwhile and successful :)

Mike

[Peter Ward]

Per chance I bumped into the Chair of the "Space Industry Innovation Council" while attending the PM's Science Prize awards night at Parliament House a few years ago.

It was like the Hospital with no patients from "Yes Minister".

These possums have been busy drafting legislation for Australia's Space industry for a while...I believe their last budget was some $80 million of taxpayer funded dollars.

As for their launch schedule...well...the ones they are supposed to oversee...there were around half a dozen or so in the decade they have been about. Most were balloons I believe. Poor buggers must have been working 24/7 with that sort of high pressure and cutting edge launch schedule.

That said, they have not been sitting idle: we have lots of legislation now to cover any wannabe Buck Rodgers daring to go to orbit from Aussie turf, see:
https://industry.gov.au/industry/IndustrySectors/space/Pages/Legislative-arrangements-for-civil-space-activites.aspx

So now we are going from a Space Council to a fully fledged Space Agency!

Oh Pleeease....really??

Rob Sitch and the Utopia team could have such a field day......

[Lognic04]

Australia's new space agency.... :lol:

[ZeroID]

Not wanting to rub salt into anything but ..

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11926609

RocketLab is lofting 4 small satellites on it's second test launch.

[casstony]

We can only hope the idea gathers a head of steam, pushed along by foreign space agencies and local scientists. There will be plenty of photo opportunities and status to be gained by whichever politicians get involved.

" Mr Bolden said he believed governments had a critical role to play in "blazing the trail" and laying out the path for private industry and entrepreneurs to follow."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-25/former-nasa-chief-hails-creation-of-australian-space-agency/8981328

[pmrid]

I'm afraid I don't see why this should be rubbing salt into anything. Good on the Kiwis for having the initiative to establish their own industry and to get into the launch business. More power to their slide rules. I have no doubt they would be equally pleased to see Australia taking a positive and enlarged role in the field.

Peter

[Wavytone]

Its just a boondoggle to pour federal $$$ into propping up the techies and contractors that make up DSTO. In the process propping up the south australian economy and hopefully buying a few votes.

Note there is no long term plan, no clear objective defined.

Reminds me of:

a) Promoting the nullarbor desert as suitable for sheep farming to soldier settlers after world war 1. Many died in the drought and out of sheer poverty in the great depression that followed.

b) a car industry in the middle of nowhere, where all the parts had to be shipped across the continent to the car plants, then the results shipped back, for the sake of building employment where it should never have been in the first place. Thankfully the accountants in the companies concerned finally prevailed and put a stop to the insanity despite numerous government boondoggles to prop it up.

c) a submarine base, built on the wrong side of the continent so that every boat has to spend months sailing halfway round the continent.

[el_draco]

We used to have one of those. The same morons dumped it. :rolleyes:
Remember Woomera?:question:

[el_draco]

Both of them are gutless, dogma driven, self-indulgent twerps. I could add a couple of dozen expletives and other adjectives, but hey... you already are saying them in your head ;)

[Wavytone]

And the alternatives are any better ?!?

[casstony]

Bit early to give up hope yet guys. The govt has raised expectations that there will be a moderately sized but well rounded space agency, even though the details are yet to be formulated. Let's give them a chance to do what they said they will do.

[ZeroID]

Yeah. Wish there wasn't so much political hogwash between the two nations. We could be a lot more complementary if the stirrers didn't keep bringing up the sludge. There are differences and there are similarities that could make both of us a bit stronger globally.
Frustrating really ... :shrug:

[Terry B]

I came across the correct result for this. :P:P:P:P
https://spaceaustralia.com.au/

[COSMOPARADISE]

Is this actually really happening? is our magnificent country really joining the space community with ARSE??? SERA could work too, way better than ARSE omg i cant believe it haha

[Peter Ward]

Maaaate. Picked it in one. So Cool.


:ship1::rofl:

[Wavytone]

OK time to form a company, say IceInSpace Inc ;), start writing up a request for funding and get in the queue for a slice of the pie.

Only hard part is to find some half credible way to justify lobbing some piece of junk into orbit and establish a ground station to monitor it, plus a bunch of pooh-bahs with strings of credentials as long as your arm to confirm what a great idea this is. Throw in a lobbyist and start rumour of some juicy donations to liberal party campaign funds in marginal seats in SA, for good measure.

[AstroStudentUSQ]

There is no way any of this is going to fly with the cognitive level of our politicians concerned with short term political returns. Look at the funding cuts to DSTO... oops, sorry, now downsized to the DST 'Group'...

And 'ARSE' - tell me this site is a parody, please... :lol:

And even if Australia developed a space agency, I doubt we will be sending kangaroos to Mars. More likely, it will just be launching a few communication satellites (boring) :zzz2:

Thank god we ARE world class in astrophysics.

[Andy01]

First mission will be to the seventh planet :rofl:

[Visionary]

My blood continues to boil in reaction to the unprecedented waste of the Gillard/Rudd balls-up. They had in their hot little hands 80billion that they managed to make it vanish without a trac.
I don't care what your political persuasion I dont believe we either have a sufficiently competent bureaucracy, or sufficiently competent Pollies to entrust them with the $$$ that a first-class Space Agency would cost. On the other hand, I believe that we directed research could and would produce some tremendously worthwhile outcomes.
We need to look at how research is being funded in Aust. Lifting and raising the priority of research.
Famously, the South Australian shipyards have been described as being unable to build a canoe, yet alone a Sub, I believe there is some truth in that tongue in cheek statement. Though at the same time our track record with basic research is excellent, indeed world class.
When Aust turned its hand to Radio Astronomy we did some world-leading work. When ANSTO was receiving respectable funding we pushed the envelope there also. I believe the key with Science in Aust is... keep it small and keep it focused.... and FUND the thing! If we can make 80 billion disappear without a trace then surely we can find a couple of billion for something worthwhile.

[AstroStudentUSQ]

Good points, David

[marki]

You can buy the tshirt :D

[AstroStudentUSQ]

even looks like a pair of open legs in the ARSE logo

that site is a parody isn't it? please, someone tell me it is! :eyepop::rofl:

[OICURMT]

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=161815

Should merge threads? As both are a joke?

OIC!

[doppler]

It's a promo stunt

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/arse-australian-space-agency_us_59ce8d36e4b09538b5082b15

[pfitzgerald]

*sigh* - still - a very funny T-shirt though.

[PCH]

Wow marki, - welcome back. But wait, are you sure you want to shout it out that all it took to get you back here was a nice ARSE, lol

Anyway, nice to see you again :)

[pgc hunter]

First mission: A one-way ticket to the sun for our politicians.

[ZeroID]

Tell them they are going at night so they won't get sunburnt ...

[AussieTrooper]

I've never understood this. There are few/no actual policy changes from the transition of Abbott to Turnbull.
It could actually be a good thing to have our own official space agency.

[AussieTrooper]

It is disgusting that you would even suggest such a thing.





We would definitely want that spaceship back. Perhaps jettissonning passengers when it got too hot would work better.

[pgc hunter]

Not sure if serious....

[PCH]

Not serious sab - he's just continuing the joke that you started ;)

[pgc hunter]

That's all good then, his second line was a bit of a give away, but still sounded serious in the first line, an emoticon would've helped. :)

Trusting the laborgreen herpoid mcderpoids we have in parliament here with launching space vehicles? lol imagine, the onboard wind turbines will stop producing electricity for the spacecraft systems because the solar wind is too strong.

[AstroStudentUSQ]

Abbott's spaceships would be running on coal :rofl:
Abbott, Abetz, Bernardi - first crew to Mars. Remember to remove the oxygen tanks!!

[pgc hunter]

fail :rolleyes:

[AussieTrooper]

This program needs bipartisan support. Any spaceship would need to be powered by renewables. Wind and Biomass would be the obvious choices.

Hot wind and manure are plentiful in Canberra.

[marki]

Always lurking ;)