Space Advocates in Australia

[FrankS]

I was just wondering what your opinions are of the space advocacy movement in Australia were? Is it time for a change? Too geeky for most? Useless? Useful? Don't pull any punches, I can take it. It just seems to me that if we had much more effective space advocacy here perhaps we might actually have our own space program we could be proud of. Just a thought...

[mickoking]

Australia did once have a space industry. We have sacrificed innovation for economic rationalism. We sell raw material to other countries like China, India and Japan to make a few dollars and let others be innovative

I think for Australia to get back into space would require a major seachange from government and society.

[Dujon]

I don't think we have enough population to sustain such an endeavour. It was fine in the days of the Jindivik (sp?) and basic rocket research but the cost of space exploration these days is exhorbitant.

We share in investments in a number of telescopes - radio and visual - and without sitting down and doing some sort of costing exercise (which with my current knowledge would be pointless) I would guess that's about as much as the tax payers can handle.

[Ric]

I believe that we have a lot of talent here in Australia. Woomera has the potential to be developed into so much more and we could really have our names on the map and not just in the space industry but in all areas of science.
But governments just seem to forget about them and they are usually first in line come the budget cuts. These brilliant minds then go overseas where funding is available and another country get all the benefits.

cheers