When did we lose interst in space and why

[TrevorW]

Between 1960 and 1973 NASA was developing the NERVA nuclear propulsion system.

A propulsion system that could have put us on Mars by now and seen the moon permanently manned and asteroid mining a reality.

Millions went into establishing a test facility and experimentation during that time.

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/20...lear-facility/

They site the Vietnam war cost for it's demise, yet I wonder as triillions have been spent on wars since by the US.

In fact on the whole IMO the US Govt has lost interest in space yet still spend big on weapons.

Mans future rests in space IMO so why in general is space technology and manned exploration being stiffled, do they know something we don't

[supernova1965 (Warren)]

Yep we were supposed to have flying cars, Jet packs and holidays to the moon and mars. I want my flying carit will come from private funding and it will be a lot quicker than if it were left to the governments of the world

[JB80 (Jarrod)]

Wasn't it all about victory over the Soviets, to break the bank and therefore the threat.
It would seem plain silly if that was the sole reason, I'm sure there are many that go beyond international positioning but I wouldn't put it past them either.

At least now with the US not willing to be world leaders in space anymore and the emergence of the East as a major participant we may end up getting a bit further.
Unless of course they mysteriously call it quits too, then I would have to call shenanigans.

[GeoffW1 (Geoff)]

Hi,

An interesting topic, you could almost have posted it in the science forum

Going backwards, I don't reckon the US Govt knows anything secret which has made them lose interest, relatively speaking. They can't even manage their own economy .

What has happened I reckon is that the tension, the dynamic, between the huge cost of it all, and the perceived rewards, has changed.

http://www.space.com/15595-nasa-budg...bama-veto.html

Going to Mars is a little like Everest (because it is there) and some more about Finding Out. I am rather repelled by justifications for this that go along the lines of:

"We are ruining our own planet at such a rate that we will soon need to find others we can colonize and wreck in similar fashion".......something not quite right there.

To me the only good reason for going to Mars (Venus, Pluto, Kepler 22b) is the quest for knowledge. It follows (for me) that we ought to look at low risk (to humans), lower cost (unmanned) ways of Finding Out.

I am deeply convinced that the idea of Going There in large numbers just will not fly (Ok Ok best I could do there) I am referring to moral and huge resource justifications.

We are not suited to interstellar, or even interplanetary travel (duh). There are tremendous dangers in travelling even to Mars, from radiation and high-speed rocks. Some really weird designs have been proposed for crew capsules.

http://www.astrobio.net/exclusive/21...travel-to-mars

I'd like to see a really well informed debated over the effort (that is, cost) of properly fixing up what we have here, versus going anywhere else in large numbers. I think it would be a no-brainer.

However I do love the idea of Finding Out as soon as possible with unmanned missions, more of them. I'm getting old quickly

Cheers

[mental4astro (Alexander)]

Why did we lose interest, ie the USA lose interest, let's see were more money is...

lets take one Nuclear aircraft carrier:

*7000 crew, meaning minimum 21,000 meals everyday, then clean all the pots and pans, oh, and fitting out the kitchens
*3 litres of fluids per crew, 21,000l every day, then clean out the black water tanks
*chewing gum, chocies, cakes, sweets that all the sailors buy
*fuel for the aircraft
*spares for the aircraft
*the aircraft
*the computer systems
*the ship and maintance
*the nuclear fuel and treatment
*weapons

All this is supplied by private enterprise, and just one ship of thousands.

I'd love to be a potato farmer supplying the US Navy!!!! I can't get my potatos to some half dozen sods up in a tin can, can I, and it's only 6 of 'em?