Russia to NASA: Use trampolines to get into space

a reply to: crazyewok

Ewok, at one time China had sailing ships to rival modern Aircraft Carriers for their size and power, given the times. This wasn't a 1000 years ago either. It was far more recent. When the Chinese had explored the world with their fleets and 10's of thousands of men, they didn't make plans to join the world powers in economic trading and commerce. That decision spelled their doom for a good long period to follow.

Within 100 years of the last enormous Chinese treasure ship returning, it weas a crime punishable by death to so much as build a main masted ship capable of sailing beyond the shoreline and close-in fishing stock.

It wasn't long after that, the British turned the nation they once courted for trade agreements into a client state, hooked and addicted to something meant to accomplish that task, and slaved to the New World and London specifically.

What did that? Can we blame the British? Naww... Not really. If it hadn't been them, it would have been France, or Spain or Portugal or others. China chose to degrade their own capabilities for lack of seeing anything worth going forward. The world first paid little attention...and then turned to China to make it nothing but a supplier of labor and goods to the European store fronts. This is all well established history, as you probably well know.

China.....explored and then gave up the World's Oceans and what lay beyond them. America explored and has all but given up on near-Space and what lay beyond THAT. At least in terms of what effort has come before and what effort currently exists in at least half a dozen OTHER nations? We've gone isolationist. Just like China did....and we'll pay for it like they did. We just can't know precisely what form that'll take yet.

History just says we will, without much doubt, pay for willingly degrading ourselves.

a reply to: adjensen

LOL pretty funny

US is basically digging their own grave long term with the policy they have

I am so sick and tired of US not playing by the rules (spending billions to topple pro-Russian government in Ukraine)

AND THEN GETTING VOCAL when Russia is playing dirty too.

I can't wait for Russia to take half the Ukraine.

originally posted by: Wrabbit2000America explored and has all but given up on near-Space and what lay beyond THAT.

No we haven't and there is plenty of evidence to the contrary if you know where to look.

I suggest SpaceVidCast and surfing NASA.gov for starters.

a reply to: JadeStar

"if I know where to look"? Okay... We retired the shuttle without a replacement. We're down to thumbing rides with a nation we're moving toward war with, and already AT war with if sanctions and punitive economic measures can be taken into account.

We have enormous investment in a space station that other nation controls our access to and...exit.. from. How is that not having some severe issues?

NASA's entire budget is the same as just a few major weapons systems taken together within a defense budget many, many times it's size. That's not a priority to take the lead or even strongly follow, in space. It's a pathetic joke to even suggest it's serious.

That's a budget and effort to maintain station keeping and hold what we have, at best. Innovation isn't going to us...it's going to others. It's a sad thing to see. We're basking in the glory of past years at the moment...and sad really is the word. We need to get back in the game before we lose institutional memory and experience.

a reply to: Wrabbit2000

I'm quite sure that in a couple of months, NASA will show its New amazing "Shuttle".

But, The New Space Race has begun in the worst way....

originally posted by: Wrabbit2000
I'm not sure a translator would give me the Russian for what I would want to say to the Russians for that suggestion.

Mothers and unnatural acts top the list of mental imagery.....

I believe the phrase you're looking for in Romanized is 'yob tvoyu maht'. If I recall my Russian insults.

a reply to: Arken

No shuttle.

Re-usable rockets, like what SpaceX has, then hopefully, space planes will take over, but that's probably a long way off, probably at the stage of a new space station, which will also be used to assemble whatever Moon/Mars/Asteroid faring missions they have in the pipeline.

originally posted by: Wrabbit2000
a reply to: JadeStar

"if I know where to look"? Okay... We retired the shuttle without a replacement.

This launches in the fall of this year.

By the way this was cancelled in 2002:

X-38



Casualty of the tax cut driven budget cuts and the "War on Terror".

a reply to: Wrabbit2000


Yup its history repeating itself

And its sucks to see it happening.

When I was a young child in the late 80's early 90's It was space and America NASA that got be into science. So many hopes and dreams.

And it just really makes me sad to see how the space program has been cut and abused by congress. Its been so disappointing to see how plans and goals kept getting pushed back and cancelled.

The USA could have been so far ahead in the space race that it would have been impossible for any other country to even consider competing.

Its a shame, but as I said its not Russia fault only the USA.

originally posted by: JadeStar
By the way this was cancelled in 2002:

X-38

Casualty of the tax cut driven budget cuts and the "War on Terror".

Example of how the US priority's are screwed up

Go one step forward into conquering the final frontier or buy some more drones to chase goat herders in some 3rd world hell whole.

well ask the army for help x37-b is in space for more then 500 days now

www.iflscience.com...

originally posted by: crazyewok
a reply to: Wrabbit2000


Yup its history repeating itself

And its sucks to see it happening.

When I was a young child in the late 80's early 90's It was space and America NASA that got be into science. So many hopes and dreams.

And it just really makes me sad to see how the space program has been cut and abused by congress. Its been so disappointing to see how plans and goals kept getting pushed back and cancelled.

The USA could have been so far ahead in the space race that it would have been impossible for any other country to even consider competing.

Its a shame, but as I said its not Russia fault only the USA.

I blame 9/11, the "War on Terror" and Reality-TV.

originally posted by: JadeStar

I blame 9/11, the "War on Terror" and Reality-TV.

Yup exactly

originally posted by: Dolby_X
well ask the army for help

x37-b is in space for more then 500 days now

www.iflscience.com...

Not only can't the X-37 b carry a crew (its not human rated), it has no way of docking with the space station unless they were to outfit it with a special docking port.

That said, they could always just pump more money into Commercial Crew (Space X. Orbital Science, Sierra Nevada) and Orion to fast track their testing and push them into service sooner.

a reply to: crazyewok

I agree about not blaming Russia. They are exploiting opportunity just as we've done until recent years. There is no crime in a nation pursuing their own national interests.....even if some in the West think so.

It's our fault for giving up what we have achieved, by willful choice.

a reply to: adjensen


This just might force the secret space program to go public, after all the shuttle fleet was obsolete for decades it was just used for pr and a front to cover for the secret space program. Time to fire up the TR 3B Astra and bring them supplies at the international space station.


Then again they will just do it in secret probably and have the media give the public some silly explanation as to how we still have a ride there and back.

a reply to: adjensen

Does anyone really believe we "gave up" the ability to put men in space!? It's all militarized now. We're just putting on a show with the Russians and throwing them a few Rubles on the side.
Keeping them off balance.

originally posted by: DarthFazer
a reply to: adjensen


This just might force the secret space program to go public, after all the shuttle fleet was obsolete for decades it was just used for pr and a front to cover for the secret space program. Time to fire up the TR 3B Astra and bring them supplies at the international space station.


Then again they will just do it in secret probably and have the media give the public some silly explanation as to how we still have a ride there and back.

Assuming all of this were true and not crackpot speculation, what would be the explanation for these "TR 3B Astras" photographed by AMATEUR ASTRONOMERS docked with the ISS?

I mean its not like you can just go up there unnoticed....

Taken by an amateur with a 9-inch telescope and video camera:



You can't hide in low earth orbit.

This is where the UFO Conspiracy/Secret Space Program crowd go really off the rails. They don't know the technological capabilities to view things in space of just smart individuals much less professionals.

maybe the new thing needs to be some one like lockheed or northrop to devlop a space plane because vremember if you just build a heavy lift rocket they will scream oh no he building a new long range icbm. but really iuf i was one of those companies i would be taking some of my defense budget profit and putting it into space exploration r&d just think about whats out there untapped resource wise. it would make perfect sense.