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Ministers consider British astronauts

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posted on Feb, 14 2008 @ 01:19 AM
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The government is to launch a formal review into whether British astronauts should take part in the international exploration of space.

The review has been prompted by growing fears that the UK might lose out in the next wave of space travel.

International space agencies have set out ambitious plans in a document called the Global Exploration Strategy.


Source: BBC News

I think it's a great idea. Great for science, great for the economy, great for education and great for the UK as a whole.

Hopefully ministers will see the benefits this could bring and start to work out how to move forward.



posted on Feb, 14 2008 @ 04:29 PM
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Great find Ste2652 and this is what our Government should be doing with our money. Help us get off our planet and exploring the universe, well lets start with the solar system.

It does worry me that only now are they starting with a review. After all we have been in space for decades!!!



posted on Feb, 14 2008 @ 07:52 PM
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Awesome news. Let's hope it come to fruition.

I know a few peeps in the RAF that will be chomping at the bit to be involved in any kind of a space program.

MonKey



posted on Feb, 15 2008 @ 05:39 AM
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The worst thing about this.............we will have to live off someone else coat tails, and have to play the game to get our astronauts on to missions.

Unless the whole world can get its act together and have a single space program.



posted on Feb, 15 2008 @ 02:14 PM
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reply to post by Freedom ERP
 


I imagine a lot of this will be done in conjunction with the European Space Agency. We already create our own satellites and such, so the expertise is there. It just needs to be developed and refined further.

Shouldn't be too difficult to find launching spots either. The Americans will, Russians might do it, otherwise there's Khazakstan or French Guyana.



posted on Feb, 16 2008 @ 02:17 PM
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July 20th 1969 man first set foot on the moon, now nearly 40 years later we still look up and dream…

The current effort at exploring past our own atmosphere is frankly disgraceful, its all well and good to send probes here, there and everywhere but why aren't we building colonies on the moon, why aren't we building supply modules to send to Mars ready for the first human colonisation effort.

Space exploration is a key part of human advancement, we can't neglect it because its expensive and risky, I shan't say its good to see ministers conducting a review because honestly I think we should be well past that stage by now.

I'd like to see Britain taking part in internationally based space exploration programs combining NASA, the European Space Agency and Russian Federal Space Agency, not to mention the potential of other countries such as Japan and China.

The sheer cost of a space program means Britain won't be doing much on its own and even then it'll be as part of the ESA (European Space Agency), I think the direction we need to go in is a more internationally focused direction to share the costs and bring in the expertise each country and organisation can offer.



posted on Feb, 16 2008 @ 02:56 PM
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reply to post by UK Wizard
 


The problem is most of those countries don't trust each other enough.

I can see a NASA-ESA-Japanese effort (with others like the Canadians and Australians getting involved too), but the Russian and Chinese probably wouldn't be willing to work with them and vice versa. The Russians and the Chinese don't really trust each other enough, either.

It's a sad state of affairs really... it's amazing to just gaze up into the heavens on a clear winter night and wonder what else is going on in the universe.



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