OH NO...NOT HUBBLE!

[xoxoxoBruce]

author: Warren E. Leary in the New York Times;

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22 - A much-anticipated service mission to extend the life of the Hubble Space Telescope could be jeopardized by a White House plan to eliminate funding for it from NASA's 2006 budget request, government officials said.

Officials in the Bush administration and in Congress, who asked not to be identified because the budget has not been officially sent to Congress, said NASA was one of the few agencies that would get a proposed budget increase next year. However, a mission to service Hubble, estimated to exceed $1 billion, will not be part of that package, they said. snip

[Beestie]

That is, to say the least, a #!@$ing outrage.

It would take me thirty seconds to find enough bull$#!t in that budget to pay for 50 Hubbles. But, hey, there's no problem finding $160B for a war that no one asked us to fight, right?

Heaven help us.

[Roosta]

We're going to lose one of the best sources of images known to man. Someone, somewhere should hang their head in shame..

[Troubleshooter]

You have to know something to be ashamed of anything.

[Torrere]

Somewhere, someone's head should roll in shame.

[Elspode]

If Halliburton was in charge of NASA, you could bet they'd be getting the money.

I wonder if the funding would have been cut if there was a better actual plan to rescue Hubble. There is much dissent about the proposed robot servicing mission, even amongst the science community. It might not even work, so in one sense I understand not throwing the money at it.

On the other hand, there have been numerous qualifed astronauts who have made their opinions known that they would volunteer to go on a now-forbidden human/Shuttle servicing mission, which would cost much, much less.

In the end, this sucks.

[footfootfoot]

Originally Posted by Roosta

We're going to lose one of the best sources of images known to man. Someone, somewhere should hang their head in shame..

Umm, not to pick nits but shouldn't that last sentence read:

Someone,somewhere should be hanged by their shameful head.
Just wondering

[mdease]

First they take funding from Embryonic Stem Cell Research, becasue it is unethical even though it has been shown by several hundred very qualified scientists that it would save thousands of lives...

Now they kill Hubble. Why, oh why? Is Hubble suddenly unethical? Did we accidently catch a telescopic micrograph of some alien in the shower? Or have they begun staring at the sun with it, realizing far too early that "it hurts their eyes".

[Elspode]

Hubble uses up money that can be better spent bringing about the Apocalypse on schedule, and in accordance with the will of God.

[Griff]

A huge roar went up from the workers at the 1.7-million-square-foot plant when Pentagon officials announced at 5:06 p.m. Friday that Lockheed and its partners were awarded the $1.7 billion Marine One contract. Workers hugged, exchanged high-fives or back-slapped their associates.

"Welcome to the home of the next presidential helicopter," said Frank C. Meyer, president of Lockheed Martin Systems Integration-Owego, as 1,000 or more workers gathered in a Lockheed Martin hangar for the victory celebration.

For a beleaguered Greater Binghamton economy, the announcement brings the prospect of hundreds of jobs associated with the work. The project may be the largest economic boon to the region in nearly two decades.

"It's a gift from God," said state Sen. Thomas W. Libous, R-Binghamton.

As happy as I am for all the folks I know at LM, I really have to question our priorities and folks willingness to identify the Bush Administration as the hand of the Creator.

[warch]

What a stupid waste.

[footfootfoot]

"hundreds of jobs" eh? I kind of suck at math but I think hundreds is an infinitesimal percentage of the US population. (90 some percent of whom are sharing less than 5 percent of the wealth or some such craziness)

In fact I'd wager that hundreds is a miniscule percentage of the number of unemployed people in the US.

I'd google these facts and figures but I've got a dial up connection so ya'll are lucky I checked the spelling on infinitesimal.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Yes, but a big impact on Oswego.
Btw, that $1.7 Billion figure is only the beginning of the $6.1 Billion they plan on spending for 23 helicopters. And 30% of that is going to England and Italy.

[footfootfoot]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Yes, but a big impact on Oswego.
Btw, that $1.7 Billion figure is only the beginning of the $6.1 Billion they plan on spending for 23 helicopters. And 30% of that is going to England and Italy.

Not to mention the impact on whoever is on the receiving end of those helicopters' fire power.

Wait, that was a presidential 'copter wasn't it? Well, same difference I suppose. I mean he is a *pilot* right?

All right, I'm gonna stop now and have a beer. or a G&T.

[Griff]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Yes, but a big impact on Oswego.
Btw, that $1.7 Billion figure is only the beginning of the $6.1 Billion they plan on spending for 23 helicopters. And 30% of that is going to England and Italy.

I think the 6.1 figure is for the search and rescue vehicle LM wants to use this airframe for. They'll be competing for that contract as well. That contract makes a little more sense than the Marine Corp 1 contract. Anyway this contract will impact the local economy greatly and maybe bring home some of the technical folks who fled the area when IBM and Link started hemoraging.