NASA to spiral down the drain.

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by Jon Miller
Maybe because I am not married, but I don't care much as long as I make more than 50k.

I don't like working more then 40-50 hours per week unless it is really important though.

JM

I don't mind doing ~60 a week. More (on a regular basis) and it starts to wear me down.

I used to not care what I got paid. Now I do.

I'm a greedy bastard.

[Jon Miller]

Maybe it is a process. I use to not care about the 20k, now it is feeling very slim.

JM

[Arrian]

I like NASA and all, but it is indeed non-essential. Though I'd like some more $ spent on watching out for, and planning for what to do about, asteroids that might hit us.

-Arrian

[snoopy369]

Originally posted by KrazyHorse
I average a 50 hr week. This semester I was ~70. Most people do 60+ hrs a week.

For a reference, Tam (a cellular immunologist) has worked 60-70 hours a week for the last 3 years (her 3rd-5th year in the PhD program) ... I suspect most scientists are in the same ballpark, i.e. they work as much as their PI's can make them.

[Heraclitus]

I actually like this vid

[Arrian]

I'm generally pro-NASA, but I don't really understand why we want to go back to the moon at this time.

Seems to me we should do mostly unmanned missions, and maintain just enough of a manned program so that we can crank it back up when it makes sense to do so.

Bang for the buck, people.

-Arrian

[chequita guevara]

They "need" to go to the moon to show that they can still do it. AFAIK, there's nothing on the moon that makes it worth going to the moon. Our sights should be on Mars.

[Patroklos]

There is no practical reason to go to Mars either. Though isn't there quite a bit of Helium-3 on the moon that could be helpful in future power applications?

[chequita guevara]

Mars is a future home for humanity and a scientific outpost there would reveal a lot more information about what's waiting for us out there than the Moon.

A helium mining operation would be a good reason to have a base on the Moon, but until we're close to making fusion a reality (if it's even possible), we should wait.

[DanS]

Quite contrary to what he promised in the campaign, Obama is increasing funding for NASA.

[Naked Gents Rut]

What isn't Obama increasing funding for?

[chequita guevara]

your mama

[Naked Gents Rut]

Given that she's a school teacher, Obama is actually planning to greatly increase funding for my mother.

[Patroklos]

Mars is a future home for humanity and a scientific outpost there would reveal a lot more information about what's waiting for us out there than the Moon.

A helium mining operation would be a good reason to have a base on the Moon, but until we're close to making fusion a reality (if it's even possible), we should wait.

While that is all well and good about Mars, in my opinion we are skipping a few steps by going there first. There are far more practical, if less scientifically shiny, things that should be accomplished first before taking a joy ride to mars. Proving first that industrial resources can be harvested from space would to a long way to making a Mars trip worth it.

[DanS]

All of this stuff is pie-in-the-sky, if you intend to use NASA as currently structured. It would cost just too damn much.