Down With NASA

I got an interesting editorial mailed to me yesterday by term limits advocate Paul Jacob of Common Sense. The article entitled "NASA's Last Days?" spoke about the transition that's beginning to happen in the realm of the Space Age.

Jacobs states that, "The most important news story of this fall, ultimately more important than the re-election of the president, was the awarding of the X Prize to Burt Rutan for his SpaceShipOne flights. For it shows that private enterprise is both willing and able to enter space. At a profit.

Yes, the Space Age has launched into a new era, the Industrial Space Age.

Now, NASA had big news, recently, too. Its X-43A scramjet broke the world speed record for an atmosphere-burning aircraft, going nearly ten times the speed of sound. It then glided down to the earth's surface for a soft landing.

But after landing in the ocean, NASA abandoned its multi-million dollar plane to sink as junk. Contrast this with SpaceShipOne, which cost a tenth as much and has shot up into space several times and come back down for re-use."

With all that's going on right now capturing my interests I had completely forgotten just how much I loathe our space program. If there is one common conservative thread in any of my articles it's that I do not approve of capriciously throwing money down the drain. I support policies that are the cheapest and most productive. The X-43A scramjet is indicative of Washington's callousness towards the American taxpayer. Frankly, it sickens me.

For quite some time now I have been saying to anyone that will indulge me that NASA should be gutted entirely from the federal budget in lieu of privatizing the space industry. The business and industrial world should be free to do what they do best, make products that consumers will compete for in a market that will gladly accept them. I fully support a space race among private corporations rather than this bloated tribute to Soviet style waste called NASA.

While I was reading Jacobs' article I began thinking about what's new at NASA these days. Lo and behold I got my wish for an interesting story. "NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe resigned Monday, leaving the $158,000 government job after three years to seek a $500,000-a-year job as chancellor of Louisiana State University's main campus. He's the top candidate, and a decision is expected Thursday, school officials say."

The article states that O'Keefe was brought in to curb the mounting spending costs of NASA which some allege, contributed to the space shuttle Columbia disintegrating upon re-entry in February of 2003. O'Keefe's departure is seen by some as abandoning a sinking ship. Well I say good, let it sink. I truly believe the federal space program outlived its usefulness once the Soviet Union collapsed back in the late 80's. For the good of all American taxpayers and the future of American leadership in science, please let's give up this fool idea that the government can effectively run a space program. It's the height of naiveté to think that it can (hell, right now we can't even get enough armor to the troops in the battlefield).

Let our representatives in Washington DC stick to what they do best - paying farmers not to grow crops!