NASA Administrator Major General Charles Bolden (USMC-ret.)

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden has explained his recent comment that NASA is not going back to the Moon. In the process, he demonstrates a certain myopia:

I have never said the United States is not going back to the lunar surface. I just said that in the foreseeable future, given the budget that NASA currently has and given where we are and what we need technologically if we’re going to go to Mars, then it will not be the United States that leads an expedition to the lunar surface…. If somebody else is going, we will provide our engineering expertise and the only condition is that I be allowed to send an astronaut as a part of the crew.

Note to General Bolden: The United States does not consist solely of NASA. It is quite possible that “someone else” could be an American.

Written by Astro1 on June 4th, 2013 , Space Exploration (General)

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COMMENTS
    A. Treacy commented

    It appears that Charlie Bolden has bought in to the beliefs of the person who appointed him to his job… that U.S. citizens must now defer to our all-powerful government to provid direction in every area of our lives. Private enterprise exists to be controlled and to be taxed.

    Reply
    June 4, 2013 at 10:13 am
    Ed Wilson commented

    Or possibly a Knighted British Lord (if QEII is doing her job). A Certain Sir Richard…

    Reply
    June 4, 2013 at 9:25 pm
    Tim Ulmer commented

    I don’t like hearing the General’s words. Throughout civilization, the nation which controlled the seas controlled the world’s wealth. And at this time of civilization, space is what the seas were to our ancestors 300 yearsa ago.

    My only hope is that after a century of trying to colonize North America by the English and Spanish governments, no one was successful until a COMMERCIAL endeavor was made at Jametown, VA. I don’t think we’ll every again know the personal rush people once felt to see ice chuncks shake off a Saturn V, painted with “USA” and “United States” rise from a launch pad as the gantry arms swung away.

    Face it. These goals of lunar and Martian bases are just too expensive for any one nation to do. But I can only pray that it can be led by Americans, American firms will be major contractors, or that the Mission Control in the American City of Houston can be where the missions are controlled from.

    Reply
    June 22, 2013 at 3:42 pm
    Ed Buchan commented

    No, it will be Kennecot or Cominco, Brazcan or Echo Bay Resources in the lead – or CPR (two divisions of) all the way!!

    Reply
    June 22, 2013 at 7:26 pm