So, you know, the manned space program or, I should say, piloted space program, some problems.
Manned space travel has been one of the greatest triumphs in the history of the United States.
For the past two years, Russia has asked NASA to help with a manned space flight to Mars.
"What we're asking (SpaceX officials) to do is amazing, " William Gerstenmaier, head of NASA's manned space-flight efforts, told reporters recently.
Despite the warm words of the nation's leaders, America's manned space-flight programme has been becalmed in Earth orbit for decades.
It is extremely hard for UK citizens to get into orbit because the government does not fund manned space activity.
Until NASA can garner the vocal support of the American public again our manned space program will be lethargic and uninspiring.
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NASA's had problems, unfortunately quite a few problems, with the manned space program, but the unmanned program continues to go gangbusters.
But to give up manned space flight entirely would be a mistake.
In his interview two weeks ago, Mr. Musk recalled that William Gerstenmaier, NASA's top manned space official, raised questions about whether additional testing was necessary.
But still, accepting that space flight is very risky, do you think that NASA has become maybe too risk averse for effective manned space exploration?
NASA, that the real point of space exploration was to do science a considerable achievement in an age when political prestige rested on manned space flights.
But it has been the pride of the Soviet, and later the Russian, manned space programme, because the Americans have never managed to emulate it.
Finally, the U.S. is ceding the manned space program to China.
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The problem with the manned space programme is not so much that it is an expensive waste of money as that it lacks a serious goal.
If anyone wonders why manned space exploration is important to our nation, I would call your attention to the speech made by one of our greatest Presidents.
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For the first time since China began its manned space flights, the authorities have allowed foreign journalists (albeit only a handful of them) to witness the launch.
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Like the original manned space efforts of America and Russia, China's has a military component (though America's and Russia's military activities in space are now almost exclusively unmanned).
China this morning successfully launched its second manned space flight.
Burt points out that nearly 50 years after the original manned space flights, it was more expensive and less safe to launch humans to space than during the very first year.
The problem NASA has faced is that since the Eagle landed on the moon and Apollo 11 returned safely to the earth the American people lost interest in our manned space program.
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To the families of the astronauts, Bush said, "Our entire nation grieves with you, " and he made it clear that the United States would continue with manned space flight, despite the risks.
President Obama appointed the Augustine committee in May to gather information from space agency officials, scientists, the aerospace industry and from Congress about the best future course for US manned space flight.
And there is one other thing the sobering fact that, as an international status symbol, manned space flight can also sometimes be something of a liability, especially for a normally secretive country such as China.
While the U.S. has basically scrapped its space mission, slashing the budget of NASA and now too close to a fiscal cliff to invest in fly-by-night government funded manned space operations, China is on the move.
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Now we're going to develop a permanently manned space station and new opportunities for free enterprise, because in the next decade Americans and our friends around the world will be living and working together in space.
President Obama declined to keep the shuttles going, canceled the planned replacement platform for manned space flight and thereby condemned this country for the foreseeable future to reliance on Russian and perhaps, in due course, Chinese rockets to deliver our astronauts to the space station.
Next up, things get a bit animated with Packing for Mars author Mary Roach, who will discuss the grosser side of manned space travel, while professional prognosticator (and sometimes rock musician) John Roderick kicks off his new reoccurring segment by explaining how space exploration helps him get out of bed in the morning.
The manned international space station would have funding cutbacks under the proposed budget.
That committee called for space science to be given a far higher billing above and beyond that accorded to manned missions and space stations and resulted in a lot of cheap but effective scientific missions being launched.
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