Here’s another report on the planetary sciences/NASA dispute this week over funding and grant scheduling.
Here’s another report on the planetary sciences/NASA dispute this week over funding and grant scheduling.
From this report it appears that the complaints by the planetary science community might have been a bit overstated. It doesn’t appear that NASA is cutting the planetary sciences grant program in any significant way.
I suspect that the reason the planetary scientists are so touchy is because they do not trust the Obama administration, based on its previous efforts to eliminate the planetary program entirely. (It is also possible that they are right.)
The support of my readers through the years has given me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Four years ago, just before the 2020 election I wrote that Joe Biden's mental health was suspect. Only in this year has the propaganda mainstream media decided to recognize that basic fact.
Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Even today NASA and Congress refuse to recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
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Here’s another report on the planetary sciences/NASA dispute this week over funding and grant scheduling.
From this report it appears that the complaints by the planetary science community might have been a bit overstated. It doesn’t appear that NASA is cutting the planetary sciences grant program in any significant way.
I suspect that the reason the planetary scientists are so touchy is because they do not trust the Obama administration, based on its previous efforts to eliminate the planetary program entirely. (It is also possible that they are right.)
The support of my readers through the years has given me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Four years ago, just before the 2020 election I wrote that Joe Biden's mental health was suspect. Only in this year has the propaganda mainstream media decided to recognize that basic fact.
Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Even today NASA and Congress refuse to recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are five ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation:
5. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above. And if you buy the books through the ebookit links, I get a larger cut and I get it sooner.
I know so many people in this area that voted for Obama twice. I would have thought enlighten self interest would have kicked in by the second time but not so much.
I love space, planets, and astronomy but when you look at the costs relative to benefit to society there is and should be a debate on whether we should keep funding these massive missions. Personally I’m all for it, but its been so clear from day one that Senator then President Obama doesn’t give to farts about Space. I’m just taken aback by people supporting a man that could very well be responsible from destroying there job. Since space and military spending seem to be be the only things that he is willing to cut.
That is not to say Obama’s uncaring has been all bad, as Bob points out often it has given us time for private space to finally start to get a foothold but its going to be long time before aa private company is going to sending a probe to other planets and when they do they aren’t going to be doing it just for science of it, they will be doing it for money. I’m sure the same people that voted for Obama twice won’t like that either.
“Its going to be long time before a private company is going to sending a probe to other planets…”
Hi Matt,
Maybe not so long. See this post from earlier today.
I had not seen that when I posted. =) I I hope to see them reach the moon sooner rather than later. All the recent talk of Chinese rovers on the moon has bagged the question in my mind why we(the US) hasn’t been trying to do it ourselves since we left the moon in the 70’s yes its not “sexy” or “hot” like say Mars but there is still much to learn. As you Bob have pointed out the caves on the moon alone might be able to tell us so much. Granted not a great place for rover, but we could more concrete answers for example about water on the moon with rover than we will ever get with satellites.
All that said, I do stand my my statement that much of what the planetary program does especially in the outer Solar System is beyond what private companies are willing to put money into right now.
BTW great job on the space show as always.