Trump creates groundwork for new service branch

[Kutnupe14]

I ran the figures. Too expensive.

Let’s say you’re an evil Imperial overlord in the Star Warsuniverse, and you want to keep the rebels in line. You should build something they fear, say, a Death Star. How much will advancing your evil plans set you back? Short answer: it’s more expensive than you can possibly imagine.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolp...d-the-death-star-from-star-wars/#cf3f63b7c73d

 

[rhino]

Uniforms: military is required to wear uniforms. Whatever is the most functional for space, whatever has the highest cool-factor for Earth. No I'm not kidding. I spent most of my 21+ in BDUs (woodland camo) designed and sized for mass-issuance while fighting the Soviet hoards in Europe with chemical weapons and mass-decontamination being the norm. Medium-blue flight suits with lots of Velcro for the full-color patches baby! Or better yet, bring back green fatigues!!

Pretty sure the uniforms will have to be polyester double knit pajamas:

Or something like these:

 

[Thor]

UFO! I liked that show...probably because it competed with Star Trek for the raciest uniforms.

 

[rhino]

UFO! I liked that show...probably because it competed with Star Trek for the raciest uniforms.

I only saw the commercials for it. When it was time to air, I had already been banished to bed!

 

[Hoosierkav]

People said that the original space race helped to push the nation's science/math programs (before STEM was popular). But, after we conquered space, the nationalism behind the educational movement faded away.

Maybe Space Force will help MAGA.

 

[croy]

Maybe Trump got high/drunk and saw Independence Day 2?

 

[KellyinAvon]

Pretty sure the uniforms will have to be polyester double knit pajamas:

Or something like these:

Rhino breaking out the Space 1999! (top pic)

 

[Thor]

Rhino breaking out the Space 1999! (top pic)

Sort of like futuristic leisure suits...why were those ever a good idea?

 

[BroodXI]

 

[Thor]

They need a catch phrase too, in Latin for their patches. Maybe something like SPATIUM A MORTE....

 

[rhino]

Nos adepto ad exteriores spatium ne feceris.

 

[searpinski]

This is one of the more idiotic ideas I've read today. Buckle up for this rant. I cringe every time I hear about exploring space, going to the moon, forming a space army (whatever you want to call it) and especially every time Elon Musk opens his mouth.

Human exploration of space is a gargantuan waste of resources. According to NASA, the space shuttle Endeavor:

• Cost $1.7 billion.
• Costs $450 million per launch
• Consumes over 2 million pounds of solid propellant per launch
• Consumes over 500,000 gallons of liquid oxygen and hydrogen per launch

We can put people in space and keep them supplied with oxygen, food and water. They sit up there and play with water droplets and talk about how to use the space toilet. Excellent. We went to the moon. We want to go to Mars but have no good plan for propulsion or how to deal with cosmic radiation. What are we actually learning from space exploration? We are consuming egregious amounts of resources and not getting any return. Meanwhile, back on planet earth, we are destroying our home (read: environment) and ruining the future for our children. The money should be appropriated for environmental efforts and the resources (not just fuel) should be used elsewhere or not consumed. Unmanned exploration can teach us what we need to know (what that is I have no idea), but is hardly necessary.

If we're talking defense, I firmly believe we should be able to defend ourselves from any space threat that other countries may pose. We can, however, defend ourselves from down here.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

I don't think space exploration has been a waste of resources at all. When you consider all the advances in technology and materials that came about as a direct result of the space program, it's hard to even put a finite value on it. Computers, satellite communications, plastics, heat resistant ceramics, lightweight alloys and superconductors are just a few that come to mind off the top of my head. These had short term benefits and the benefits are still going on today. All of the things necessary for space exploration have found multiple uses in everyday life, much to the benefit of us all, IMHO, including the tools to monitor and study things like climate, weather and the environment in general. Yes it was expensive, but how do you put a price on all that came from it?

 

[Thor]

The space program returned more money to the economy than any other government program (it's not like they loaded that money into the spacecraft and shot it into space). And the tech it brought was also more than any other government program. As an investment in our economy and our future it was a steal.

But space has become boring, too safe, not enough action. Go to Mars? Walk among the stars? Blah...have you seen my latest selfie? What tech have they produced that means anything to me? Have you seen my latest app? We strode to the threshold where we could be the first species to move on the face of the planet that could forestall its own extinction and the masses say...meh; too much money, too much work...I'd have to study in school and stuff.

Maybe some future archeologist will blame our demise on some massive disaster, when apparently it's just human nature...maybe even just nature in general. Perhaps long term survival means finding something different.

 

[searpinski]

I don't think space exploration has been a waste of resources at all. When you consider all the advances in technology and materials that came about as a direct result of the space program, it's hard to even put a finite value on it. Computers, satellite communications, plastics, heat resistant ceramics, lightweight alloys and superconductors are just a few that come to mind off the top of my head. These had short term benefits and the benefits are still going on today. All of the things necessary for space exploration have found multiple uses in everyday life, much to the benefit of us all, IMHO, including the tools to monitor and study things like climate, weather and the environment in general. Yes it was expensive, but how do you put a price on all that came from it?

Did these come from actually entering space or from R&D associated with the space program? Just my .

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Did these come from actually entering space or from R&D associated with the space program? Just my .

Short answer? Both. Not sure how you'd develop satellite communications for example, without launching a rocket. Not to mention the environment in space pretty much demanded development of materials able to withstand huge temperature swings, radiation, etc..

 

[searpinski]

Short answer? Both. Not sure how you'd develop satellite communications for example, without launching a rocket. Not to mention the environment in space pretty much demanded development of materials able to withstand huge temperature swings, radiation, etc..

Chicken and egg scenario. I still maintain it's a horrendous waste of dollars and resources. To each their own sir.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

I still maintain it's a horrendous waste of dollars and resources.

So was sailing west for several centuries.

 

[Thor]

Did these come from actually entering space or from R&D associated with the space program? Just my .

Like they would have solved any of those questions without a goal. None of it would have been done without the focus to accomplish something specific and solve all the problems in between.

Throwing money at people and telling them to go make stuff is a good way to get really expensive nothing.

 

[rhino]

Like they would have solved any of those questions without a goal. None of it would have been done without the focus to accomplish something specific and solve all the problems in between.

Throwing money at people and telling them to go make stuff is a good way to get really expensive nothing.

Getting to the moon in 1969 with the occupants of the lunar module alive was a huge accomplishment given the primitive technology. Getting them back to Earth alive from the moon was borderline miraculous. You get that group of engineers, physicists, and math geeks working together to solve a very specific problem and their not only going to push existing tech to its limits, what they learned along the way about those limitations and how they were circumvented had a profound effect on the next generation of technological advancements. It was simply amazing what they did and were it not for that seemingly absurd goal with questionable value to the taxpayer, we'd still be talking on rotary dial phones and engaged in all sorts of other primitive techno-savagery.