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n2doc

(47,953 posts)
Wed Jul 31, 2013, 10:45 AM Jul 2013

The Onion Predicts Real Life: Republicans Block NASA's Asteroid Plan

—By Asawin Suebsaeng|


President Obama's plan to have NASA lasso an asteroid, tow it toward Earth, place it into the moon's orbit, and claim the space rock for the United States of America has hit a congressional snag. The New York Times reports:

NASA wants to launch an unmanned spacecraft in 2018 that would capture a small asteroid — maybe 7 to 10 yards wide — haul it closer to Earth, then send astronauts up to examine it, in 2021 or beyond.

But the space agency has encountered a stubborn technical problem: Congressional Republicans...[T]he science committee in the Republican-controlled House voted to bar NASA from pursuing that faraway rock. In a straight party vote — 22 Republicans for, 17 Democrats against — the committee laid out a road map for NASA for the next three years that brushed aside the asteroid capture plan, the centerpiece of the Obama administration's agenda for space exploration. The plan, instead, included new marching orders, telling NASA to send astronauts back to the Moon, set up a base there and then aim for Mars (and to do so with less money than requested).


Not only would the asteroid-lasso initiative have astronauts travel to the space rock to conduct mining operations and test technology for missions to Mars—it would allow NASA to research strategies for deflecting future, potentially world-ending asteroids.

In a way, the Times got scooped on this story. By the Onion. More than two years ago:





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http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2013/07/onion-predicts-real-life-republicans-block-nasa-asteroid-lasso-plan
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The Onion Predicts Real Life: Republicans Block NASA's Asteroid Plan (Original Post) n2doc Jul 2013 OP
the party of nihilism phantom power Jul 2013 #1
Well why would we waste money on capturing an asteroid? Chemisse Jul 2013 #2
You have to tell Republicans that the technology Lugal Zaggesi Aug 2013 #3

Chemisse

(30,793 posts)
2. Well why would we waste money on capturing an asteroid?
Wed Jul 31, 2013, 10:49 PM
Jul 2013

When we could instead pretend we went to the moon - and even Mars - for the cost of a Hollywood set or two? Hell, the Republicans could even send us to another solar system for an extra few million!

Also, preventing the earth from being annihilated by a stray asteroid would make Obama look heroic. Space-style lasso in hand, he would be the ultimate cowboy, making Texas Republicans look downright silly (or sillier).

Instead, have Obama do more space exploration, then gripe about the Dems wasting our money on the space program. At the same time, groom the Repub Party's candidates to grab the lasso asteroid idea and make it their own.

 

Lugal Zaggesi

(366 posts)
3. You have to tell Republicans that the technology
Fri Aug 2, 2013, 09:21 AM
Aug 2013

can one day be used to kill Evildoers,

or else they will think it is a waste of Taxpayer Dollars.

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