Pre-holiday issues of American space exploration
By a strange coincidence, at a time when the whole world celebrates the anniversary of the first flight into space by Yu.A. Gagarin, in the United States is slowly developing another round of cosmic hysteria. However, this time it is far from successful, as it was 40-50 years ago. The decommissioning of reusable space shuttles was the impetus for increasing public attention to the prospects of American space exploration. And, as it turned out, her future is far from being the most rosy, in any case, just such an opinion is becoming more and more common.
It so happened that in the US space industry, especially in the Space Center. J.F. Kennedy, there are a large number of people who are truly passionate about their work. And those who have no ideological background in their work, are still proud of the achievements of the whole country in space, of the flights to the moon and of the exploration of the solar system. In general, the picture is nice looking and promising. But ... On April 1, American television showed the story on 60 minutes, which can hit the first impression very badly. As it turned out, the very Cosmic coast of Florida, the pride of American industry and technology, is currently beginning to gain momentum in a very unpleasant area. Unemployment is simply growing there.
The reason for these social upheavals was the collapse of a number of programs and cuts in funding for space exploration. Some analysts believe that the fate of several thousand people was so peculiarly and indirectly influenced by the collapse of the Soviet Union. The fact is that at the very beginning of the nineties, the advantage of the United States in the space field was such that proposals began to sound a little "hold back the horses." And now there is no one to compete with, and money can be spent on other spheres. As a result, the steps taken by George Bush Sr. to reduce military spending and increase allocations for space exploration did not receive a decent continuation. On the contrary, at first the Clinton administration attained a reduction in space investments and even threatened to close some areas. Then George W. Bush had more important problems, therefore with him the attitude of the authorities to the space program remained almost unchanged. The last American president - B. Obama - over the past years has managed to implement several initiatives aimed at saving money. And what is the most annoying, the American space suffered from this economy.
It is noteworthy that the reduction in funding occurred precisely when reusable shuttles were decommissioned. They should be replaced by a new vehicle, but the money for its creation, it seems, will have to be sought, what is called, on the bottom of the barrel. Of course, if the next president does not return the old priority to the space program and does not raise funding. But not the fact that a simple increase in the amount of money allocated will have the expected consequences. Thus, one of the leaders of the American space program, M. Olbrecht, sees a threat to the future of his industry in a number of features of the American system. For example, the staff of state institutions is overblown and does not allow to make decisions correctly and distribute funds. In private companies, things are no better - they are accustomed to the state of the state apparatus and have learned how to use it. In the space industry a lot of money is spinning, and this is a good lure for various bad characters. As a result, corruption, theft and unfair competition begins. It can hardly be called good conditions for the development of astronautics.
To get out of the incipient crisis, it is necessary to change and optimize the bureaucratic machine, which, frankly speaking, can only close the programs or open them. As practice shows, the comparison of existing ones, their processing, etc. officials of the American space industry are given with great difficulty. Without changes, the current unpleasant situation will only get worse, to the point where nothing can be corrected. Currently, the former US championship in the space industry is gradually eroding. For example, over the past year 2011, Americans conducted 17 successful launches. Russia, in turn, implemented 28. It is unlikely that in 2012 or 2013, the situation could change dramatically in favor of the United States.
It should be noted that the lag in the space industry can not only lead to a loss in numerical terms. Astronautics, being a fusion of the most advanced technologies, not only uses, but also creates and develops them. Accordingly, with a poorly developed space industry, a single country can lose in all those areas that appear and are used in space programs. It turns out that insufficient attention to space can slow down the development of many other spheres.
But it's not just about economics and technology. There is also a moral side. Former Congressman B. DeLay believes that the wrong approach to space exploration will have a very unpleasant effect on many other things. In particular, the rejection of aspirations in the still little-studied area, even if located a short distance from the home planet, will deprive people of motivation. They may stop striving for something and close themselves on what they already have. And this is contrary to the very nature of man, which, undoubtedly, will cause many other troubles. If the desire for new things and knowledge remains and is strongly encouraged, then after the flights into space, industry, economics, and even consumer services will be pulled up. In the end, many people will have a dream again. Unattainable, while unattainable. Probably, for the sake of this, it is worthwhile to thoroughly shake up the bureaucrats and restore order in the region.
The order will direct the Americans. In fact, their space program and they deal with it. But other space powers should pay attention to the problems of the United States. Pay attention and take into account, in order not to repeat American mistakes.
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