I think several of the main problems with NASA are: -- it has become heavily politicized; -- too much of what it does has been subjugated to the needs of military and intelligence programs, leaving little resources left over for doing basic science; -- a series of administrators with no real vision or imagination (or worse, the ill-fated "better, faster, cheaper") have largely left NASA reduced to doing what's "safe".
To be fair, much of the fault lies with Congress, which has repeatedly cut NASA's budget to the bone. But on the whole, I don't think NASA has made effective use of what budget it has since the end of the Apollo program. There have been big successes, Hubble among them, but there have been few real advances, and the Shuttle has been a hugely expensive, slow-to-turn-around boondoggle that has never lived up to the promises made for it.
I'm hoping the civilian space program will turn at least some of that around by showing what can be done when the doers aren't fettered with bureaucracy and government mandates.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2004-10-03 11:18 am (UTC)-- it has become heavily politicized;
-- too much of what it does has been subjugated to the needs of military and intelligence programs, leaving little resources left over for doing basic science;
-- a series of administrators with no real vision or imagination (or worse, the ill-fated "better, faster, cheaper") have largely left NASA reduced to doing what's "safe".
To be fair, much of the fault lies with Congress, which has repeatedly cut NASA's budget to the bone. But on the whole, I don't think NASA has made effective use of what budget it has since the end of the Apollo program. There have been big successes, Hubble among them, but there have been few real advances, and the Shuttle has been a hugely expensive, slow-to-turn-around boondoggle that has never lived up to the promises made for it.
I'm hoping the civilian space program will turn at least some of that around by showing what can be done when the doers aren't fettered with bureaucracy and government mandates.