“Y2Kyoto: Great Moments In Rocket Surgery,” as spotted by Kate of Small Dead Animals:
“In your judgment, what is the core mission of NASA?” Cruz asked.
“Our core mission from the very beginning has been to investigate, explore space and the Earth environment, and to help us make this place a better place,” Bolden said. NASA studies everything from the depths of the oceans to the solar energy coming into the Earth’s atmosphere.
Cruz pushed back against the “Earth” part of NASA’s mission. “Almost any American would agree that the core function of NASA is to explore space,” he said. “That’s what inspires little boys and little girls across this country.”
“I am concerned that NASA in the current environment has lost its full focus on that core mission.”
Bolden defended spending more money on Earth science activities, saying he is “proud” of it since it’s led to a greater understanding of the planet.
“We can’t go anywhere if the Kennedy Space Center goes underwater and we don’t know it — and that’s understanding our environment,” Bolden said, in a clear reference to global warming-related sea level rise.
Damn budget cutbacks; I remember when NASA used to receive better telemetry from their rockets. I’d like to think in the old days, if a Saturn V or Space Shuttle suddenly went underwater, NASA would know about it. Perhaps it’s finally time to disband the sclerotic, elderly agency and put it out of its misery and ours. Wouldn’t that also help reduce global warming?
Besides, isn’t all of NASA’s “global warming” “research” all for naught these days, anyhow? As Steve Goddard noted on January 10, 2013:
On January 17, 2009 – NASA’s James Hansen told us that Obama had only four years to save the planet. The clock is ticking, as Obama only has seven days remaining to rescue the Earth.
Of course, Goddard made his observation the same week that Al Gore declared Mission Accomplished on the decades old global warming project anyhow, by cashing in his chips to the oil rich, terrorist-funding state of Qatar.
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