[X] My Assistant

[djellison]

Just listening to the MRO conference. Highlights included...

1) 5.4 Mbits is the highest MRO data rate (not the 4 I thought)
2) An extra 50-ish KG of fuel puts it's low-altitude orbit life thru to the next decade.
3) MTO HAS BEEN CANCELLED

What the HELL!

They say that MSL can still do its mission with just MRO as it's relay capacity will suffice.

But that means less science data during an MRO extension

Seems a bit short sighted.

Doug

[dvandorn]

Oh, and for mini-TES' question -- Bruce was referring to a comment made by President Dwight Eisenhower late in his term. He gave a speech in which he sounded a warning against simply giving what he called the "military-industrial complex" everything it wanted simply because it wanted it. He pointed out that the large aerospace companies (they were mostly just airplane manufacturers back then), and all the companies that built tanks and guns and ships, had a very narrow world-view that *required* you to believe you were going to fight one major war and several smaller skirmishes every generation. That belief was their reason for existence, so they believed it very strongly.

They still do.

-the other Doug

[MiniTES]

Oh, and for mini-TES' question -- Bruce was referring to a comment made by President Dwight Eisenhower late in his term.  He gave a speech in which he sounded a warning against simply giving what he called the "military-industrial complex" everything it wanted simply because it wanted it.  He pointed out that the large aerospace companies (they were mostly just airplane manufacturers back then), and all the companies that built tanks and guns and ships, had a very narrow world-view that *required* you to believe you were going to fight one major war and several smaller skirmishes every generation.  That belief was their reason for existence, so they believed it very strongly.

I understand what the complex is - I was asking what Bruce meant by saying "both the White House and Congress -- isn't even seriously pretending anymore that the manned space program has any real justification other than continuing to feed the Aerospace/Industrial Complex," whether someone in the White House or Congress had said something to the effect of "science is secondary".