I've been seeing hate on NASA lately, being bought into by leftists even, and I just want to point out something very important:

Musk has hated NASA for a *long* time. There is a reason it is being attacked, and a reason public opinion is being swayed against NASA: It *keeps SpaceX in line* more than anything else.

NASA is being seen as "competition" to SpaceX, as the obstacle in his way. It has been like this for quite some time, and now, with DOGE and other things, he can do something about it.

I would like to point out a few things:

1. SPACEX IS NOT CHEAPER
They boast they can "do what NASA does for 10% the cost!" Sure, it's easy when you did none of the R&D.
SpaceX saved on:
Landing tech: DC-X project in 1991-1996
Tank structure: Shuttle SLWT tank, 1998-2011
Merlin Engines: direct descendant of the Fastrac Engine, 1997-2001.

Those three things alone saved SpaceX over 90% of the R&D costs. It's easy to "appear" cheap when you're using off the shelf tech someone else (NASA!) developed.

2. NASA IS GREAT FOR THE ECONOMY!
For every $1 spent on NASA, $8 is put into economy. Its stupid to not invest in that kind of ROI! 800%! At times, its ROI Has been 1600%!

Simply put, if you defund NASA, the economy would shrink so much you would actually have to RAISE taxes to make up for the lost revenue, and without its existence we would be 30 years behind in technology and the quality of life for everyone would be much lower. Science and research is GOOD for society, it's the fuel for all progress.

3. WHAT HAS NASA DONE FOR ME?! (Surely you just mean NASA is good for tech & science folk....)

Nope! Good for all!
Ever have an MRI or CAT Scan? They wouldn't exist without the Apollo program! The software that made them possible was originally written to analyze lunar photography.

Low power digital x-Rays was planetary body research.

Heart pumps are modeled after space shuttle turbopumps.

The software that designed your car was originally written to design spacecraft!

Who do you think pioneered all the early research into alternative power like solar panels, hydrogen fuel cells, and durable batteries? NASA!

NASA developed tech and satellites is also what improves agricultural yields while reducing the needs for water, fertilizer, and pesticides.

Do you really think Musk gives two shits? No. He wants the money, he wants to let SpaceX run amok without any oversight for safety, without any "competition".

All fights are important, but do realise that this one is a huge thorn in his side, and one that is keeping a huge problem from ballooning and swallowing us all whole.

Do not be fooled or swayed by lies, of tactics meant to divide, of things being done to make you be angry at NASA. If he can make you hate NASA, he won.

Expect far more space junk to fall, the night sky to be ruined by satellites, and the loss of all things good that proper research and design does for humanity and gives back to the world. Not to mention: enjoy seeing the horrible things he can accomplish fully unchecked.

ETA: Now that you know, call / fax / email your senators and reps, and whatever else too! Boosting gets people thinking, but thinking is not action!

#SpaceX #nasa #space #earth #science #technology

@sunguramy The people who are hating on #NASA are intentionally ignorant. NASA has made countless discoveries and accomplishments. NASA also provides more than just economic activity at multiples times it's cost. It has benefited human beings globally. If NASA is privatized or cancelled then all of humanity will be harmed.

#SpaceX also has many accomplishments. They didn't just use "off the shelf" technology. They have innovated at well too. Reusable rockets and spacecraft, and the automation that enables it are a fantastic innovation that enables spaces exploration and activities, for a much lower cost.

#ElonMusk is a horrible person and absolutely an evil oligarch. However there are thousands of people at SpaceX who are advancing science, engineering, and discovery who DO NOT have the last name of Musk.

Don't let your well deserved hatred of Elon Musk cloud your interpretation of reality!

@nicholasr @sunguramy nah, fuck SpaceX wholly and completely. it's like being a cop: all cops are fascists, even the "good" ones, because the "good" cops are tamely complicit with the bad ones. the overall effect of SpaceX on the world has been an unmitigated disaster, one that's getting worse as we speak, and if those scientists and engineers wanted to practice their trade they could have gone somewhere other than SpaceX. nobody MADE them join forces with a fascist man-baby who could easily have been seen for the fraud he was at any point in his career. but nope, those same scientists and engineers thought that the fascist man-baby could make them rich beyond the dreams of avarice, and so they succumbed to corruption.

fuck #SpaceX. it would have been better if they'd never existed.

@nicholasr (and cheap reusable rockets are ideal for polluting Earth orbit with overwhelming amounts of corporate and military hardware, not "space exploration" as you ridiculously claim)
@mxchara so by this logic, we as humans should not launch any rockets for any purpose. No satellites, no space exploration...
@nicholasr I refuse to treat with such a comical fallacy. come back when you have a logical riposte
@mxchara your maximalist binary thinking is a big part of the reason why there is so much division, strife, and wars in the world. The universe is not binary. The human experience also not binary.

Not all cops are fascists. Some are. Some law enforcement departments are filled with fascists, racists, misogynists, and liars who are extremely biased and commit crimes themselves.

However if we didn't have laws, police, prosecutors, and the ability to enforce laws and rules, then the chance increases exponentially for one of the millions of lizard brain humans to severely harm or kill you because they want something you have or they simply don't like you.

I totally agree #ElonMusk is liar and fascist. Musk is also a racist and misogynist. I also agree #SpaceX is not perfect, has made mistakes, sometimes intentional mistakes, and harmed humans and this planet. SpaceX has also improved the world as well too. Just look at #Starlink and it's benefits to humanity. The universe is not binary.

@sunguramy
@nicholasr are you vested in Elon Musk, in some fashion? do you hope, directly or indirectly, to profit by the destruction wrought by SpaceX?
@nicholasr btw you know that cops commit crimes, right? and that they want crime to increase? they don't actually have much interest in solving or reducing crime

@nicholasr also I might as well point out that pretending loudly and plaintively that I am "maximalist" (whatever you mean by that, if indeed the word means anything from you but an emotional outburst) and "binarist" (I am not) AND that my imaginary traits of "binarism" and "maximalism" are the cause of all human unhappiness isn't just a pile of logical fallacies, it's an astonishing unwillingness to engage with the actual point: SpaceX has been an objectively destructive force on Earth.

I hurt your feelings and now you're flailing pathetically in an attempt to hurt mine. I consider my point to be made, because you obviously have no valid response to it.

@[email protected] The base of their reusable rocket tech is actually also from NASA, but sure, pimp for billionaires in it to make money, who treat their employees like utter shit, and horde any benefits instead of sharing. LOL. Blocked.
@sunguramy I am NOT pimping for billionaires. Where did I "pimp" for billionaires? You need to read again how I describe Musk.

And block me because I have a different perspective or opinion than you? Keep living in that information bubble....