Park said sending DSCOVR to the L1 gravitational balance point is "the most important thing we could be doing in space right now." Park pressed for the mission to proceed in a New York Times op-ed piece earlier this year, and several other articles have bemoaned DSCOVR's descent into limbo.
LAUNCH IT! The entire approach america takes to space research needs to be retooled. It's broken. NASA's broken. The appropriations process is broken. I'd say the private sector offers some hope of salvation, but it's minimal... there's not much value in sending up climate satellites to a private firm. And reading some of these articles, even advancements in launch technology that reduce it's cost tremendously wouldn't really mean much. We won't even let other countries launch the thing for FREE. Granted, the last 6 years, under W and a Republican't controlled congress with a bullshit war on, have been among the worst for anything to do with basic science and far more so if there's a hint of politicality to it. Has "global warming" ever shown up in any document discussing this project? Scrap it. I'm so used to it, even the outrage has dimmed. |