NASA's false hope

Dear Editor,Michael Griffin, who was chosen by Bush in 2005 to be the 11th NASA Administrator, submitted his resignation due to the new President, which was chosen to be accepted. Griffin wants to replace the shuttle fleet with the Ares-Orion Spacecraft although critics inside and outside the agency disagree with the idea. Griffin feels the shuttles are unsafe and all will be retired by 2010. He also thinks NASA should establish a permanent presence on the moon and go to Mars. Replacing the shuttle for safety is a logical thing to do, but stating NASA should establish a permanent presence on the moon and go to Mars is far-fetched. Doing such a task would take 14 months round-trip, and man could never survive the solar radiation. The only material that can block it is lead, and due to its weight, no rocket of any kind could lift the amount that is necessary. Radiation is the reason why the space shuttle never went to the moon and never will. NASA is well aware that solar radiation will prohibit any real trip to Mars by man, but false hope is given that we could truly go to Mars, when in actuality, probability is highly unlikely. NASA just wants our government to give large amounts of money to spend as they please. - Mike Sandoval, Downey ********** Published: January 23, 2009 - Volume 7 - Issue 40