SLS might get a new name and take funding from Earth science programs

[Frybert]

I nominate 'Vapor'.

[CptRichardson]

Remember, the United States has a crippling debt that won't leave for a very long time. I support President Obama in creating budget cuts to minimise the effects of the debt but more should be done. A part of that does mean cutting the money for NASA... mental debates of a conservative space loving individual... oh SLS, please work.

The US literally has people PAYING to hold its debt. Like, all of the country's debt is making money rather than costing money from the stupidly low interest rates. And, the only reason the debt is so high is because of a certain president who's name starts with a 'B' and ends with an 'H' deciding to go on ill-advised land war in asia while... cutting the taxes that are supposed to pay for it. Turns out, cutting government services is the worst possible thing you can do in a recession/economic crisis, as the government is the only one who has the resources to invest in the market at times.

So, no. Not crippling debt, and it's only bad because the government won't pay money to make much, much more money.

[Mr Shifty]

Remember, the United States has a crippling debt that won't leave for a very long time.

Less politically charged than the last poster: the US government has had a debt since the 1840's. It doesn't seem to have crippled us much for the last 175 years. I don't suspect it'll ever be much of a problem in the future. I'm also fairly sanguine about the SLS. It's hard to see the point of it, but I suspect we'll all be pretty excited about whatever it is NASA finds to do with it. I think sticking with Greek/Roman gods seems appropriate. Why not Athena I or Artemis I?

[Kibble]

Athena I or Artemis I?

Athena I is already the name of an active US orbital launch vehicle.

[CelticCossack51]

Oi, what about the Egyptian deities? Ra 1, Horus 1, Anubis 1, Hathor 1, Hapi 1?

[Bill Phil]

Less politically charged than the last poster: the US government has had a debt since the 1840's. It doesn't seem to have crippled us much for the last 175 years. I don't suspect it'll ever be much of a problem in the future. I'm also fairly sanguine about the SLS. It's hard to see the point of it, but I suspect we'll all be pretty excited about whatever it is NASA finds to do with it. I think sticking with Greek/Roman gods seems appropriate. Why not Athena I or Artemis I?

The debt wasn't very large until the 80s, though...

And for those who say space is expensive, you are correct. But the Vietnam War cost more per year than the Apollo Program did...

[StrandedonEarth]

Oi, what about the Egyptian deities? Ra 1, Horus 1, Anubis 1, Hathor 1, Hapi 1?

Having read Wilbur Smith's "Taita" novels (River God, Warlock, The Quest) I could get behind some Egyptian names. Horus, (or Akh-Horus, brother of Horus) has a nice ring to it. Hapi might be appropriate for SLS, because I believe she was the goddess associated with hippos

[Robotengineer]

Having read Wilbur Smith's "Taita" novels (River God, Warlock, The Quest) I could get behind some Egyptian names. Horus, (or Akh-Horus, brother of Horus) has a nice ring to it. Hapi might be appropriate for SLS, because I believe she was the goddess associated with hippos

Hapi Hippo Launch System? In all seriousness, Egyptian mythology would never catch on for naming launch systems.

[vger]

Ted Cruz, antiscience senator, is in control of NASA funding. Of course he doesn't like the political implications of the climate science program, so he's putting it to "better" efforts.

Like it even matters. Science has already proven climate change a few dozen times. Nothing short of being incinerated by the sun is going to convince the conservatives.

[Darnok]

Like it even matters. Science has already proven climate change a few dozen times. Nothing short of being incinerated by the sun is going to convince the conservatives.

Nobody is saying climate is not changing, just it is natural not caused by us.

Sun doesn't have to increase its "power" to heat Earth more, Earths magnetic field may be getting weaker and more different types of radiation is heating Earth.

Earth's magnetic field is changing in other ways, too: Compass needles in Africa, for instance, are drifting about 1 degree per decade. And globally the magnetic field has weakened 10% since the 19th century.

http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/lookingatearth/29dec_magneticfield.html

10% is enough to increase temperature on Earth for few degrees by 100 years?

Oi, what about the Egyptian deities? Ra 1, Horus 1, Anubis 1, Hathor 1, Hapi 1?

Spear of Ra

EDIT:

Forgot about ozone layer? Does UV light has any energy that would increase Earths temperature? How long there was very thin or no ozone layer?

Edited May 14, 2015 by Darnok

[Robotengineer]

Like it even matters. Science has already proven climate change a few dozen times. Nothing short of being incinerated by the sun is going to convince the conservatives.

I think we have our first candidates for a human comet...

[Vanamonde]

Wait... what... ? How did we get to climate change? Please, guys, let's get back to talking about the SLS itself.

[xenomorph555]

As for my opinions of this topic, I believe the SLS is slowly turning into another shuttle (massive budget drain that kills off other projects). Hopefully the NASA budget doesn't suddenly drop with a new president or they may be forced to cancel more programs (like deep space probes).

As for the name it's none of my business since I'm not American but hopefully it's not from Congress.

[basic.syntax]

Mods: folks got to climate worries, because the OP story links SLS program changes, to possible cuts in earth science programs. It was inevitable

That said, check out this article today on Ars Technica

Solid fuel boosters, not liquid, will likely launch NASA’s giant SLS rocket

Detractors of the long-running program jokingly refer to it as the "Senate Launch System" due to the government's spreading of SLS-related contracts...

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

I'm sad about this. :cry:

[Silver_Swift]

Hapi Hippo Launch System? In all seriousness, Egyptian mythology would never catch on for naming launch systems.

How about Norse mythology? Bifrost I, Jurmungandr I, Ratatoskr I...

(You could drop the final r if it sounds to foreign).

Edited May 15, 2015 by Silver_Swift

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

"Big emptyness up goer system"?

[Wesreidau]

The only thing worse than "no politics" rules are threads full of coy political jabs based on nonsense and the sense that correcting them would attract a moderator. So there's my coy political post in what is fundamentally a political thread following the OP's lead. I'm so glad everyone appears to agree.