SCIENCE! NASA and the Gov.

[Corbald]

With the recent difficulties that the science community has faced both here in the States and abroad, I wonder if we shouldn't develop a ... simplified ... approach to explaining the process of discovery to our leadership. We must remember that when it comes to... well... anything, we have to explain it like we're talking to children. In that vein, I suggest that NASA (and other space/science agencies) take a page from Squad and start valuing experiments and projects in terms of SCIENCE! points. "Mr. President, with only $1 Billion, we can do 500 SCIENCE!" or, "Mr. Prime Minister, this project would net us over 100 SCIENCE!" would probably work better than actually explaining the benefits. If we then create a list of research programs, all of which we want, which they can 'spend' those SCIENCE! points on, we'd trap them going both ways! "Your Majesty, you can see here that those missiles you want are gonna cost us about 150 SCIENCE!. If we do that Mars mission, you'd easily be able to afford it AND Flying Cars!" Of course, we should take a page from THEM and tack on a few experiments to any category they seem interested in, like a rider on a bill.

Thoughts?

[AlamoVampire]

while that is a nice idea, I can see the nightmare that it would cause: we do not need to get science points people, we are safe here on Earth where it costs less to do even less and with no risks.... it is almost like our leaders fear learning things or changing the status quo :S

[boomerdog2000]

Also generally when you are running the experiment you don't know what will happen, or at least you are unsure of the results. That would be why you are running the experiment.

[Kowbell]

Have you shared this idea with NASA?

Seriously though, I like to envision some guy in a lab coat with glasses walking into the oval office talking to the president while he's facing the other way in a spinny-armchair, saying "Mr. President, if we send this probe to Mars' north pole, we will collect enough science points (Science bucks? Science cash? Science shekels, maybe?) to build the world's biggest rocket EVER. Plus, we would have enough left over to create satellite dishes that replace North Korea's news stations with slideshows of kittens!" Then, it cuts to the president (who has a biomechanical arm and one red, glowing eye) saying, "Do it."

Then some guys at NASA jump up and do a sick high-five, and it cuts to a montage of spaceship building, launching, and orbiting, a big rocket, and a Korean family gathered around a television, watching slideshows of cats, all while Danger Zone plays in the background.

Now just right a four-hundred page college dissertation about it, and hope it gets through to congress.

[Corbald]

Kowbell, you hit the nail on the head. That's exactly the sort of thing I was imagining.

[Chrisd857]

Have you shared this idea with NASA?

Seriously though, I like to envision some guy in a lab coat with glasses walking into the oval office talking to the president while he's facing the other way in a spinny-armchair, saying "Mr. President, if we send this probe to Mars' north pole, we will collect enough science points (Science bucks? Science cash? Science shekels, maybe?) to build the world's biggest rocket EVER. Plus, we would have enough left over to create satellite dishes that replace North Korea's news stations with slideshows of kittens!" Then, it cuts to the president (who has a biomechanical arm and one red, glowing eye) saying, "Do it."

Then some guys at NASA jump up and do a sick high-five, and it cuts to a montage of spaceship building, launching, and orbiting, a big rocket, and a Korean family gathered around a television, watching slideshows of cats, all while Danger Zone plays in the background.

Now just right a four-hundred page college dissertation about it, and hope it gets through to congress.

Sounds like this would make a pretty good Episode of "It's Hardly Rocket Science".

[Corbald]

Writers of IHRS. I would be honored!

[Spartwo]

Resources 'Nuf said.

[pat8996]

I think that if this happened, The US Gov would be in more dent than it is already. In other words i think its a BAD idea.

[Kowbell]

pat, don't look at it like that.

Look at it like we're already too far, and the only way to go is down.

All great empires fall to changing culture/static government, foreign pressure, weak leaders, and poor fiscal responsibility.