this post was submitted on 18 Feb 2024
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US concerned NASA will be overtaken by China's space program::undefined

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[โ€“] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

To be fair, it's not as if those things are mutually-exclusive. For example, you know how the Hubble Space Telescope is this extremely unique and nigh-irreplaceable scientific instrument that cost a pretty big fraction of NASA's entire budget?

Well, it turns out we actually have dozens of the damn things; it's just that we couldn't be bothered to actually point more than one of them away from Earth instead of towards it.

Hell, a decade ago the National Reconnaissance Office gave NASA a couple for free 'cause they just had 'em lying around, but (as far as I know) NASA hasn't managed to scrounge up enough money from the couch cushions to spruce 'em up and launch 'em yet.

[โ€“] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago

They certainly don't have to be, but there is a well established pattern of the US government getting waaay too chummy with corporations to the point that it can undermine what's best for the people in pursuit of corporate interests.