[pi-err]

You could swap "tech" for "big media" and just play the same blame game for Reagan's and Bush Jr's elections.

> the crown jewels of America’s last century

Including Nasa in this pure idealization of the past. Nasa had many flaws that enabled a catastrophic Shuttle program and then the slow loss of US go-to-LEO capability.

There's probably more to expect of US investment in space without incompetent or contradictory military and political oversight than the current nasa zombie programs.

And it's unclear that Nasa can ever be without that oversight.

[jimbo808]

Do you remember when a President of the United States was impeached for an affair with an adult intern?

Do you remember when a Republican presidential nominee defended his opponent from a racist question at a Republican Rally, calling him a "decent family man?"

--

Then, can you think of a time when a POTUS committed a pump a security he was selling, only to dump it immediately after his inauguration, and it it was barely talked about at at all?

[Yeul]

I wasn't alive but I read about how people made fun of Carter for being a peanut farmer. So much for Americans believing in hard work and salt of the earth! Now they have a NYC property developer.

To understand America do not listen to what they say but watch what they do...

[hopelite]

You may not realize this because the vast majority of people don’t realize it, but there are far deeper things going on with both those situations, i.e., how Reagan became what he did and why Carter was so attacked and for so long. It takes immense understanding of history and geopolitical matters beyond what the system’s education system can impart, which makes it challenging to understand things properly.

Think of it like trying to understand the true origins and nature of the Soviet Union while being in the Soviet Union. Only a few people will even be able to achieve such an understanding and only under immense pressures and significant dangers even without speaking out, just alone for having sought out the truth. You cannot understand the Matrix while being plugged into it.

[IAmGraydon]

[flagged]

[hopelite]

You can keep your abusive language to yourself. It does not work on me. Either you have intention behind your lies or you are simply naive. Either way you are projecting, you can move along. You are dismissed.

[anigbrowl]

You know there are people on HN who come from or live outside the US, right? Instead of ruminating on how incredibly hard it is for mere mortals to understand the historical forces in play, you could just make your attempt at articulating what you think the key drivers were. Granted, a HN comment only allows for so much depth and references to books or academic papers involve work to generate and read, but as it is you've advanced no thesis whatsoever.

[dennis_jeeves2]

>matters beyond what the system’s education system can impart,

Or for most people to absorb.

[h4ck_th3_pl4n3t]

Churchill once said: "Americans will eventually do the right thing, after they've tried every other option."

Kind of fits the current administration's strategy.

[john-h-k]

Okay but doesn’t seem relevant to how effective NASA currently is

[enraged_camel]

[flagged]

[fdorzhensky]

It was factual, it just skipped some steps.

Similarly we could use random phrase associations like:

The episode with golden rain -> facebook manipulation done by private office in St. P. -> elected

It sounds non-factual until you know the story, then you see its extrapolation.

[h4ck_th3_pl4n3t]

Kind of funny that you specifically pointed out the "lying under oath" part. Becaause you know, the initial argument's current POTUS lied under oath, several times, about way more dangerous things.

And he fired the people that did their job at the FBI to investigate him. Out of pure retaliation.

[zoklet-enjoyer]

[flagged]

[pydry]

The shuttle program wasnt what NASA wanted to do, it was the military that pushed for that.

It's ironic that you'd blame them for the thing they didnt want to do.

If theyd kept their budget and autonomy after the moon landing it looked like they wouldve been building reusable rockets like the ones elon is building now, except in like, 1980.

[pi-err]

It's ironic that you didn't read a comment before answering.

> it's unclear that Nasa can ever be without that (military and political) oversight

By design, Nasa is probably doomed to get interference.

> If theyd kept their budget and autonomy after the moon landing it looked like they wouldve been building reusable rockets

Pure fantasy. Nasa's interest for reusable vehicles led them to the Shuttle. Even without all the design changes, it would have been a dud.

Due to its nature, Nasa can't freely explore and commit to a design like SpaceX does/did. It draws a concept and freezes it after contractor review, only to find after an already massive investment if it works. Then there's public accountability instead of executive risk taking.

I'd bet the proper way to have protected Nasa would have been to keep it focused on key scientific missions with limited financial exposure. Mars rovers are a perfect case, or most James Webb.

Using Nasa to go back to the Moon or reach Mars was doomed to fail (sort of like it failed post Apollo).

[pydry]

>Nasa's interest for reusable vehicles led them to the Shuttle

The shuttle was a result of budget cuts they had no control over, military pressure they had no control over AND an interest in reusable spacecraft. The latter wasnt the problem.

The way I see it you are either blaming the organization for something it had no control over or are making an incoherent point in order to disparage the organization. Perhaps you could illuminate a 3rd interpretation of your comment.

[exe34]

Yes, too much oversight is the problem here, not lobbying and self-interest/corruption.