The Trump admin wants to turn the International Space Station into a commercially run venture...

[DonViejo]

Source: The Washington Post




The Trump administration wants to turn the International Space Station into a commercially run venture, NASA document shows.

By Christian Davenport February 11 at 11:34 AM Email the author

The White House plans to stop funding the station after 2024, ending direct federal support of the orbiting laboratory. But it does not intend to abandon the orbiting laboratory altogether and is working on a transition plan that could turn the station over to the private sector, according to an internal NASA document obtained by The Washington Post.

“The decision to end direct federal support for the ISS in 2025 does not imply that the platform itself will be deorbited at that time — it is possible that industry could continue to operate certain elements or capabilities of the ISS as part of a future commercial platform,” the document states. “NASA will expand international and commercial partnerships over the next seven years in order to ensure continued human access to and presence in low Earth orbit.”

In its budget request, to be released Monday, the administration would request $150 million in fiscal year 2019, with more in additional years “to enable the development and maturation of commercial entities and capabilities which will ensure that commercial successors to the ISS —potentially including elements of the ISS — are operational when they are needed.”

The plan to privatize the station is likely to run into a wall of opposition, especially because the United States has spent nearly $100 billion to build and operate it. Last week, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) said he hoped recent reports of NASA’s decision to end funding of the station “prove as unfounded as Bigfoot.” He said the decision was the result of “numbskulls” at the Office of Management and Budget.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2018/02/11/the-trump-administration-wants-to-turn-the-international-space-station-into-a-commercially-run-venture/

[CanonRay]

1. Trump Hotel-Space?

[underpants]

4. I think they got confused - ISS looks a lot like ISIS

When Ted Cruz calls you a "numbskull" you know that's bad.

[Liberalagogo]

12. Well...

it does take one to know one, after all.

[longship]

5. Yup! Drumpf Tower, LEO.

(Low Earth Orbit)

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

15. A big old "Trump" sign visible from earth

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. You know things are bad when Ted Cruz is the brains of the outfit.

Wait; didn't his father kill Kennedy? Well, he SAYS he didn't do it. I guess that's one of those unfounded allegations that nice people don't go around spreading.

[bucolic_frolic]

3. Safety becomes secondary to the profit motive

[Lonestarblue]

6. I can see it now!

1. The Trump Galaxy Hotel and Trump Intergalactic Condos (mostly to house nasty Democrats)
2. Forced deportation of all illegal aliens to the Trump Space Prison to work for free to manufacture his and Ivanka’s clothing lines
3. Trump patents for all results of space experiments
4. Free one-way, all expenses paid excursions for legimate news reporters

Of course, the space station does not belong solely to the U.S., although I doubt that Trump even knows this. The space agencies of Europe, Russia, and Japan might have something to say about commercialization since they shared in the costs of development.

[shraby]

8. What you said Lonestar. It doesn't belong to the U.S.

That's what the "International" means. It's a joint effort by several countries.

[notdarkyet]

14. My daughter spent a year in Italy in partnership on the iss pod harmony,which was named by school

Children. It’s launch from cape canaveral and attachment to the iss was delayed over a year because of the crash of Columbia. So even Italy was a part of building the iss. After Columbia, the only way to get there for any scientists, refueling, suppliesor or astronauts was Russian rockets. Without the Russians there would be no iss right now. Just another part of international cooperation like the Paris accord. We don’t believe in cooperation, trump wants it all, its all his. Hopefully he will die or end up in a nursing home.

[onecaliberal]

7. Once they pay the America. Taxpayer back for every cent spent on it to date.

[shraby]

9. No, once we pay them for what they've spent. We would have to buy the other

countries out in order to do what we want with it. I seriously doubt they would be amenable.

[onecaliberal]

10. Yes all countries paid but so did WE.

[turbinetree]

11. Hey Cruz did you or did you not help confirm that twit in the Budget Office?

And as a solution to have you voted out of office. we have this:

https://betofortexas.com/





November 2018 cannot get here fast enough

[Thyla]

13. This can be safely filed into the

Not going to happen pile. Not Trumps decision to make.
Or as I alluded to in another thread this is Russia pulling his strings again.

[TheMastersNemesis]

16. Like Every Thing Else Sell To The Lowest Bidder.

Our parks, our oil, our infrastructure, our country et al to all the GOP Trump cronies to make trillions of dollars on charge working stiffs to pay dearly.

[Deb]

17. Republicans are becoming Dreamers

[Nitram]

18. The Trump administration is nothing but a satire of American Democracy.

And no one is laughing.