Trump wanting to end NASA’s funding for ISS in 2025 is no surprise

[GhostZ06]

If you’re a space geek, you may have heard that the Trump Administration is finalizing their plans to end financial support for the International Space Station (ISS) by 2025.

The ISS has more than proven itself as a very useful scientific microgravity test bed for numerous commercial and government experiments, as well as testing how the human body reacts and survives in an almost weightless environment.

For instance, many smaller satellite companies test their products within the ISS to ensure that they function properly once deployed into space in their own orbit. Also, many proposed components that may eventually make their way to be part of the future manned missions are currently being tested on the ISS.

To now hear that the US side of the station will most likely lose its funding it 2025 is disheartening to many, as no viable alternative has been developed to fill the gap. However, there are other factors which paint the ISS in a less than economical light.

LIMITED BUDGET
The biggest problem is that NASA’s budget simply cannot sustain the ISS and also fund future manned missions to the Moon and Mars at the same time. With the development of heavy lifting rockets, the Space Launch System, and the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (for deep space manned missions), the proposed budget changes simply changes the direction that the administration want NASA to take, rather than shutting down their space operations entirely.

Back in early 2017, Buzz Aldrin also said that support for the ISS would need to be discontinued if NASA seriously wanted to send a manned mission to Mars.

AN AGING SPACE STATION
The ISS has been in orbit for over 19 years, and has grown considerably since its launch. As time passes by, the station’s components start to show their age.

For instance, the solar panels which generated 220 kilowatts of power when they were new, are only outputting around 160 kilowatts now due to solar radiation blackening the glass tiles covering the cells. With less power and more modules, energy consumption is slowly becoming a talking point, even though the station is still well below its limits.

Other minor issues such as aging computers and slow internet speeds can also be frustrating as more and more projects and experiments are being hosted on the lab.

Some of the earlier modules themselves are also quite old and are reaching the end of their limited lifespan. As physical components age due to corrosion and degradation, the cost to keep them functional slowly increases over time.

NASA predicted that they could push the station to last as long as 2028, but it would also mean that other partner countries involved would have to agree to the ame, which does not seem to be the case at the moment.

https://www.trymodern.com/3050/trump-iss-funding-2025


another dumb ass idea from a dumb ass man and administration. He needs to increase the nasa budget and make sure there is a replacement for the ISS instead of being a total fucking shit.

 

[Nth-degree]

Didn't he approve an eighteen billion dollar budget for nasa right after he got in office? People at nasa are highly qualified and are in best position to land on their feet without massive amounts of money from the taxpayer. Musk would probably love to hire some of them.

 

[Falsedawn]

I knew this was gonna happen when he went full retard on manned missions to the moon. Now missions that provide tangible long term gains are going to be phased out so we can appeal to the lowest common denominator and do shit we've already done. Oh wait, we're getting inspiration though...

 

[44nutman]

Space is so yesterday. The future is Coal.
#Maga #DraintheSwamp.

 

[Cuauhtemoc]

I'd support a large increase to the NASA budget, but I personally find the ISS underwhelming. Mars is the future.
I'd basically follow this guy's plan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Case_for_Mars
In resume, start by sending robots that can create fuel, shelter and other essentials. Follow it with manned missions that will be able to be light enough since the robots and autonomous machines would have already produced much of what weighs too much to carry back and forth to Mars.
During the first bush administration they made a plan to visit mars but it was so outrageously stupid it was dumped. It consisted in sending giant space ships containing massive amounts of fuel that would need to be assembled in space (LOL) so the crew could go back.

 

[GhostZ06]

I'd support a large increase to the NASA budget, but I personally find the ISS underwhelming. Mars is the future.
I'd basically follow this guy's plan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Case_for_Mars
In resume, start by sending robots that can create fuel, shelter and other essentials. Follow it with manned missions that will be able to be light enough since the robots and autonomous machines would have already produced much of what weighs too much to carry back and forth to Mars.
During the first bush administration they made a plan to visit mars but it was so outrageously stupid it was dumped. It consisted in sending giant space ships containing massive amounts of fuel that would need to be assembled in space (LOL) so the crew could go back.

if he bosted the nasa budget by like 10 or 20b

we could build a replacement

 

[Quinton Overeem]

Trump should just end the NASA. Can't find shit.

 

[LMP]

Our space program is a joke at this point. The richest nation in history can't keep up in the space race. I'm sure if we cut the tax rate on corporations some more we could afford to have nice things, like a space program.

 

[PoundForPound]

Our only hope as humans is to GTFO planet Earth.

The sooner the better.

 

[jonharrison]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but the plan to start defunding the ISS began during GWB’s presidency. The ESA has also expressed concerns about funding, and has talked recently about cutting back their funding as well. In addition, didn’t the Russians cut their crews back from 3 to 2 in order to save money as well? I’m not really sure the blame for this one falls squarely on Trump, I think the ISS has been in danger of budget cuts for more than a decade.

 

[all caps]

I dont need the ISS when I've got Wikipedia

 

[GhostZ06]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but the plan to start defunding the ISS began during GWB’s presidency. The ESA has also expressed concerns about funding, and has talked recently about cutting back their funding as well. In addition, didn’t the Russians cut their crews back from 3 to 2 in order to save money as well? I’m not really sure the blame for this one falls squarely on Trump, I think the ISS has been in danger of budget cuts for more than a decade.

Well the replacement was gonna be a replacement

its basically been sitting because we dont have the funds and a simple 10-20B nasa increase could see this built and it has artificial gravity an the works

 

[GhostZ06]

Our only hope as humans is to GTFO planet Earth.

The sooner the better.

Glad to see a Texas man thinks the same way.

 

[GhostZ06]

Our space program is a joke at this point. The richest nation in history can't keep up in the space race. I'm sure if we cut the tax rate on corporations some more we could afford to have nice things, like a space program.

Yep its pathetic. We could benfit from more space investment by mining the moon and asteroids and see our nations wealth increase 10 fold.

 

[luckyshot]

https://www.trymodern.com/3050/trump-iss-funding-2025


another dumb ass idea from a dumb ass man and administration. He needs to increase the nasa budget and make sure there is a replacement for the ISS instead of being a total fucking shit.

Why do I get the feeling that our great-grand kids are going to look at highways they same way 5th century Britons looked at Roman aqueducts?

 

[PoundForPound]

Glad to see a Texas man thinks the same way.

Howdy neighbor!

 

[Fire Belly]

space elevators are the future!

 

[GhostZ06]

space elevators are the future!

You'd think trumpet would be all of this mega project, but hes not smart enough.

 

[jonharrison]

Well the replacement was gonna be a replacement

its basically been sitting because we dont have the funds and a simple 10-20B nasa increase could see this built and it has artificial gravity an the works

Isn’t that part of the “going back to the moon” plan? Moving a station into deeper space than immediate orbit to serve as a staging base for Mars? I thought that was the purpose of the increase in manned space funding, and the transferring of ISS funds to Moon operations.

 

[GhostZ06]

Isn’t that part of the “going back to the moon” plan? Moving a station into deeper space than immediate orbit to serve as a staging base for Mars? I thought that was the purpose of the increase in manned space funding, and the transferring of ISS funds to Moon operations.

you mean a way point station? not of that size...

That think would have been absolutly huge, you might be thinking of the
Nautilus-X