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From: eugene@ames.UUCP (Eugene Miya)
Newsgroups: net.misc,net.politics,net.space
Subject: Re: SPACE Issues in the Election
Message-ID: <626@ames.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 8-Nov-84 17:43:13 EST
Article-I.D.: ames.626
Posted: Thu Nov  8 17:43:13 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 11-Nov-84 19:41:43 EST
References: <882@ihuxp.UUCP> <203@mouton.UUCP>
Organization: NASA-Ames Research Center, Mtn. View, CA
Lines: 30


Hum?  Funny, I don't feel like I got slapped.  That's okay, it happens
everyday.

Others have given a pretty good defense on space issues.  I won't repeat them.
First, NASA is not part, and never was part of the DOD.  We are the civlian
space agency, and sometimes we bend over backward to prove it. [I like the
road-defense analogy.]  Second, a lot of people formerly with the DOD do
work for NASA, but I can assure you that I would not be working with NASA
if there were not people like Carl Sagan and their ideal.

I have begun working with Tom Ackermann (one of the five authors of the Nuclear
Winter study).  NASA potentially gives a lot of hope, and a technological
alternative to working with the DOD.  In recent years, our budgets have
been cut heavily.  There is also talk of putting NASA and NIH, USGS, NIH,
and other science-oriented offices into a single Cabinent office ala MITI.
This could be bad for NASA (I am uncertain, too many variables).

As for the candidates: I voted for Mondale/Ferraro [grudgingly].  Mondale
could no more abolish NASA that Reagan could disposed of the DOE (although
he came close).  I am concerned about the future of the country as well
as the world, but with inflation and the cost of living in Si Valley
going up as well as the budget deficit, I have begun considering taking
a position in Japan [perhaps with MITI, or ICOT, or the Japanese space
agency].  Hell! what's the purpose of idealism anyway?

--eugene miya
  NASA Ames Res. Ctr.
  {hplabs,ihnp4,dual,hao,vortex}!ames!aurora!eugene
  emiya@ames-vmsb.ARPA