Why NASA Needs to Change - for America to Have a Chance in Space

It costs NASA $65 million per astronaut to launch them into space but a private company can do the same job for $20 million (and still make money.) That would benefit America’s private entrepreneurs, the taxpayer benefits and so does our economy. It would also produce more flying opportunities for astronauts then the present course.

It would take NASA nearly another decade to build the Constellation on the course started under the Bush administration, which allowed a 5-year gap from Shuttle retirement to its replacement vehicle (which it failed to fully fund.) Ten years is way too late for America to truly compete in the present world of space-faring nations. Europe, India, China, Japan, Russia – all are racing past today’s NASA which does business at a snail’s pace.

The reality is that our only hope to maintain a lead is for private companies to become major space players. We have to change our approach to space – from government led to privately led.

Time is not our friend and we have to make up for lost time. Only the private sector can do it faster-better-cheaper than a lumbering government or Fortune 500 bureaucracy that needs reorganizing to compete. Instead of picking a simple design to replace the Shuttle, NASA chose a slow, complex design that was so thin that it vibrated dangerously on its first test, requiring more years of redesign, tests, meetings, etc.

NASA could have chosen a simpler, quicker design to replace the Shuttle - using the existing shuttle tank and solid-rocket boosters – with a crew compartment on top – but rejected it. It chose the pondering, slow approach.

In the meantime, private entrepreneurs managed to put SpaceShipOne on the edge of space for a mere $10 million! At $20 million, the Falcon 9 will cost 1/3 of a NASA launch. Each Shuttle launch cost $500 million! All this proves that entrepreneurs can make safe vehicles that get the job done for less.

Do you think NASA, or even Boeing, could have built SpaceShipOne for only $10 million?

I grew up as the space age began and I will always be a NASA supporter – I live only five minutes from the Houston JSC. But as someone who has worked with technology issues worldwide from the 1970’s I believe that NASA needs to restructure just like many American Fortune 500 companies have done for America to have a chance at competing with a world of space-faring nations.

I believe that more astronauts will get a chance to fly if we use private launch vehicles than would have a chance at NASA. Right now, none of them will get to fly for ten years – and then only a tiny handful. I’d like to see us get from today’s Falcon 9 to tomorrow’s “Millennium Falcon” of Star Wars fame.

People are focusing on building one particular vehicle, the Constellation, instead of finding the cheapest, fastest technology to accomplish a mission to go to Mars involving our best private minds and money.

Our space program should not to just build a Constellation rocket in Florida. It will take American entrepreneurship in space to make up for lost time. It begins with transport but the next phase will be space manufacturing and even tourism. We need it to keep out technical edge.

The President is right on this one – private companies are needed to transport America into 21^st Century lead in space. Space is the ultimate high ground. It costs too much and takes too long to get there with the present NASA.

We aren’t going to lead the space race without the American entrepreneurs making it a faster, cheaper, profitable -- and accessible to the many instead of the few.

The Potential of a Nuclear Terrorist Attack – Real Even Before 9/11

April 12, 2010

Global American Series

The Potential of a Nuclear Terrorist Attack – Real Even Before 9/11

In 1994, after the failed bombing the New York World Trade Center –which killed about six people – I produced a TV program about the potential for a nuclear terrorist attack on the United States (link to Part 1 can be found at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfRE-JkUSRg

Copies of this video were made available to VP-Elect Dick Cheney (and the next majority leader, Tom DeLay) in January 2001 – nine months before 9/11. Yet despite an August memo to the President warning of a possible terrorist attack, no action was taken. No one called and asked: "What the hell is THAT about?" No one asked anything. Yet everyone was "shocked, shocked" that 9/11 happened. For anyone with any global experience, it was obvious.

My theory of a nuclear terrorist attack was wrong only in that I assumed it would be Saddam Hussain who carried it out. It’ s now obvious that Al Qaida – which was forming the same year the video was made – is the most likely to seek, buy and trigger a nuclear terrorist bomb.

With President Obama’s Nuclear Terrorism Summit today, for the first time we have had a President call for global action on the worst possible scenario that has been largely ignored in the past decade – the threat of nuclear terrorism on U.S. soil.

My scenario involved a missile fired from a ship, but even more likely is a criminal gang stealing one and selling it to someone like AL Qaida, which uses it on a major U.S. city like Washington DC or New York as the President said today.

My book on the potential attack on the U.S. using a nuclear device was based on facts: thousands of nukes loose after the fall of the Soviet Union, unlocked uranium storage, etc. – but reality would be much worse.

We should feel better that a President is taking pre-emptive action to avoid the worst possible attacks than one who is surprised it could even happen. Pakistan’s real nukes are a more inviting target for Osama bin Laden living less than sixty miles away than the current zero nukes in Iran. Why would a terrorist care about Iran when Pakistan may have up to 200 or more existing nuclear weapons in its inventory – and an unstable government?

The less scattered nuclear material around the world equals more security for the United States and the rest of the world. The President should get a “thumbs up” even among the loyal opposition for addressing an issue that is No. 1 for our existence as a nation.

Even the horror of 9/11, a conventional attack, would be nothing compared to the devastation of a small band of lunatics using a suitcase nuke or similar device on an American, European, or any, city. You are talking about radiation zones that would last centuries and the potential loss of entire governments (on both sides of the aisle)…

If you don't think so, check out some of the facts bought out in my old 1994 TV video that didn't get a response even after I ran for Congress against Mr. DeLay in 2000 - I figured he'd at least look at the video of a competitor to see if it made me look like a fool or something...LOL.

Michael Fjetland

Global American Series

Sponsored by Armor Glass International, Inc.

www.ArmorGlass.com

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Aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

Dodged a Bullet

 

I worked like a dog to help the evacuees of Hurricane Katrina that hit New Orleans. Then it was our turn to stare at a Category 5 hurricane.

 

Hurricane Rita hit at the Sabine River, near the Louisiana border. A mere 100 miles separated us in the Houston area from total disaster and 130 mph winds.

 

Last night as Rita moved in we had high winds here on the western edge of the storm; the “clean side,” so I can only imagine how fierce it was in Port Arthur that took the hit on the “dirty side” along with western Louisiana.  Rita even broke a levee in New Orleans, re-flooding parts of the city. 

 

We dodged a bullet.  We lost power for only 7 hours and that was enough “camping out” for me. Confusion continues and people are streaming back into town although the Mayor has requested they “stay put” to keep the highways clear for emergency responders and clear power lines, debris, etc.

 

And a huge problem became evident in Rita’s wake.

 

Here we live in a major gas refining area -- and yet we have no gasoline in the city!  In fact there isn't much gas for hundreds of miles around us. It could be days before supplies come in.  The lack of gas stranded thousands of people for hundreds of miles around Houston.

 

Clearly the Texas emergency plan has some serious defects, despite all the post 9 11 planning.

 

Nearly 3 million people evacuatedthe Houston area.  We could see the same traffic jams coming back into the city. 

 

A friend of mine is from Port Arthur. He may not have anything to go back to--several feet of water has filled the streets.  This isn’t over yet…

 

The good news - we found a Chinese restaurant open this afternoon. What a nice break from hot dogs and can food!  Most of the stores remain closed. It has been like a Grade B movie. 

Future of Terrorism

Yesterday I spent an hour in front of a video camera. It is being made to send to police and fire departments across the U.S. on terrorism.

Our first responders are on the front lines here, but they are also the "tail of the dog" since they have to deal with issues that arise because of something going in somewhere else in the world.

In other words, they have to clean up stuff that they don't create. Our own leadership may jab a stick in a global hornet's nest or miss the problem entirely -- and it will fall to First Responders to deal with the consequences if it results in a 9 11 or Tim McVeigh.

I can't cover an hour of video here, but you can review some ideas at the Texas Viking blog and the Congress website links.

Texas Viking Blog starts

The campaign part of this is moving to a new blog called:

Texas Viking at:

www.TexasViking.blogspot.com

Check it out. This blog will address other issues. Hey, I'll think of something.

Rain and the Drumbeat of Politics

After a postcard perfect weekend it is RAINING. We needed it.

I received a call from a Fox TV national crew last Thursday as I was pulling into Richmond to pick up my wife from art class. They were from out of town and wanted an interview to see if I was going to be Tom DeLay's GOP challenger.

Funny, but I havent' sent out a single press release and yet the media have been calling this year (I had to chase them in prior years).  They seemed keen on the upcoming meeting with former GOP Rep. Pete McCloskey set for this weekend.

Pete's "Revolt of the Elders" is designed to get rid of some of our corrupt (for lack of a better word) leaders, including DeLay. We'll see what happens but Fox wanted to know all about it.  Heck, we'll see. I'm not counting any chickens. But they did air the interview tonight on the Fox cable channel - and a couple people I know called and said it was great.

I wouldn't know. I don't have cable. LOL.

All I do know is that my new TV production company signed to do a story on a Gold Medal winner within three weeks of being established -- and Global American TV did its first commercial taping yesterday (for a group of concert bands) in Houston. My first camera operator was a professional videographer (a woman) who did a great job. Compared to legal work it was Fun!

Economy still sucks for most people I talk to. Collecting has been like pulling teeth (no, pulling teeth would be easier). I wonder if our government leaders with their guaranteed paychecks and lobbyist buddies shoving checks in their pockets have a real clue what it is really like for most Americans today, paying robber baron prices for gas and seeing jobs disappears over the border...? I doubt it.

I finally took time to get a haircut. I was beginning to look like the wild man from Borneo.  Ummmm. That's probably what my old poltical rival must think he's dealing with....it certainly has been raining on DeLay's parade (in the press). More later. LOL.

Pope is Gone, My Computer has joined him. SPRING is here

A sad week is finally over. It was impossible to do anything worthwhile last week as the final arrangements were made for John Paul II.  I covered it in an article published last friday and available at:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GlobalAmerican/

My computer joined the pope. First the hard drive died. Then it got a bad software program and turned to black again. My rule is to always have a back up so I switched and kept going.

Big rain this morning. Have to hit the "mobile office" and make the rounds today. People are calling from all over the country, trying to get me into projects --even asking if I will run against one of our most powerful politicians. We'll see. LOL.

Later...