Bill Nye's message to Obama - "$1.5b for Planetary Science

Via Reddit's /u/sirkazuo

A very abbreviated list of technologies realized through NASA funding, research, licensing, facilities, or assistance:

• Aircraft anti-icing systems
• The infrared ear thermometer which measures thermal radiation of the eardrum similar to way the temperatures of stars and planets are measured
• Firefighters' face masks, harnesses, air tanks - built with lightweight aluminum composites designed by NASA for rocket casings. Firefighters' breathing masks for protection from smoke inhalation. Inductorless electronic circuit technology for lower-cost, more rugged short range radios used by firefighters. If it has to do with heat protection, NASA probably developed it.
• Numerous heat-resistant technologies including fire-retardant paints and foams for aircraft, insulating fireproof epoxy, and a fire protectant steel coating for structural protection in high rise buildings
• The process of freeze-drying foods for preservation
• Memory foam, which is used in everything from pillows to aircraft to horseback saddles to safety padding in motorsports and to replicate the feel of flesh in prosthetic limbs
• Invisalign dental braces
• Safety grooves cut into highways, runways, sidewalks, and parking lots to increase traction and alert drivers to the edges of the road
• Advanced silicon solar cells which provided a more than 50% increase in efficiency over current cells at the time
• Baby formula powder, which contains an enrichment ingredient originally created during research on long-duration space travel food sources
• Water purification systems which can produce pure drinkable water from respiration, sweat, and urine
• Scratch-resistant plastics
• Advancements to rubber compounds increasing the average life of car tires by at least 10,000 mi
• The Dustbuster and other cordless portable vacuums
• Embedded Web Technology which allows appliances like your Nest thermostat to be controlled over the internet, pioneered by NASA
• The space blanket found in just about every first aid / first responder kit
• Light-emitting diode medical treatment for tumors
• Ground breaking improvements in Ventricular Assist Devices, tiny mechanical hearts that pump blood until a donor heart is available in patients requiring heart transplant
• Improvements to artificial limb musculature adapted from muscle systems designed for NASA space robotic and EV activities
• Moisture and chemical detecting materials used to alert aircraft mechanics to corrosive conditions and deny your warranty claim when you drop your smartphone in the toilet
• A vast library of computer programs, including the NASA Structural Analysis Program
• Advanced powdered lubricants
• Ultrasonic tension and load testing technology
• Numerous FDA standards, guidelines, and requirements adopted after they were developed in an attempt to keep spacecraft atmosphere absolutely contamination free

I love Bill Nye, especially aged Bill Nye.

Sure, I'm into it, but while I think it would be a good investment in many ways but it would be more of a long-term positive thing, and politicians aren't really great about thinking out of the short term.

Bill Nye the science guy!

We're spending over 550 billion on the Defense Department which can't even keep it's books in order, leading to massive waste.

I'd much rather take 1.5 billion away from their budget and give it to NASA. (Though really I'd rather not pay any taxes at all and choose for myself who gets my money...)

I think society collapses at that point-tragedy of the commons and other things- but I understand the sentiment. That defense spending number does depress.

what are the chances that private interests have their own space program underway that no-one knows about, and by the time nasa gets to mars there'll be a bunch of texans and russians already there, mining, and carrying guns.

So I guess China would hook us up then?

Yeah, ofcourse since a lot of people they are supposedly representing are all thinking or are concerned with issues that are happening at present anyway.

When Neil DeGrasse Tyson says "I feel I'd have better luck with New Gringrich" then you know it's a waste of time talking to Obama about space program. Bill Nye is a brave man, to just attempt this and is probably going to get shut down for some military program or oil company.

While on the topic of space exploration, any news on the progress of that warp drive NASA was researching back in August?

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/164326-nasa-discusses-its-warp-drive-research-prepares-to-create-a-warp-bubble-in-the-lab

I would never disagree with Bill Nye.

@gaspower: That's even more hopeful then what I think, which is that they look to the short term because those results are what will look sexy next election.

All of humanity should be contributing to space stuff. Approved!

The chances are really quite good, because it's already happened. Except it's not something no one knows about, because hundreds of millions of dollars have been granted to private companies through NASA themselves.

Space X is a private company that made its first cargo delivery to the international space station over a year ago. And in most estimates, they've been doing it for far less money than it would have cost the government doing it themselves.

Nye is correct that we need to pool more of the national budget into science, but giving it to NASA, which is essentially it's own failed company, is the wrong way to do it.

@towersixteen: Well yeah, there's that, too. That's why I said "supposedly representing" in my previous comment.

You'd think this year's celestial events would drive this point home, but still, people are clueless.

@joshwent: wow, thanks for those links, fascinating stuff

@hh: Yeah, man. I was shocked when I found out about that stuff just a few months ago. It's insane to me that there's not wider publicity that private companies are already working (and succeeding) in fucking space!

@psylah: Isn't that happening near constantly? Not that I disapprove of the initiative but I don't think asteroid near misses, by the definition generally given, are particularly rare.

NASA is a waste of public funds. If going to space is worthwhile someone will invest in it privately. Since going to space likely isn't worthwhile, we have NASA wasting billions of dollars trying to justify its own existence. It's a relic of the cold war.

Just tell politicians that there is oil on the moon. NASA will get billions.

Bill Nye was cool, even before Bow Ties were cool. Carry on Bill

Cutting from defense to add to NASA sure would be nice.

He could have trimmed three minutes off of that video and just said "Mr. President, consider the following: Science rules! That'll be 1.5 billion, please!".

I think any realistic person should be aware that these innocent childish passions about space do not belong in our world right now.

American people can't afford medicine when they get diabetes, extremism is taking Arabia back to the nomadic ages, China is full of inhumane sweat shops and the shit they do to animals in the far East are cray, and the European economy is aparenty about to collapse.

"Looking for life on other planets" is stupid shit. Let's fix our goddamn planet first and relieve life on it. Nye is nice but he sounds like a child.

You need a hard concrete base for a house before you build the walls. You need a healthy and peaceful home planet before you go wasting money on finding aliens on other planets.

This company plans to land a craft on the moon in a few years. Let them mess around up there.

I suggest using the NSAs money as well.