Houston We Have A Problem: NASA ‘s new goals

This has to be the zaniest thing I ever heard. Really, I mean that! 

Byron York, The Washington Examiner: In a far-reaching restatement of goals for the nation’s space agency, NASA administrator Charles Bolden says President Obama has ordered him to pursue three new objectives: to “re-inspire children” to study science and math, to “expand our international relationships,” and to “reach out to the Muslim world.”  Of those three goals, Bolden said in a recent interview with al-Jazeera, the mission to reach out to Muslims is “perhaps foremost,” because it will help Islamic nations “feel good” about their scientific accomplishments […]

Bolden made the statements during a recent trip to the Middle East.  He told al-Jazeera that in the wake of the president’s speech in Cairo last year, the American space agency is now pursuing “a new beginning of the relationship between the United States and the Muslim world.”  Then:

When I became the NASA Administrator — before I became the NASA Administrator — [Obama] charged me with three things: One was he wanted me to help re-inspire children to want to get into science and math, he wanted me to expand our international relationships, and third, and perhaps foremost, he wanted me to find a way to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with dominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science, math, and engineering.

What in the sweet name of Jesus does any of this have to do with space exploration? Inspiring children and making nations feel good about themselves isn’t what put Neil Armstrong’s boots on the moon. We already throw away enough tax dollars on the Department of Education and the State Department; do we really need NASA to duplicate their roles?  

For the life of me, I certainly cannot understand the need for the extra attention to the Muslim world. The Muslim world is still oppressing women, brutalizing people who exercise free speech and cannot get control of its own religious fanatics, yet making them feel good about their ancient contributions to math and science is suppose to be a priority for our space agency? It seems pretty clear to me that the Muslim world has a few more pressing matters that need attention then their self esteem.

At first blush it would appear that Obama is completely clueless about what a space agency is for and is proving a classic example of loony left thinking, however Byron York serves up another little quote from Charles Bolden’s interview. 

Later in the interview, Bolden discussed NASA’s goal of greater international cooperation in space exploration.  He said the United States, more than 40 years after the first moon mission, cannot reach beyond earth’s orbit today without assistance from abroad:

In his message in Cairo, [Obama] talked about expanding our international outreach, expanding our international involvement.  We’re not going to go anywhere beyond low earth orbit as a single entity.  The United States can’t do it, China can’t do it — no single nation is going to go to a place like Mars alone.

Ah and there you have it, that re-occurring theme of a diminished America. Once again we have Obama putting America no longer at the forefront, but as just another member of the pack.   If Obama’s true aim is to make our space agency into an “also ran” then the goals set forth by Charles Bolden are sure to do the trick.

Below is the video of the full interview Charles Bolden gave to Al Jazeera.

Via: Memeorandum

Via: The Washington Examiner