Aucbvax.5160
fa.space
utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!space
Fri Nov 13 03:41:42 1981
SPACE Digest V2 #33
>From OTA@S1-A Fri Nov 13 02:59:21 1981
SPACE Digest Volume 2 : Issue 33
Today's Topics:
Clipping Service - Alternative presents in Aviation
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Date: 11 November 1981 21:54 est
From: Schauble.Multics at MIT-Multics
Subject: Clipping Service - Alternative presents in Aviation
To: Space at MIT-AI, Poli-Sci at MIT-AI
[This item is an excerpt from the November 1981 issue of Reason, a
conservative political journal. It is a sidebar to an article on
goverment vs. private means of developing industry in space. Poli-Sci
is getting a copy because the recent discussion has been on
govermental vs. private means of doing all sorts of things. This item
may be considered a fantasy. Then again...]
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Imagine...
Dawn is breaking over the plains of Kansas, a glorious spring
morning in 1982. The rising sun gilds a few clouds in an otherwise
clear sky. In a backyard behind an old, weatherbeaten Midwestern
farmhouse is an incongruous scene: a cluster of modern trailers, with
cables running in all directions, and a large crowd of doers and
onlookers, engineers, reporters, and cameramen. One of the network
reporters is conducting an interview with an older man, clearly by
dress and demeanor a Senior Official.
Reporter Intro: Good morning, Americans. We are here in Owl's Eye,
Kansas, to witness another chapter in the forward march of science
and technology, the controversial and long-awaited "next step" in
America's costly and exciting conquest of the air. Today, finally,
if all goes well, we will see the National Air Administration's
controversial Sky Shuttle aircraft perform its first applications
mission as part of NAA's "Skydust" program, in which the mammoth
aircraft will swoop down over the fields of farmer Ed Shultz and
spray them with pesticides. With us today is NAA's deputy
director, Buzz Wingnut, who will be answering some of the tough
questions which have come up about NAA and the Sky Shuttle.
Buzz, what are the chances of success of today's mission?
Official: Well, Jules, all the indications are good. The weather is
right, the aircraft, aside from a few minor problems, is in good
condition, and the crew is in excellent spirits. It sure looks
like we have a "go".
Reporter: What about the rotor problems? Everybody knows that the
rotors have been giving you trouble ever since the start of the Sky
Shuttle program. Critics have charged that there is still a serious
chance they'll fall off.
Official: I can assure you that the rotors will not fall off this
time. The rotor problem has definately been solved.
Reporter: Some critics have questioned the whole idea of having a set
of rotors on an airplane, saying that the idea of an aircraft that
can take off vertically \and/ fly 10,000 miles at supersonic speeds
is unnecessarily complicated. Could these missions be better
performed by separate aircraft?
Official: Jules, this kind of talk puts our entire technology
development system in question. I might point out that each of
those requirements you mentioned, as well as others -- such as the
ability to land on both land and water, the ability to perform
aerobatic maneuvers, and the ability to fly at treetop level --
were inputted to NAA by responsible sectors of the government.
There is no doubt that each of these capabilities is needed by the
nation's aviation-using sector.
As for the idea of developing a separate aircraft for passenger,
cargo, defense, and scientific purposes, such talk is the height of
irresponsibility. What with the cost overruns and time delays which
were unavoidably encountered by the Sky Shuttle program, there is
no chance of getting Congress to appropriate funds for development
of a new aircraft in this decade.
Reporter: Buzz, Senator Buttermore has been highly critical of both
the Sky Shuttle program in general and the Skydust experimental
program in particular. He has said, and I quote, "The Skydust
program has been an enormous boondoggle from the beginning. It is
mearly an excuse by the NAA administrators to find new 'needs' for
their services. Ask any farmer -- the idea of spraying chemicals on
crops from the air as a part of day-to-day agriculture is
inherently absurd. Both as a Senator and a taxpayer, I say, 'Not a
penny for this nutty fantasy!'" How do you respond to that, Buzz?
Official: Well, all I can say is that I am glad Queen Isabella didn't
take this attitude toward Christopher Columbus. "Crop-dusting", as
our boys like to call it, is an extremely promising technique, and
one which today's demonstration will prove technologically
feasible. The Sky Shuttle will reduce the cost of aerial
application from $500,000 per acre to only $100,000 per acre. I can
confidently predict that, given Congress's continued support of
development funding, hundreds, maybe even thousands, of American
farmers will enjoy the benefits of "crop-dusting" by the year 2000.
Reporter: There have been some voices, so far a distinct minority,
who have called for private operation of the aircraft program in
this country, saying that private operators could do the job more
efficiently. Could you say a few words on that, Buzz?
Official: Well, Jules, it's hardly worth my time to answer that one,
don't you think? The Sky Shuttle has cost nearly $100 billion
dollars to develop. Where could a private firm raise that kind of
capital? We at NAA have always valued the contributions of private
industry -- we feel that the free-enterprise qualities of our
contractors demonstrate exactly the kind of government-industry
partnership it takes to maintain America's leadership in high
technology. But romantic notions of competing "airlines" operating
passenger and freight operations across the continent as if they
were railroads -- that belongs in the 19th century. Aviation in
America has been in sound hands ever since Congress suppressed
dangerous cranks like the Wright brothers and created the
predecessors of the NAA to give American wings, and let us pray to
God it remains that way, Jules. I'm going to have to cut this
short. The count-down is entering the final stage.
Reporter: Well, thank you, Buzz and Godspeed. It's a great day to be
an American.
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[ Just as a trivia item: the current cost for crop-dusting is under
$10/acre, plus cost of chemicals. ]
------------------------------
Date: 12 Nov 1981 12:35:21-PST
From: E.jeffc at Berkeley
To: v.space@Berkeley
The reason why the discussion on private ownership of the space
shuttle should be moved to poli-sci is because of the raging
Libertarian battle that is going on there, and some references
to space have already been made there.
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End of SPACE Digest
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