Get ready for the Space Agency of Latin America and the Caribbean

"Spanfeller is a twat" (theaspiringengineer)
10/09/2020 at 14:04 • Filed to: None

Mexico, Argentina, and a Colombian university dean signed a treaty to create a space agency. Which is... interesting. Combining the budgets of the Mexican and Argentine one, you get an annual 53 million dollars. Which is... six million dollars more than the Brazilian effort. Which is about 0.2% of NASA’s budget.

I don’t think Mexico has any launch sites, very mountainous Colombia probably doesn’t either, which means that the launch sites would probably center around Argentina.

I don’t really understand the logic behind this partnership other than making noise (Mexico in particular, has just slashed academic research budgets... again), but... OK!

Why did they throw the Caribbean in? Because why the fuck not!

DISCUSSION (16)

For Sweden > Spanfeller is a twat
10/09/2020 at 14:18

This but make Portuguese the official language and kick out everyone who doesn’t speak Portuguese

Also kick out the French

Spanfeller is a twat > For Sweden
10/09/2020 at 14:23

But Brazil is not in it...

It’s a political stunt because the “left” wing populists, Amlo and Fernandez, like making noise. The “right” wing populist, Bolsanaro.... is probably not gonna sign it just to disagree with the “ leftists”

For Sweden > Spanfeller is a twat
10/09/2020 at 14:26

Yet Bolsanaro buys Saab fighters... curious

Spanfeller is a twat > For Sweden
10/09/2020 at 14:27

We have... Really old used american ones... I believe.

For Sweden > Spanfeller is a twat
10/09/2020 at 14:29

Mexico should refuse to build new Hellcat motors until the USA give them a few dozen F-35s

Spanfeller is a twat > For Sweden
10/09/2020 at 14:34

I guess we could nationalize hellcats as a part of our national energy policy.

My bird IS the word > Spanfeller is a twat
10/09/2020 at 14:36

I think the idea of playing catch-up in this situation to be silly. They should be investing in more profitable emerging science.

facw > Spanfeller is a twat
10/09/2020 at 14:37

Say what you will, but it seems like it would be pretty efficient to launch rockets from atop Nevado Cayambe in Ecuador (maybe with a mag-lev launch system!). Sure you’d be launching over land, but modern rockets are pretty reliable, and except for a few small towns ~80 miles downrange there’s basically nothing but rain forest until you get to Manaus 1200 miles away.

facw > Spanfeller is a twat
10/09/2020 at 14:42

I had thought you got rid of your F-5s, and just had nothing now, but I see wikipedia lists you as having 3 active (they are at least the most modern ‘E’ version) . Still the US has 41 F-5s and 505 T-38s ( their less capable trainer sibling) just for training purposes...

Just Jeepin' > My bird IS the word
10/09/2020 at 14:45

I’d throw my money at cold fusion. Sure, it probably won’t work, but if it does and you play your cards right...

Future next gen S2000 owner > Spanfeller is a twat
10/09/2020 at 14:47

I volunteer to move to the caribbean and work at the launch site. I’m sure we can build a mini Cana veral on a beautiful island.

My bird IS the word > Just Jeepin'
10/09/2020 at 14:49

Hell, may even be too late on that. My money, id put it towards genetic engineering.

WilliamsSW > Spanfeller is a twat
10/09/2020 at 15:45

I’ll take “what are three countries that maybe should spend the money improving the lives of their people instead” for $800, Alex

Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen > Spanfeller is a twat
10/09/2020 at 15:46

I went to a conference last year where Peter Beck of R ocket Labs was a keynote speaker. He was talking about the big barriers for space startups. The bit I remember most was about space agencies. He said something like:

O riginally I was planning to launch f ro m the US - we weren’t going to get into the business of launch facilities, it’s too hard . This was back when Rocket Labs was not much more than a big idea.

So I rocked up to NASA and said “Hi, I’m Peter Beck and I want to launch 50 rockets a year. Can I rent a launch facility from you?” And when they’d fini s hed laughing, they said “Sure. But only after you tell all the airlines you want to close down one of the US’s busiest air corridors once a week. And when you tell them that, can we come and watch?”

So I went back home to New Zealand really depressed, but after a while I rea l ised that what I needed was to find a small i sland at the right latitude with good weather, a couple of thousand miles of water downrange, and not much air traffic. Oh, look, here’s one I prepared earlier!

But the problem with that is that by i nternational treaty all space launches must be under the authority of that nation’s Space Agency. And oddly enough New Zealand didn’t have one.

So I rocked up to Parliament, and I said to them “Hi, I’m Peter Beck, and I want to launch 50 rockets a week. I need to talk to the Prime Minister.” And they gave me an appointment to see the Prime Minister.

So I rocked up to the Prime Minister’s office and said “ Hi, I’m Peter Beck, and I want to launch 50 rockets a week. I need you to create a Space Agency”. And s he said “OK, fair enough. When do you need it by?”

This was the point at which I rea l ised being from New Zealand could be a major competitive advantage.

Spanfeller is a twat > WilliamsSW
10/09/2020 at 15:48

Spending in research is not wasted money though .. but this is a stunt and whatever money it cost it was pointlessly spent.

WilliamsSW > Spanfeller is a twat
10/09/2020 at 15:54

Of course, basic research is critical, and not wasted money. This feels like a political show.