(PLEASE BOOST!) There is a lot to be angry about in the new budget request, gutting of science, health, and social programs while raising the debit ceiling to *4 trillion*. This is not about fixing the budget, this is about gutting everything good about America, and bolstering it to a stronger military might where force will be used against us. Please, please, read the budget request and pick something(s) to contact your senators about. Fight to maintain funding in science, research, health, and education.

If you live in a state that has NASA centers, care about slowing billionaire takeover, or care about our environment, I recommend picking NASA funding as one of your talking points. Not only are they de-funding everything not human flight related (so - everything that helps NOAA, climate science, etc) They are trying to cancel the SLS program, which is already flying, not exploding (cough Starship cough), and has heavy lift capacity that far exceeds Starship.

Starship's second stage has a dry mass of 90 tons and uses a less efficient methalox fuel. So even if it were expended, it could deliver about 10 tons to lunar orbit without refueling. You only get the full payload of 90 tons with an orbital refueling, which means an orbital tanker that takes about *20 launches* to stock, and thanks to boil-off this must occur with in a few weeks using just two launch site, AND there can be no MMOD impacts on this unshielded space tanker which is a large target. Oh btw, the fastest SpaceX has done a turnaround on their booster is *2 months*.

Does "reusable" still sound like a good idea for heavy lift? It's just not logically feasible. It's expensive, prone to error, and causes extremely costly mission delays. It's likelihood of working is about the same as trickle-down-economics.

In basic words, Starship is like a bus, mostly good for around town, small payload for the size, long distance trips are a pain. The SLS is a jumbo jet, with a massive payload in comparison and can get you around the world efficiently in mere hours.

And probably many have forgotten, but the SLS *WAS BUILT FOR MARS*. That was the original vision of the program, until Trump in 2016 changed it to got to the moon.

We have a *working* *flying* heavy lift rocket! 95 tons to LEO, and by configuration 4 will be over 40 tons to lunar / deep space. One launch, no caveats, no ifs & maybes and crossing fingers that 20-ish launches in 2 weeks occur without issue. You don't just cancel that when the program is completed - talk about an actual waste! Manufacturing specialty items takes years, a decade even, to spool up and get the parts built to even make it, much less create the thing itself. It's all here, working, up and going. To cancel it now would be the true waste.

Plus, we know NASA gives at minimum 800% Return on Investment. You have to *raise* taxes to make up for the loss of revenue when you de-fund NASA. This generally holds true for other science and health agencies as well.

So please, keep pressure up, call and write today, and every day. We know that what makes a country great is not military power, but the arts and sciences. We know this because of history, because of logic, because humans love to create and the freedom to learn and grow is actual strength.

PS i will block reply guys - and there is info in the fuel differences in alttext if you are interested how methalox & constant metal burning in re-entry is a horrible idea climate wise.

PPS if you want to read about why funding space is good for everyone, see this earlier post https://flipping.rocks/@sunguramy/113976594279505007

#nasa #budget #science #health #education #congress #nature #art #space

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