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0 pointsrubber_duck9y ago0 comments

>but I have the feeling that the European public opinion doesn't have a "picture or it didn't happen" attitude

It's more that these things are funded up the EU chain, people deciding it don't even need to get elected (and EU representatives get elected on a different issues) so they probably don't give a shit what the public thinks about them spending their money.

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8 comments · 2 top-level

arethuza9y ago· 4 in thread

Most (80%) of ESA's funding comes directly from countries, not via the EU, so the people making funding decisions are very much directly elected:

http://www.esa.int/About_Us/Welcome_to_ESA/ESA_and_the_EU

NB I don't know if funding decisions are made on a project by project basis.

Edit: Also for the European Commissioners are appointed by the elected governments of member states.

coldtea9y ago

>so the people making funding decisions are very much directly elected

ESA funding is NEVER on the table as a topic of discussion in any kind of public elections of such officials in the EU.

arethuza9y ago

European space efforts did used to be discussed openly by politicians in the UK - you can imagine how that worked out:

"as a waste of money merely 'to put a Frenchman into space.'"

rubber_duckOP9y ago

>Also for the European Commissioners are appointed by the elected governments of member states.

Who campaign and are elected on issues totally unrelated to things like this. Basically the public probably doesn't even know it's paying for this until it's reported in the news. At least stuff like this gets debated in the US.

For example if I walked around in my office among 20 people (with higher education and into tech) and ask them what ESA is I doubt 5 would know what it stands for and even less that they are paying for it. Everyone knows what NASA is.

jkirsteins9y ago

> Who campaign and are elected on issues totally unrelated

Should politicians refuse to do anything that was not in their campaign leaflets?

> For example if I walked around in my office among 20 ...

Try it out.

In my opinion, this is a very unlikely hypothetical. I'm from a country that is not a member of the ESA - never met a person yet that doesn't know what it is, or stands for.

Rosetta in particular caused a lot of excitement, it was on the news a lot, people were following ESA and the lander's accounts on Twitter etc.

2 more replies

merraksh9y ago· 2 in thread

Funding decisions are made by the EU and by member states [0]. Given the executive and legislative structure of the EU and of its states, budget does involve decisions made by elected people.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Space_Agency#Member_s...

rubber_duckOP9y ago

Decisions in administrative sense maybe, but my point is that it's not a topic that comes up in the election at all - unlike NASA in the US - so there is 0 incentive to sell it to the public.

merraksh9y ago

Does NASA come up in presidential elections, mid-term elections, or state governor elections?

Given that the US is a federation and the EU is a union, I would not expect European elections (which are parliamentary) to mention that, as each country selects its MPs for representation in the EU parliament.

Besides, I didn't hear NASA mentioned in the Clinton/Trump debate so far, though I didn't follow it closely.

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8 comments · 2 top-level

arethuza9y ago· 4 in thread

Most (80%) of ESA's funding comes directly from countries, not via the EU, so the people making funding decisions are very much directly elected:

http://www.esa.int/About_Us/Welcome_to_ESA/ESA_and_the_EU

NB I don't know if funding decisions are made on a project by project basis.

Edit: Also for the European Commissioners are appointed by the elected governments of member states.

coldtea9y ago

>so the people making funding decisions are very much directly elected

ESA funding is NEVER on the table as a topic of discussion in any kind of public elections of such officials in the EU.

arethuza9y ago

European space efforts did used to be discussed openly by politicians in the UK - you can imagine how that worked out:

"as a waste of money merely 'to put a Frenchman into space.'"

rubber_duckOP9y ago

>Also for the European Commissioners are appointed by the elected governments of member states.

jkirsteins9y ago

> Who campaign and are elected on issues totally unrelated

Should politicians refuse to do anything that was not in their campaign leaflets?

> For example if I walked around in my office among 20 ...

Try it out.

In my opinion, this is a very unlikely hypothetical. I'm from a country that is not a member of the ESA - never met a person yet that doesn't know what it is, or stands for.

Rosetta in particular caused a lot of excitement, it was on the news a lot, people were following ESA and the lander's accounts on Twitter etc.

2 more replies

merraksh9y ago· 2 in thread

Funding decisions are made by the EU and by member states [0]. Given the executive and legislative structure of the EU and of its states, budget does involve decisions made by elected people.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Space_Agency#Member_s...

rubber_duckOP9y ago

Decisions in administrative sense maybe, but my point is that it's not a topic that comes up in the election at all - unlike NASA in the US - so there is 0 incentive to sell it to the public.

merraksh9y ago

Does NASA come up in presidential elections, mid-term elections, or state governor elections?

Besides, I didn't hear NASA mentioned in the Clinton/Trump debate so far, though I didn't follow it closely.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse