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Mission aborted

WASHINGTON : The US space agency Nasa announced Wednesday it has cancelled the August research mission it had hoped to base at U-tapao airbase after the government refused to endorse the project.

The official announcement, on the Nasa website early Thursday Thailand time, said:

"Nasa cancelled the SEAC4RS mission, which was scheduled to begin in August 2012, due to the absence of necessary approvals by regional authorities in the timeframe necessary to support the mission's planned deployment and scientific observation window."

The single paragraph was added to a website page which described the project in glowing terms as "something that has never been done before: probing a vast expanse of the Southeast Asian atmosphere from top to bottom" during the monsoon season.

(Continued below the graphic)

Nasa posted the cancellation notice in a simple "Editor's Note" atop a previous article describing what it called an unprecedented research mission.

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  • thailife69

    Post : 106

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    Discussion 69 : 01 Jul 2012 at 11.0169

    It has been impossible for decades to see the truth through the clouds!

  • oldairman

    ThailandPost : 747

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    Discussion 68 : 29 Jun 2012 at 06.2968

    Just an interesting thought about time and timing.
    Half the people on here are blaming the government and the other half are blaming the the Democrats for bringing up the issue of transparency and sovereignty at this late stage.
    Now take the situation back 3 or 6 months and go through the whole thing again. If you get the same objections and problems as there have been in the last couple of weeks there is plenty of time to sort them out on both sides. Parliament was in session so no problems there. Time is there to set up a committee and get a result one way or the other.
    NASA can be notified one way or the other.
    National pride and face can be satisfied.
    BUT that presupposes somebody in the government making a decision 3 or 6 months ago and bringing it to the top of a Parliament agenda which didn't happen and led directly to the mess of the last 2 weeks.
    It appears that nearly 2 years ago the Democrats approved it in principle.
    The current government inherited it and were reminded last September nearly 9 months ago and several times since but did nothing about it until the last couple of weeks.
    Whose fault is it that it wasn't pushed earlier? Find that person, it should be easy enough and lay the blame at the correct door and not at each others door.
    Finally Prime Minister please remember the sign that President Truman of the USA had on his desk,

    The buck stops here.

    Ultimately you are responsible for ensuring all your ministers do their job properly as you must do yours.

  • deemoe

    United StatesPost : 1

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    Discussion 67 : 28 Jun 2012 at 18.4767

    Wow, you'd think that the government would be a little more concerned about a monsoon climate research project after all the flooding they just went through! Such shortsightedness...seems like they would tend to benefit from it in the short and long run, and probably not have to invest much at all!
    Sigh...

  • peterl

    ThailandPost : 454

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    Discussion 66 : 28 Jun 2012 at 17.5966

    Abhisit may try to duck and dive, as he is, to avoid the finger of blame being pointed at his party for the cancellation of the NASA project, but he stands about zero chance of getting away with it. To say things might have been different if the government had backed down on the charter amendment or reconciliation bills is quite frankly pathetic. That has absolutely nothing to do with the many potential scientific benefits of the study now lost to Thailand and other beneficiaries.

    Paradoxically it is possible that a consensus will now form around the notion that there is about as little substance behind the Democrats' claim that there is a hidden agenda which violates the constitution behind the charter reform bill as there is behind the same claim they have made about the NASA study. Anyway, there is now a lot more out there for independent minded people to reach their own conclusions.

  • majority

    Hong KongPost : 360

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    Discussion 65 : 28 Jun 2012 at 17.3365

    I clearly remember the DEM alleged that the NASA project was only for Thaksin, as the DEM alleged that Thaksin got a US visa at a cost that Thai government have to allow NASA to use the airport for 2 months, which the DEM went on to allege would put the sovereignty, national interests and national security of Thailand at risk.

    Therefore, instead of trying to hide their real hidden agenda and to defend themselves for their major role to obstruct the project, the DEM should celebrate their success, since according to their allegation and their logic, Thaksin should be rejected a US visa or seeing his visa revoked (if already issued) after NASA had to cancel the project.

    Why didn't AV and his schoolmate repeat their allegation and their logic? Their acts and words now make themselves look just like 2 little kindergarten boys never grow up. A huge humiliation to those who voted for them indeed!

  • zhivago

    ThailandPost : 1

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    Discussion 64 : 28 Jun 2012 at 17.3264

    I do not believe NASA had any intention of breaking any Thai or international laws. Believe it or not but there are people out there in the world working for science, medicine, education, etc. This whole affair shows that over and over again both parties try to hit back at each other and block each others position just for the sake of it. It has come down to playground politics. Reject and oppose anything the other person says just because he/she said it. This country will stay in a playground state of affairs if both parties can not think and debate with sound rationale. Now it is just a mess of "oppose anything the other kid does just for the sake of it" mentality. I see very few true statesmen at the moment in Thailand.

  • lancelot

    ThailandPost : 485

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    Discussion 63 : 28 Jun 2012 at 16.5463

    to#58 Bula
    You have one thing to do : Blame your favorite MP for not going ahead with the NASA project. She had all the right and power to do this...........but maybe PTP had a hidden agenda with this project (big cash money or some help for the boss in Dubai) and she was afraid that the DEM discovered it ???????

  • bkkfarang1

    ThailandPost : 327

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    Discussion 62 : 28 Jun 2012 at 16.2562

    Strange, anything with Thaksin gets pushed through immediately!!

  • wan

    TaiwaPost : 3

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    Discussion 61 : 28 Jun 2012 at 16.0461

    I think the indecision and confusion comes in when various groups and Nations have differing views on what the procedure is to maintain a durable principality in any given point in History.

    No one can tell the future-

  • bula

    ThailandPost : 1,748

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    Discussion 60 : 28 Jun 2012 at 15.5960

    mrcoop #54 - Can understand your feeling for the 'less fortunate'. This NASA project is also an important humanitarian project. Data collected will be helpful in saving lives and mitigate issues related to climate change. I think the fund should be kept for its purpose and NASA continue to find a 'suitable' partner.

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