Whatever Happened To The Final Frontier?

According to James Hansen, the role of NASA is to investigate climate change. Funny, I always thought that those were the people that were responsible for national aeronotics space administration, not global warming administration. Perhaps they should change their name to NGWA (National Global Warming Administration). Here's a tidbit of what NASA administrator Michael Griffin had to say : "I have no doubt that a trend of global warming exists," Griffin told Inskeep. "I am not sure that it is fair to say that it is a problem we must wrestle with." "To assume that it is a problem is to assume that the state of Earth's climate today is the optimal climate, the best climate that we could have or ever have had and that we need to take steps to make sure that it doesn't change," Griffin said. "I guess I would ask which human beings — where and when — are to be accorded the privilege of deciding that this particular climate that we have right here today, right now is the best climate for all other human beings. I think that's a rather arrogant position for people to take." [...] "NASA is the world's preeminent organization in the study of Earth and the conditions that contribute to climate change and global warming," Griffin said in a statement. "The agency is responsible for collecting data that is used by the science community and policy makers as part of an ongoing discussion regarding our planet's evolving systems. It is NASA's responsibility to collect, analyze and release information. It is not NASA's mission to make policy regarding possible climate change mitigation strategies. As I stated in the NPR interview, we are proud of our role and I believe we do it well." Apparently, James wasn't aware of NASA's mandate when he was hired on. Those space shuttles burning all that fuel must really piss him off. Here's the full article. H/T National Newswatch.