Rocket Man in Space

[baggage1]

What other gov. agency is worth looking at on TV? Congress? Election debates? Growing crops? Cops? well maybe Cops.. Sick people Ha NOT!! Where else can a guy throw a fastball 17510 MPH HUH?

[Spaceman]

Didn't mean to start a debate. But I hear the arguments all the time.

NASA does have a mission, like it or not, to replace the Shuttle, return to the moon and then on to Mars. Why? Human nature I guess. Why explore the bottom of the ocean? What benefits does Joe-taxpayer get from that? Much less than they get from space spin-offs. http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/shuttle.htm

But I agree, the space business is expensive. And the return on investment may never materialize. But then again, it might. There may be gold in dem dare hills. The moon has material similar to what's on earth. If we can learn to derive metals and oxygen from them does it not stand to reason that this same technology can be applied here?

Here is a really good article that talks both sides of the debate. It is lengthy but worth the read: http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewnews.html?id=1285

Anyway...I love riding my rocket to work!

[plowboyzzt]

Spaceman,
Like you, I'll avoid commenting on the debateable parts....nice self control on your part. I, for one, am quite disappointed that, given the drive to get to the moon, most of my lifetime has seen little commitment to putting people in space to stay. I thought that would be one of the wonderful things to watch in my lifetime, instead it's been endless cycle of more wars to spend money on, and precious little to get excited about as far as seeing humanity prepare for it's own future.
Thanks for telling us about the space station, I didn't know that....and congratulations on spending your career w/ NASA...sounds like a blast.
Chris

[busajack]

Hi spaceman,this is what I put in space for 38 yrs.And iam not proud of it. It did help us win the cold war..You talk of not getting to the bottom of the ocean..What about drilling to the center of the earth.Thats where there is enough heat in the earth for us for many years. If we find a hot planet how do we get the heat back here? Just dreaming. But why haven,t we even been to the bottom of the ocean. Might be corn there that we could make Ethonal with. I know Iam getting silly but years ago going to the moon was silly.Humans are dumb..

[Rocket Mad]

Spaceman wrote: “Didn't mean to start a debate”. Nothing wrong with a good debate. It’s what moves the collective conscious forward. Jack, I love your candor … “Humans are dumb”. That’s been my mantra ever since the first day I could read the front page of our local newspaper. That’s the section my dad tossed away in disgust as he scrambled to find the sports section. Even the “smart” ones are only smart when compared to the dumb ones. It’s all relative. And for most, higher education only sharpens their skills at seeing the forest from the trees. It’s what coined the phrase “educated beyond their intelligence”.

Politicians are genius at navigating the emotional gauntlet we call the human condition. Problem is, they’ve created a profession of exploiting that weakness. But politicians only reflect our susceptibility to emotional manipulation. This election cycle looks to be a good example of that susceptibility. Life is hard … but it’s a whole heck of a lot harder if you’re stupid.

While looking for the meaning of life in a moon rock is probably not a prudent use of our money, it’s a diversion from the day to day that puts the human condition in perspective. Escaping the human condition is a lot like cracking through the atmosphere. It’s virtually impossible to accomplish, but if you can (if only for a moment or two) life takes on new meaning.

In defense of space exploration I say this: If we’re not inspired to live, then life has less value. Just look at our cousins in the Middle East. Like it or not, they are our cousins even though it sometimes seems they’re from another planet. They laugh at how we Americans embrace life. They seem to embrace the afterlife with romantic notions of virgins in paradise and the living with contempt.

Inspiration is the fuel that motivates us to live. Space exploration is like riding bikes. It’s probably not a good use of our time and resources if measured in monetary terms alone, but it feeds us with the emotional fuel to appreciate our place in the broader scheme of things. Lets face it … we’re little more than smart squirrels. We just need a few nuts every now and then to keep us happy.

___________
RM

[Spaceman]

Originally Posted by Rocket Mad

Spaceman wrote: “Didn't mean to start a debate”. Nothing wrong with a good debate. It’s what moves the collective conscious forward. Jack, I love your candor … “Humans are dumb”. That’s been my mantra ever since the first day I could read the front page of our local newspaper. That’s the section my dad tossed away in disgust as he scrambled to find the sports section. Even the “smart” ones are only smart when compared to the dumb ones. It’s all relative. And for most, higher education only sharpens their skills at seeing the forest from the trees. It’s what coined the phrase “educated beyond their intelligence”.

Politicians are genius at navigating the emotional gauntlet we call the human condition. Problem is, they’ve created a profession of exploiting that weakness. But politicians only reflect our susceptibility to emotional manipulation. This election cycle looks to be a good example of that susceptibility. Life is hard … but it’s a whole heck of a lot harder if you’re stupid.

While looking for the meaning of life in a moon rock is probably not a prudent use of our money, it’s a diversion from the day to day that puts the human condition in perspective. Escaping the human condition is a lot like cracking through the atmosphere. It’s virtually impossible to accomplish, but if you can (if only for a moment or two) life takes on new meaning.

In defense of space exploration I say this: If we’re not inspired to live, then life has less value. Just look at our cousins in the Middle East. Like it or not, they are our cousins even though it sometimes seems they’re from another planet. They laugh at how we Americans embrace life. They seem to embrace the afterlife with romantic notions of virgins in paradise and the living with contempt.

Inspiration is the fuel that motivates us to live. Space exploration is like riding bikes. It’s probably not a good use of our time and resources if measured in monetary terms alone, but it feeds us with the emotional fuel to appreciate our place in the broader scheme of things. Lets face it … we’re little more than smart squirrels. We just need a few nuts every now and then to keep us happy.

___________
RM

Well said. I encourage everyone to watch this short video: http://www.deepastronomy.com/hubble-deep-field.html

It really puts things in perspective about our little planet. We are like ants compared to the universe. Our living space gets affected by all sorts of factors and we are forced to adapt or become extinct. It won't happen anytime soon in our lifetime. But in the cosmic perspective, it will happen in a blink of an eye.