I grew up on the space coast -- just an hour or so north of Cape Canaveral. When NASA launched a rocket, we knew it. We stood outside in the schoolyard in May of 1961 and watched the contrail when Freedom 7 took the first American into space.
We were glued to the television 8 years later, watching a clearly gobsmacked Walter Cronkite commenting on the first moonwalk.
Then it all became quite ordinary, as more and more missions were carried out. Until we all watched in horror in 1986 as Challenger, on the 56th manned mission, exploded in a heart stopping moment.
The question is often asked, especially in financial times like these, "Why spend all this money on space exploration when there are so many more pressing causes here on earth?"
I would offer that these efforts are no less important, in the grand scheme of things, than the money we spend on the arts. And I believe that the arts are absolutely essential.
The advances in technology and medicine that have been made as offshoots of the space program are many, and there are thousands of jobs at stake.
I'm so proud of my brother the rocket scientist (who took us touring around the Space Center over the holidays.)
I just wish I could once again see kids with the passion about science that drove so many of my generation into math, physics and engineering. To dream of life beyond the bounds of our earth.
Write your Congressman. Write the president. How can a man who supposedly is interested in creating jobs be taken seriously when he is seeking to shut down what amounts to an industry? How can the same administration that has sought to take over banks and auto companies and healthcare on the one hand, be driven to privatize the space program?
Stop this nonsense about pulling NASA funding for manned exploration.
11 comments:
Hubby's father is career military (Col. USAF) and they retired to Patrick AFB, Satellite Beach, Fl. His dad was assigned to track the Apollo flights. His plane was used to boost the communication signals to the spacecraft. When he retired he drove a tour bus at the Cape!
I have lots of fond memoreis of those days. Thanks for the walk down memory lane, Pearl.
It seems that most of the drivers are retired KSC employees of one sort or another.
My brother would be genius at it -- he's a born teacher, and was explaining things to tourists as we wandered around. He does a great job of putting it into laymen's terms.
I think NASA gets a lot more of our tax money than the arts, but I don't dispute it. I agree that more of the up and coming generations should be passionate about science. Maybe they are in other countries, but I don't see it as a trend in the US.
You really grew up in a cool part of Florida, pearl!
I was just drawing analogy as to how misunderstood the relative value is. Some things should be encouraged for the longer term benefit that comes from creativity and intellectual curiousity.
Plus it is kind of the natural order of things that Mankind is driven to explore the world(s) beyond.
I once believed that the desire to explore and dream was truly embedded in our genetic code.
But these days I don't see it so much and it makes me sad.
i have no real opinions about NASA since it's over my head. (Science has never been my strong subject).
But i came here to see if you were posting a photo of your birthday cake and dinner!!!!!!!!!1
Happy birthday, IslandPearl!
Too late for a cake photo (I'm no Ace of Cakes anyhow -- it's all about the flavor for me)...I baked (and commenced eating...) it on Saturday.
Our best friends share our birthday. His is the 1/21 and hers & B's are both on May 3. So we all went to Kobe for birthday dinner at Kobe and dessert at our house.
Lord that just made no sense at all. Lucky I'm not flying that plane tonight...
I wish I could have grown up then, I sometimes feel like my generation is gipped on the "new" things happen, although we are growing up with the bad economy as well (not as bad though) but we are all going to grow up from the cusp of sustainability. hopefully all our children and especially grandchildren wont even know what it is to NOT live sustainably
I think anything that is "old" becomes uninteresting to the public. Its like Haiti right now is having SO much support in so many ways from text message donations to TV commercials all within days after happening. yet, Katrina is still suffering (I know you may not agree but I think it MIGHT have something to do with the difference in government)
although my ethics teacher jokes that Tiger Woods is backing everything so that Haiti stays in the news and not him haha
but if it helps you any, although space travel and research is cool I would never go into the field of work, i'm an artist at the soul. :)
BUT i do know the importance of it today, especially (again) in terms of sustainability. we need that research!
Since I initially posted this, our esteemed president has gotten serious about shutting down critical NASA programs. This is a huge mistake.
Yet another example of naivete and ineptitude.
I've tried to avoid getting political on this blog, but this is a serious matter.
This will create yet another giant sucking hole in our economy -- killing thousands of jobs, not just along the Space Coast but across the country.
oh, you had the same thought i did about the jobs aspect.
promises.promises. no new blog post. :(
acapcha is "worse" LOL.
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