Watch those skies ...

or

Can we have some 20-20 foresight for a change?


OK, I won’t go on about how science is denigrated in this country and research is underfunded. I won’t go on about how we’re canceling programs and killing a space telescope that is almost finished. I’ll only briefly mention that NASA’s budget is being cut for what the scientists need but kept for what politicians want for their home districts.

And I’m sure you’re all aware that Friday saw the final launch of the Space Shuttle and there is no replacement even in the planning stages. This country has no manned spaceflight vehicle. If we want to get into space we have to hitch a ride with someone else.

Is anyone proud of this?

We are ceding scientific leadership to the rest of the world. That is not what a great nation does.

But instead of focusing on that I want to ask a question: who read science fiction in the 60s and 70s?

When the government doesn’t want to invest in manned space exploration it’s left to people who see a profit in it. That would probably mean mining the asteroid belt. Remember what happens if belter miners get upset?

When you have all the equipment needed to run mining operations in space you also have everything you need to drop an asteroid out of orbit and send it towards the Earth.

Can we get some more funding for NASA, please? I’d like some pure exploration in space that doesn’t end up dropping a huge rock on my head.



By the way, NASA has shown a profit for the country. Beyond employing thousands of people, if memory serves the Apollo program returned something like $600 into the economy for every $1 spent. Though I believe that we need to explore for the sake of knowledge not just profit. Besides, we don’t know where the next discovery will lead until we make it, and we’ll never make it if we’re too cheap to pay for it.

By limiting our vision we limit ourselves.