Michael Wolff wrote.
>With respect, Mark, I feel I need to disagree on that >point. The romance >surrounding space exploration is still quite evident. If a >problem exists it can be found in the way space exploration is handled >and funded. Fair enough Michael.I think the massive technical problems,and huge costs involved have killed off the romance about space exploration.It has also changed the confident expectations of the earlier years.For instance in the 1960's/ 1970's during the Apollo missions it was quite normal to think of putting a man on Mars by 1980.Even I can recall watching programs like UFO and thinking how easy and exciting it all was.Maybe a better way to express things is that we,ve lost our innocence.The reality of the challenge has now dawned on us.Visions like those in Kubricks 2001 of ordinary people being able to go to the Moon seemed very credible in 1968. Maybe some important scientific discoverys await us that will re-kindle these expectations,like some new form of propulsion system,anti -gravity device etc.But until that happens we will still be burdened with massive technical difficulties and increasingly unberable costs. Very much of topic Mark UK [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] |
Mark and Michael, you both make good points. The reason however
there was such a drive on in the early days of the space program was do in part to the cold war. It was thought we had to beat the USSR to the Moon for scientific, military and just plain old national pride. Now days none of that exists any more. But in the wake of the sad fate of the crew of the shuttle there will be many who call for a end to the space program. But the history of man is to explore and push outward. We can't stop because of it. Man didn't stop sailing the seas and finding new lands when a ship sank. We didn't turn back to horses when the a automobile that was suppose to be faster crashed. We didn't ceast to fly when planes crashed. If we had there would have been no first trans-Atlantic flight by Lindberg or a first flight around the world and surely no space program. We are but babies taking our first steps as far as space exploration is concerned. We can not give up because we have fallen and hurt ourselves or go back to creeping and crawling. We must get back up and learn to walk so that we can run so we can explore the vastness of the solar System, then Galaxy and finally the Universe. James K. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] |
In reply to this post by Mark Davies-3
Mark Davies wrote:
>Very much of topic I agree and, given my major interest in the subject, dangerously so. However, feel free to contact me directly if you'd like to discuss this further. Michael _________________________________________________________________ STOP MORE SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail |
In reply to this post by Mark Davies-3
James:
See my earlier message to Mark. More than happy to comment further outside this venue. And, unfortunately, you raise a significant point. In this country especially there'll be those who'll want to drop the space program altogether without considering the consequences. Michael >From: [hidden email] >Reply-To: [hidden email] >To: [hidden email] >Subject: Re: [SHADO] Loss of Columbia >Date: Sun, 2 Feb 2003 12:21:40 EST > > Mark and Michael, you both make good points. The reason however >there was such a drive on in the early days of the space program was do in >part to the cold war. It was thought we had to beat the USSR to the Moon >for >scientific, military and just plain old national pride. Now days none of >that exists any more. > But in the wake of the sad fate of the crew of the shuttle there >will be many who call for a end to the space program. But the history of >man >is to explore and push outward. We can't stop because of it. Man didn't >stop sailing the seas and finding new lands when a ship sank. We didn't >turn >back to horses when the a automobile that was suppose to be faster crashed. >We didn't ceast to fly when planes crashed. If we had there would have >been >no first trans-Atlantic flight by Lindberg or a first flight around the >world >and surely no space program. > We are but babies taking our first steps as far as space >exploration >is concerned. We can not give up because we have fallen and hurt ourselves >or go back to creeping and crawling. We must get back up and learn to walk >so that we can run so we can explore the vastness of the solar System, then >Galaxy and finally the Universe. > >James K. > > > >[Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > >Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ _________________________________________________________________ STOP MORE SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail |
In reply to this post by SumitonJD
James
I totally agree with you. I'm a child of the Apollo generation. In all honesty - my first living memory is of my dad getting me in front of the TV on a hot day in Australia and saying: 'Son, watch this - its important' I watched as a man in a space suit - in black and white on our old (very UFO!!) orange cabinet TV hopped on to the moon. When UFO came on TV only a couple of years later - I believed - and I know my father did, that by 1980 - man would have gone to Mars and beyond. There would be no America or Australia today if it wasn't for explorers venturing into the unknown. As a child of the Apollo generation I am bitterly disappointed at the way space exploration has gone - and more so with the funding restrictions. Its obviously mare agreeable to spend government funds to commit war/mass murder on lots of people - than to further our knowledge of the universe. I *am* anti-terrorism - and anti dictatorship, but I think we are such an immature race. We kill each other in so many places around the globe. We should be investing that time and effort into exploring beyond our little fragile blue world, That was my 5c worth!!! TonyC on 2/2/03 5:21 pm, [hidden email] at [hidden email] wrote: > Mark and Michael, you both make good points. The reason however > there was such a drive on in the early days of the space program was do in > part to the cold war. It was thought we had to beat the USSR to the Moon for > scientific, military and just plain old national pride. Now days none of > that exists any more. > But in the wake of the sad fate of the crew of the shuttle there > will be many who call for a end to the space program. But the history of man > is to explore and push outward. We can't stop because of it. Man didn't > stop sailing the seas and finding new lands when a ship sank. We didn't turn > back to horses when the a automobile that was suppose to be faster crashed. > We didn't ceast to fly when planes crashed. If we had there would have been > no first trans-Atlantic flight by Lindberg or a first flight around the world > and surely no space program. > We are but babies taking our first steps as far as space exploration > is concerned. We can not give up because we have fallen and hurt ourselves > or go back to creeping and crawling. We must get back up and learn to walk > so that we can run so we can explore the vastness of the solar System, then > Galaxy and finally the Universe. > > James K. > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ > > |
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