This left me disillusioned, not so much in space exploration or the shuttle program--perhaps I'm too trusting in that regard--but in fictional versions. I was fascinated by the short-lived show "The Cape." In one episode, several exterior tiles were lost or damaged and an astronaut did a spacewalk with a sort of glue gun and pasted new tiles on over the old. They were worried about them holding as he had to leave on some of the old adhesive, but the shuttle landed with nothing worse than a few sparks and maybe a scorch mark at the damaged spot. On the news last night, Eugene Cernan, the last man on the moon, was shown explaining why a space walk to repair damaged tiles was impossible! And I thought that show was accurate and well-researched! It was extremely good in explaining the importance of the tiles. The news last night also explained that there was an escape hatch and parachutes, but they were already in trouble at 40,000 feet and it was impossible to parachute from that altitude. They didn't go into reasons, of which even a fairly ignorant individual could doubtless name several.

Unfortunately or maybe fortunately fiction is fiction for a reason.

Space and all its endless possibilities are finite due to our limited finances and interests from the world as a whole. Although many love the thought of seeing the Earth rise over the horizen on Mars or the Moon, there are many more individuals that don't give a care or are skeptical.

The loss of the Columbia and its passengers was considered to be a 1 in 100 chance (a very large percentage). Eerily, one of the NASA scientists was explaining this on the news just two days prior to the Columbia's fall. Scary.

However, the future looks as though Earth will remain our home for at least our generations. I hate saying this because I like many of you want to believe in the prospect. I guess I understand what you mean, dandelion, about being disillusioned, or perhaps I'm just another skeptic.

[This message has been edited by Miss Cecy (edited 02-05-2003).]

[This message has been edited by Miss Cecy (edited 02-05-2003).]

I don't know if I think you're a skeptic. But I do know that if there is not a vision and a will, we will just putter around for generations.

When Kennedy put the man-on-the-moon goal out there, there were only a handful that believed in it. But the program was funded and driven by a vision. Unfortunately, once the vision was fulfilled, we didn't really have another one right behind it, so it stagnated and sputtered. (That may overstate it, we have made progress over the last two decades.) While space travel is never routine (one of my favorite lines from Hanks/Howard's "Apollo 13"), we made it look routine! That is quite an accomplishment.

I'm afraid we have lost the will to sacrifice for something that appears not to have an immediate payoff. While we do have urgent, contemporary matters to spend money on; man is never at his best when he sits still and loses the passion to go outside himself and to discover. We are made to stretch into the future with passion and vision, not cower and limp into it like whipped dogs. Where's the power, where's the excitement, Where's the joy, in that?

To the "fiction is fiction" response...

The idea of flight itself was fiction for countless generations until an unlikely pair of bicycle repairmen named Wright refused to be bound by skepticism.

Child-like in their awe of the natural world, and so naive in their belief that they could fly...they broke free from thousands of years of earth-bound thinking.
They used only canvas, wire, and wood.

Paul:::

Yes...about the Wright Brothers...but NO one wanted their flying contraption.....no one...until 1914...World War I...then, suddenly, it was the perfect vehicle to drop bombs ...

Mr. Dark::
Per space flight, etc:::
I am convinced...that there is 'very' intelligent life "out there". At times, I look up at the sky, be it day or night, and let it sink into my noggin' ... that I am standing on the surface of a world that is utterly open...bare and as visible as can be to everything. (Furthermore, we are broadcasting our whereabouts to a universe via radio and television signals). We are filled with waving trees, and people, and tall buildings, and life, and great expanses of life and living, and it's all sitting there on the surface of a world , one amongst innumerable billions....

Come on... It's out there, too...other surfaces teeming with incredible resemblances....It boggles the brain....

In St. Augustine's monumental work, City of God, he wrote this, around 480 AD or thereabouts. Now I am paraphrasing, cause I don't have the book right in front of me, but this is pretty close:

"Scientists today say that the Earth is round. I must pause on this to reflect. Can you imagine what they are saying? They are telling me that when I am walking around, there are people on the other side of the world, walking with their feet pointed up towards me. And that when the sun is going down for me, it is going up for them. How absurd! This is a matter the confounds the mind. But I do not want to get away from the topic we are discussing, so.... " And he continued on with what he was discussing.

Space race, Space schmace, whatever.... It is all far more amazing, what is out there, and where it is all leading, than anyone can ever imagine ...(except maybe a few scientist, somewhere, of 2003 AD, who dare to ponder wildly...)
But, however, it seems, in the final count, to be about money, and returns on investments... Should they find gold on Mars? Then what....?

I SAW IT! I SAW IT! The space station! It was visible for only a few minutes, but it was there! Of course, men *have* been on the moon, which is much further away, but maybe it seemed more of a thrill to see it actually moving. It goes around the entire earth in 90 minutes, so is visible twice in the same location in one evening. After those two orbits presumably it can be seen somewhere else?

An Op/Ed in today's paper (Dallas Morning News) gives a good rationale for moving forward into space. For the pragmatists out there, there is plenty of rationale. For the dreamers and visionaries, space beckons eternally . . .

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/viewpoints/stories/02...hutchison.9c551.html

Dallas Morning News
Opinion: Viewpoints

Kay Bailey Hutchison: Space agency needs funding and a better defined mission

02/06/2003

By KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON

On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon and into the pages of history. As a reporter in Houston, I was privileged to cover that historic event, which defined a generation. That moment also embodied the greatness and unlimited promise of America's space program.

The tragic fate of the space shuttle Columbia confronts us with a choice: renew our commitment to space exploration or continue cutting NASA's budget and diluting its mission. The story thus far is bleak. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's budget has been cut to the bone in the last decade. In fact, the space shuttle budget has decreased by nearly 40 percent over that period. Year after year, we have watched the numbers dwindle and projects suffocate because of inadequate funds.

People have asked me why we still need a space program. We sent a man to the moon more than three decades ago ... now what?

Space exploration and research have improved our quality of life in ways that many Americans take for granted. The work conducted by NASA astronauts, researchers and engineers has yielded more than 30,000 developments in technology, medicine and defense.

From satellites, which allow instant access to news and information around the globe, and cellphones, which forever changed the way we live, to everyday amenities such as cordless appliances, Velcro and Teflon � all were developed through our space program.

NASA research has been an integral part of our nation's military efforts as well. Space-based and satellite imagery, as well as global positioning systems, have been critical to helping our armed forces pinpoint the enemy on the battlefields of Afghanistan, helping to bring a swift end to the Taliban and chase al-Qaeda out of the country. NASA also is helping to develop the next generation of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the Predator, which allows us to see the battlefield, find the enemy and send in precision-guided munitions � all without putting our troops in harm's way.

Perhaps our greatest achievement has been in the field of medical science. CAT scans and MRIs are revolutionizing our ability to detect tumors early and save lives. Neither technology would be possible without NASA research.

The crew of Columbia was conducting experiments � human and scientific � in fields ranging from biomedicine to microbial physiology to yield new pharmaceuticals, treatments and research. Studying the effects of medicines on human bodies in space enables NASA to make greater advances in how we treat people on Earth.

Yet despite those developments and innovations, NASA's funding has fallen short.

On Monday, President Bush proposed a 2004 budget that, thankfully, begins the long process of reversing that trend. He is asking Congress for $15.47 billion � a 3.1 percent increase. While that is progress, it is merely a drop in the bucket. It will take more than a one-year increase to turn the tide and bring our space exploration program back from the brink.

Few things Congress has done have reaped greater rewards than supporting NASA's mission. But just as important as adequate funding is that NASA defines a clear vision for the future.

The tragic loss of the seven astronauts aboard Columbia was a wake-up call to Congress and the American people. We must renew our commitment to space exploration. We know that the cost of progress can be high, but the cost of complacency is far greater.

In recent years, NASA's mission has become muddled. In the new millennium, NASA must set forth a distinct mission that outlines clear objectives and goals. Congress must ensure adequate funding to support that mission, and the American people must support our nation's quest for space exploration.

We owe it to the heroes who lost their lives, and the loved ones they left behind, to continue their journey and discover the mysteries that lie hidden in the universe.


U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, serves on the Senate science, technology and space subcommittee.

In re: fiction is fiction etc.

At last, a tie to Bradbury! One of his essays, I believe in Zen etc. has to do with the role of science fiction. Remember his metaphor of the caveman drawing on the cave, dreaming of a way to down a mastodon with a spear? And then making it reality. Science fiction!

And, in re: space exploration. Just came across something on the National Review site that I've been knocking around in my head. I wonder what the fatality rates were during the age of ocean exploration. The writer takes note of the Magellan expedition: ship and Magellan lost in the circumnavigation of the globe. And, yet, here we are today.

Pete

I'm glad that the discourse has finally come back to Mr. Bradbury. This is , after all, forum for how he inspired people. To me, he spoke for the dreamers...those who are consumed by the need to go beyond here and now, however impractical.

I liked the comment about man being the only animal that explores. There are other animals who scout for food, or for safer territory, but none who search new ground just to know what is there.......because they can't rest until they do.

As far as casualties at sea, research how many died on the Oregon Trail. Had the skeptics prevailed, the U. S. would stop at the western bank of the Mississippi.

The Oregon Trail is 2,000 miles or more long (varying depending on which passes and cutoffs were taken by each group) and there's supposed to be a grave every 15 feet, for those who want to do the math. That's not to mention the Mormon Trail, and the more celebrated California Trail, which had the Donner Party.

Bradbury tie-in to that last, I'm still working on. I know it's in one of the Martian stories, but not sure if it's "The Martian Chronicles" or "Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed."

Being a global thinker, which means I am not bothered by ever having to get down to specifics, I have backed up a step or two to look at this whole posting in terms of the "bigger picture." I think that Ray Bradbury's work represents the spirit of all speculative fiction in that he speaks of ideals and dreams which allow the imagination to soar free from the constraints of politics, finance, and practicality.

What is fascinating to me, is that speculative fiction so often becomes reality. Jules Verne envisioned what later became nuclear power as manifested in submarines and destructive weapons. He also alluded to genetic engineering as being a two-edged sword in that it could be used to feed the hungry, or it could be our undoing.

In "Fahrenheit 451," published in 1953 by the way, Mr. Bradbury talks of a future where people are absorbed in interactive, pseudo- reality shows projected on large flat screens in their homes. They walk around with their ears filled with the buzzing of "thimble wasps" and "audio-Seashells" which blot out unpeasant worldly sounds...and the need for human conversation. Do these things sound familiar?

If such observations and speculations about human behavior and social direction can come to pass, why can't those of space exploration? I think that "science" fiction often becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy because it gives us outlandish goals towards which we can strive. Being the irrational creatures that we are, "outlandish" and "attainable" are not necessarily mutually exclusive concepts.

[This message has been edited by paul (edited 02-07-2003).]

As an afterthought, I am sitting here "non-communicating" through an electronic keyboard. I think I'll go out and strike up a real face-to-face human conversation with friends or family.

[This message has been edited by paul (edited 02-07-2003).]

Way to go, do a Dudley Stone there, Paul!

One of the things that can be frightening about unfolding technologies is that we can't really forcast their human impact. As pointed out above, the nature of human communication is changing because of the technological advances. These changes may bring both good and bad consequences.

The internet provides an unbelievable forum for the distribution of ideas. Even on this message board -- while we are not having "human" face to face interaction -- we are engaging in a dialog that was IMPOSSIPLE just a generation ago. I find this message board very rewarding. Although it is not face-to-face, it is something that is valuable to me in spite of that limitation.

While we spend more time in this cyberspace communications technology, we seem to become more isolated, yet our intellectual forums increase. The ability to exchange ideas with persons all over the world about common interests is a brand new capability. Where will it lead? Will the apparent diminution of personal interaction harm mankind in the long-run? Did the telephone break down families and friendships, are did it make it easier to maintain those ties? Is the internet a step toward improving the retention of communities AND creating new communities, or it is going to lead to a destruction of the very human relationships that have defined the satisfaction of our lives for centuries?

My daughter spends hours on messaging boards and in IM'ing. I used to think this was just a waste of time and was diminishing her social skills. But she exchanges video tapes, and snail mail letters with people in Canada and England. These are people she would not have "known" a generation ago, but that she has the ability to get on an IM session and exchange live "dialog" with them at very little cost to me (the penny-pinching dad). Are her social skills diminishing, or are they just preparing her for a new way of "doing" social?

Clearly, the loss of face-to-face experience and the required sense of human touch does not exist in these relationships, but that doesn't make these relationships and these new communities necessarilly evil.

One of the things that Bradbury has done in many of this stories is to look, psychologically, at the impact of technology on communities, and then on those impacts on individuals and relationships.

I'm babbling. but what I mean to say is that these modern communications technologies may open more doors to communication and community than they close.

I agree with two ideas expressed above: (1) Speculative Fiction (Sci Fi, for the old guys among us) has often preceded real technological advances. (2) Speculative Fiction provides a forum where the risks and impact of new technologies can be investigated and explored with very little risk.