I remember going to Edwards Air Force Base as a kid and seeing the Enterprise space shuttle on the back of a 747. That was a prototype that never actually made it into space. It was launched from the back of a 747 to test how well it flew as a glider. It was a pretty impressive thing to watch. This year the shuttle program is at an end. All 3 shuttles are being retired.
It was a pretty amazing space vehicle. For the first time there was a reuseable spacecraft. All the Mercury and Apollo missions were a one off thing. New vehicles were made for every mission. But the shuttle could be put back into space! What a savings!
The shuttle took things into space; satellites, the Hubble Telescope, astronauts and various experiments. It was a useful thing. But I think it limited what the US space program endeavoured to do. You had a truck. A truck that could go 300 miles up. But you couldn't go anywhere new. You couldn't take it to the moon for instance. Though I think it could have done that with a little work, no one thought to try. It limited exploration. JFK announced at the beginning of the 60's that by the end of the decade we would put man on the moon. And we did. No one knew how it would happen, but we figured out all the stuff needed to take someone there and bring them back. Exploration because the moon was next.
Now, there is the international space station, but it's just a sleep away camp for astronauts. You do get to see the effects of no gravity on the human body over long periods of time, but there's other places to go. You can grow plants and flies in zero gravity, but fucking do something more.
In addition to the shuttle, I think they should have worked on a mission to Mars. Another rocket system, a long range vehicle to take some people to Mars, have them hang out for 9 months and when there is a launch window, bring them back. Make it a mutli-national thing so the cost would not be just one country. Hell, have corporate sponsors. Virgin and Richard Branson. He loves having his name on things. Mars brough to you by Mars bars. Who cares as long as we go there. That would be amazing. Something like that would spark the imagination of all the videogame playing kids out there. Instead of virtual reaity, reality would be cooler than a video game. (Okay, there's no zombies to kill, but you are on another planet! Fuck yeah!)
Now that the truck is retired, make something new. I'm not down with going to an asteroid. That is small potatoes. Go to Mars, and on the way scoop up an asteroid. A small one. Don't go crazy.
It was a pretty amazing space vehicle. For the first time there was a reuseable spacecraft. All the Mercury and Apollo missions were a one off thing. New vehicles were made for every mission. But the shuttle could be put back into space! What a savings!
The shuttle took things into space; satellites, the Hubble Telescope, astronauts and various experiments. It was a useful thing. But I think it limited what the US space program endeavoured to do. You had a truck. A truck that could go 300 miles up. But you couldn't go anywhere new. You couldn't take it to the moon for instance. Though I think it could have done that with a little work, no one thought to try. It limited exploration. JFK announced at the beginning of the 60's that by the end of the decade we would put man on the moon. And we did. No one knew how it would happen, but we figured out all the stuff needed to take someone there and bring them back. Exploration because the moon was next.
Now, there is the international space station, but it's just a sleep away camp for astronauts. You do get to see the effects of no gravity on the human body over long periods of time, but there's other places to go. You can grow plants and flies in zero gravity, but fucking do something more.
In addition to the shuttle, I think they should have worked on a mission to Mars. Another rocket system, a long range vehicle to take some people to Mars, have them hang out for 9 months and when there is a launch window, bring them back. Make it a mutli-national thing so the cost would not be just one country. Hell, have corporate sponsors. Virgin and Richard Branson. He loves having his name on things. Mars brough to you by Mars bars. Who cares as long as we go there. That would be amazing. Something like that would spark the imagination of all the videogame playing kids out there. Instead of virtual reaity, reality would be cooler than a video game. (Okay, there's no zombies to kill, but you are on another planet! Fuck yeah!)
Now that the truck is retired, make something new. I'm not down with going to an asteroid. That is small potatoes. Go to Mars, and on the way scoop up an asteroid. A small one. Don't go crazy.
1 comment:
the idea that the space shuttle is basically your friends pick up is hysterical.
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