Depressed

[melchar]

So the manned space program dies. The replacement programs have died thru neglect. The science-fearing majority of politicians win again. No doubt they are rubbing their forepaws together in glee at helping to insure that the US slips closer to 3rd world status. Soon, all that will be left here are unskilled and food service jobs.

Comments

[maestrodog.livejournal.com]

I think it's likelier of the U.S. defaulting on debt and a civil war happening before all the so-called "skilled" jobs disappear. The country simply doesn't have the funds for space exploration right now...and we need to take care of ourselves before venturing into the beyond.

[melchar.livejournal.com]

That's part of the problem - a lack of vision. A few billion** spent on space: which returns new technology, new food preparations [microwave ovens - not just Tang], new medicine, new surgical techniques, new fabrics, new alloys [hello -TEFLON-], new manufacturing techniques, ADVANCES on current technology [or are you using transitors in your cell phone?] - and anti-science propaganda has even intelligent people complain about the US lacking funds to invest in this area which has been a source of incredible returns.

But spend TRILLIONS for voluntary wars? No effective protest - no shutting down the WAR machines.

Both lose AND spend hundreds of billions on corporation subsidies, tax breaks, sanctioned bribery, kick-backs and war-profiteering? Even LESS protest and remarkably little attention paid to it.


**2010 budget 18.7 billion, or 0.06% of the Federal budget [please remember that the voluntary wars - Iraq/Afganistan/Libya - are not carried ON the Fed's budget - and are pretty much the sole reason for the current staggering national debt].
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budget_of_NASA

[howeird]

Microwave ovens? LOL. The Radar Range came out in the 1950's. http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/microwave.htm

Teflon? ROFL. Dupont patented that around the end of WWII
http://www.mindfully.org/Plastic/Teflon/Teflon-HistoryDuPont.htm

Tang? Close but no cigar - it was first marketed in 1957, and I was drinking it as a kid before NASA had any manned spacecraft. Yes, they did drink it on Gemini, and the ads about that boosted sales, but it was not a product of the space program.
http://heliopoli.com/2007/12/02/tang-a-correlative-history/

Few of the advances of modern technology made it into space. The computers on the shuttle are so laughable that astronauts brought laptops on board for the last several missions.

And that's a big reason the program was dropped. 40-year-old designs flying for 30 years.

[melchar.livejournal.com]

From what I have read [and the tang/teflon thing - was 'learned' in school] the manned space program led to the push for miniturization of components, transitors to microchips, thus shrinking tech like computers and microwave ovens down to sizes that could be commerically sold to the consumer market.

[howeird]

The manned space program died when they settled on a re-usable shuttle to build a tiny lab in space. The original plan was to build a space station where space ships could be brought up in pieces, assembled and launched without needing the world's largest firecracker to get them planet-bound.

I don't think they are science-fearing. Most Americans simply don't see the point in sending people to the moon again, let alone Mars - and they vote.

[melchar.livejournal.com]

From what I've noted, when reminded of the Space program by seeing astronauts, voters tend to support the program. Show them robots and the reaction is 'meh'. Even after years of media propaganda, voters seem apathetic in regards to science.

Politicians OTOH are the ones who come across as fearing science - especially [and sadly] members of the GoP, my political party of record. Far too many Republicans are anti-science, anti-education, anti-fact, xenophobic and very 'pro' the promotion of their own particular flavor of religion. To exaggerate wildly, it is as though there has been an effort to de-fund NASA so that they are not reminded that they live on a finite planet.

[howeird]

I'll answer both your comments in this one. First of all I am a HUGE fan of manned space exploration. I also love robots - the Mars rovers are amazing. The Canada Arm is neat. I'd disagree that robots are a turn-off for most Americans and live astronauts are inspiring. How many shuttle pilots can the average American name? Maybe Mark Kelley, if they have been paying attention.

We hang around people who are not like most Americans. We are a very small minority. The politicians don't get into Congress by magic, they get voted in by like-minded people. Unfortunately, most Americans think math is hard, science is for people with thick glasses who smell bad, and Budweiser is beer.
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All those advances in technology came about because consumers wanted them. Astronauts don't carry cell phones in orbit. I don't think there has been an iPad in space yet.

The shuttle was making test flights in 1977. Windows 1.0 did not come out until 1985, the Mac in 1984. The shuttle was not designed to take any significant computer upgrades.