I don’t always like to share my opinion…it usually gets me into trouble or into an argument, which I despise even more than sharing my opinion. But I have been really bothered by the direction that the US is going in, from an exploration point of view. You see, that is the whole point. I think we are losing our point of view. I will agree that we are going through a financial low but I am not too convinced that we are dealing with it the best way. NASA, ever since I can remember, has been an icon of strength and determination. They are the reason that I made some of the decision I did: Flying, Engineering, Physics…I want to know because of the excitement of exploration that I learned from my interaction with NASA as a child. No, I had never visited any of their facilities, until recently, but my mind was made up after I saw an old film called space camp. Though the plot was a gross exaggeration, the excitement of launching a team of astronauts into space was very real. Sadly enough, I could have never predicted the end of NASA at that age. Actually, I had never figured that we would stop wanting to explore our universe. I always figured that with NASA’s drive we, the US, would always be the leaders in exploration. From where I stand now, the future for exploration looks pretty dim and I feel I am losing heart. It’s not that there isn’t anything to learn on this earth – there definitely is. But I believe it is essential for us to look ahead and look up for life to prevail. For example, I just found an article written by Sasjkia Otto saying that space exploration was instrumental in implementing approximate 6300 inventions into common day uses, like cordless power tools and invisible braces. Even the most aerodynamic swimsuit material was initially invented to aid in the aerodynamics of the astronauts’ suits. That’s pretty neat! To learn more about these inventions go to this website: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/5893387/Apollo-11-moon-landing-top-15-Nasa-inventions.html ).
You see, cutting down NASA is like changing our flag. We are becoming unrecognizable – of course there are many other political under-currents that are defacing the US, but that is an entirely different expose of itself. I digress. I know I am making it seem like the world is coming to an end as I believe one day it will, though hopefully not today. And I am sure it must sound like I think we are not going back into space but that is not what I am saying…I just think, we are taking quite a few steps backward and it is going to hurt us. Without NASA our children will start to lose the vision. Or maybe it is we who will lose the vision and our kids will never have been born with one. Perhaps I should stop sharing my opinion and after a while has past I will forget all about NASA. OR maybe not…
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
nasa is an imbodiment of big government. While the program has helped futher inventions and science, there are many things that could be done cheaper and more effectively in private sectors to achive the same or better results at a much lower cost. But looking at the examples of Japan and Germany in WW2, one can see that is when we really stated pouring much more money into R&d, as those 2 country had a laed of decades over the rest of the world in tech. In fact, lots of the first world tech today was jump started by research we and other allies took from them after the war or from persons who defected during. Manhattan project is an example. But as long as someone is capable of completing the work in the USA, like Boeing, Lockheed martin, USAF, etc it is much more effective to use private sector if possible. Someday the era of NASA may be looked back on, but that doesn't mean that somewhere in the USA the work won't continue, if they do dissipate or get reduced. I also saw space camp, long ago. NASA has a museum in Clear Lake, right outside of Houston. You can walk around the first rockets that went to the moon, and other stuff there. pretty neat.
ReplyDeleteI agree that many things can be done cheaper and more effectively, but I don't necessarily agree with the defacing of the United States. It seems as if the face of the U.S. is now being shadowed by other countries. I understand that competition is, in a way, good, but when we are out of the running, it does not help. Don't get me wrong, America is still a great country! The only problem is that we are weak. I agree that NASA seems to be an icon of strength and determination. Maybe this country needs to rebuild to become bigger and stronger though? People will always try to be innovative and resourceful and if that means tearing down one thing to build another, if it makes us better as a whole, then so be it. People need to understand that change takes time and that America's crisis cannot be fixed in a few years. At some point America will figure itself out.
ReplyDelete