Bush talk in 2004

[DJ_Schumi]

Having being discusted by the slowness of space exploration when i was young, i stopped looking at news on space exploration.

In the recent months i can back to the field and looked on the progress, the gap i left behind. Only today i checked out the video with Bush declaring America's future into the cosmos.

Doesn't take rocket science to know that America isn't the only country on this planet, although some might argue not! Most certainly i am not an American and my nationality is of no importance.

The important thing is that I believe and feel that I am a citizen of this world and not of any nation.

Quote from an astronauts' interview on the ISS "When I am up here and look down that window I can't see where the US ends and Mexico begins. Up here you can't see the countries its just them and us". This little quote moved me actually.

President Bush's talk said about making slow steps and one thing at a time. Try flying planes one at a time! This clearly is a step back. One can still find on the net the talk of late President Kennedy back in the 1960's and hear those words that said to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade.

One also might argue that this is just a statement from a man that was wanting to win a race with the Soviets. Correct! But we still have race on, a ticking clock we cannot see. Unfortunately President Bush's little steps won't be any good. From my point of view having seen the ISS being built now its a huge step back. Instead of making the time shorter we are making it longer.

Much longer actually. Stopping the Apollo missions was a silly mistake but apparently NASA is making this kind of silly mistakes all the time. The ticking clock is just the countdown to when we start to actually move people of this planet, to start reducing the number of people.

By 2020 that is when the proclaimed lunar missions will be fully up and running, the Earth will reach a number of 8 billion inhabitants if not much more. Action shouldn't be done today but yesterday. The clock is running faster. There should be much more than 1 sole space station out there. Listing the problems for space exploration would be the arrogance of some and pride for something that is called a nation when the goal is for all mankind.

"That's one small step for man....one giant leap for mankind" wise and famous words that seem to have given an end to the space era. The US by themselves managed to put quite a few men on the moon in a true record time from scratch but cann't put one after 37 years. NASA cann't even built a replacement for the space shuttle. And another reason for that is that people no longer work for a purpose other than Green Benjamins. No one ever thought of taxing each individual a small amount money just for this purpose, from all aroung the globe.

If everyone gives $20 once a year then that's around $12 billion for a common task. If money is the problem...think again. I have a bitter heart from reading all the latest news on space exploration, a word wrongfully used. Space race is the correct word as a famous actor might put it "Space...the final frontier". Look where your country's frontier is and then look up...then you 'll feel just how small and insignificant you are.

Still you can make a difference. The dinive nature of man makes mankind a "god". It's no blashfimy to use a metaphor. Excuse my long and unparagraphed text but structure in words is insignificant here.



[Edit by I, Brian - added paragraphs. ]

 

[Omega]

Could you put some paragraphs in there to make it easier to read?

 

[Alexa]

I believe everything depends on how much money governments are ready to spend on space exploration. Let's admit, this is not a cheap investment. How do you prefer your government spend the money: use it for the Moon or Mars or any other planet exploration or for Health care, Education, Environment, Transports (especially repairing the streets *sigh*), etc ?

USA is not the only country interested in space conquest. I was laughing a few months ago when I read about China's intention. But, my feeling tells me they can build shuttles better than NASA's. ESA and Russia cannot be neglected. Maybe they cannot afford to spend milliards easily, but I'm sure they do their best.

 

[Cyril]

Nowadays, we have a lack of competition concerning space exploration. Perhaps the 60s space race was motivated by the Cold War and world domination, but indeed it pushed space technologies to the top.

USA and Russia have the best technologies but other issues to solve and no will to invest huge amounts necessary to an ambitious space program IMHO. Europe is too divided and despite our good technology, we have less political will than USA or Russia. European space program is only a commercial program and brings no dream like its Russian or American counterparts.

Chinese ? They don't have yet the technology to lead world space adventure... but they seem to be the only ones with a long term objective, with a vision of space.

I think if Europe, Russia or USA don't awake, China will lead space within few decades.

 

[chrispenycate]

Emigration will not solve overpopulation. Even with beanstalks, or some other cheap and efficient way of lifting people to orbit, it could never beat the "marching chinese" syndrome. However, it could produce enough wealth to convince people to slow down on the reproduction game (richer families have fewer offspring. Still, this is very scary to governments, who see it as a reducing tax base rather than a reduction in the unenployed, and effectively unenployed, in which group I class all government employees whose jobs are inessential makework)

Money is not the real problem. How many of the highly specialised engineers who are doing the critical work would be any use in slum reclamation? And how many jobs would be created in the non critical fields, people doing useful work (and being proud of it) rather than being paid to do nothing (and told they should be grateful for it)? The competion is between territorial expansion (into space, new technologies and an outward vision) and military expansion. A state can not ignore its own protection; can it ignore its future (the answer to that question has far to often been "yes")

Planes flew very cheerfully one at a time- it took a war before mass production became essential. Most of the planet was explored on "one offs", be they ships, wagons or individual explorers. Certainly more makes cheaper- but being afraid to build many of what was a faily specialised vehicle, in case someone came up with a cheaper, more efficient alternative, was understandable caution. The error was not to keep working on that cheaper solution. the "it ain't broke" syndrome, and the inability to accept the casualties the program entailed. How many men, how many ships, died expanding over the face of this planet?

Finally, it's entirely governments who're involved with this, and they're terrified of anyone escaping from their control the US as much as the chinese, for the moment. And seeing that there are no frontiers,no divisions, that we're a tiny island of very similar beings in a hostile cosmos, might not be many politicians ultimate aim.

 

[DJ_Schumi]

Not a single person got my point but I presume that everyone is from a large country. Try and coming from a small country. Realising that your small country is indeed very small for this Earth will get you going when you realise that Earth is an atom in house.

I think everyone has said something for a country but that's not the essense of space exploration. Apollo 11 crew did put an American flag on the moon (wrong in my opinion nowdays) but still he carried hopes of an entire planet with him.

The other problem i failed to mention and please accept my apologies, is that politicians certainly make things worse. Their job is only to get re-elected and that's only possible if they get votes from their countries only. The contiously growing number of countries, and probably no longer properly defined, is a huge step backwards to this whole society.

Lots of things in this world that we take for granted are false statements but they are there to mislead us because some have won "wars" over for these. Its a jungle out there and everyone has to obey the law of the jungle. We should called ourselves civilised by obeying such laws.

Please excuse my phylosophical talk but this talk has been around for millenia now. Most people feel that after the world wars we came down to peace and everything is ok from now on and we learned from our mistakes. The mistakes though of our parents and grandparents and so on, we them now and our children will do.

The space race with everyone on board is the step forward. Imagine all the space technology being shared amongst all countries for the sake of everyone. Hope though, only goes down last!!

 

[chrispenycate]

Not a single person got my point but I presume that everyone is from a large country. Try and coming from a small country. Realising that your small country is indeed very small for this Earth will get you going when you realise that Earth is an atom in house.

Anyone who considers Switzerland to be a large country must come from somewhere pretty strange. Still, I've talked long and enthusiastically with M. Nicollier, our national astronaut, and he isn't the slightest bit bitter about having to travel in space shuttles - more delighted to have been born into a generation that could fly beyond the atmosphere. And even then, he, like me, can stand next to a mountain in one small corner of this tiny country and be overwhelmed by the sheer size of it, the majesty.

I think everyone has said something for a country but that's not the essense of space exploration. Apollo 11 crew did put an American flag on the moon (wrong in my opinion nowdays) but still he carried hopes of an entire planet with him.

Living in the second home of the United Nations I watch as different schemes on a world wide scale get weighed down and ultimately suffocated beneath the efforts of each national representative to get a bigger slice of the pie for his continent, country, tribe,family and so on down the genenetic diversity ladder. Mankind isn't ready yet for seeing things in perspective, and may never get there. Thus, the fact that one nation goes ahead is great

The other problem i failed to mention and please accept my apologies, is that politicians certainly make things worse. Their job is only to get re-elected and that's only possible if they get votes from their countries only. The contiously growing number of countries, and probably no longer properly defined, is a huge step backwards to this whole society.

For the time being there is no one society which represents mankind (and I'll go out on a limb and hope one never arises. Maximum diversity is our hope of maximum creativity, even if it's our greatest risk of extinction.

Lots of things in this world that we take for granted are false statements but they are there to mislead us because some have won "wars" over for these. Its a jungle out there and everyone has to obey the law of the jungle. We should called ourselves civilised by obeying such laws.

I don't understand what you're trying to say that civilisation (the concentration of people into cities) is inherently preferable to essentially individualistic jungle survival? That, due to it's inherently greater technology and population base, it has imposed its superiority, or whether the survival skills developed in an essentially competitive jungle environment have carried over into the slightly less competitive urban environment? Or should we all have metamorphosised into agression free angels by now (probably dooming space expansion. Those nasty, guilty insticts deliver a great hunk of the drive forward. Perhaps if China starts getting ahead, some other countries will feel obliged not to fall behind

Please excuse my phylosophical talk but this talk has been around for millenia now. Most people feel that after the world wars we came down to peace and everything is ok from now on and we learned from our mistakes. The mistakes though of our parents and grandparents and so on, we them now and our children will do.

Confused there. Who believed the world wars would forever end conflict and "the age of Aquarius" was due?

The space race with everyone on board is the step forward. Imagine all the space technology being shared amongst all countries for the sake of everyone. Hope though, only goes down last!!

If any country, or group of countries gets into space, any advantages will filter down to the rest of the species in the fullness of time (not fast, admittedly. Starting a United Nations Space Authority would be the best way I could imagine of guaranteeing failure.

 

[dreamwalker]

If any country, or group of countries gets into space, any advantages will filter down to the rest of the species in the fullness of time (not fast, admittedly. Starting a United Nations Space Authority would be the best way I could imagine of guaranteeing failure.

I fully agree
Space exploration should start from no other reason than military necessity - commercial gain. (from our current period of social development anyway) or pure survival.
Indeed, if major scientific breakthroughs arose over the next few years (i'm talking Newton, Tessla, big) then I don't see it happening. In fact I don't think we should attempt leaving our system in the scale your talking about.

For now, watch as global corperations force globalisation, how nations become less and less significant as people allign them selfs to brands and industries... then possibly commercial compitition driving the next space race...

If you need encouragment, you should try to ignore what nations are doing and what the single sparks are trying to accomplish. Look at what Richard Brandson is doing with 'Virgin Galaxtic' - Commercial space flights by 2008 - then look at the list of competitors that are lining up to give the same but, cheaper, or better...
This is only but a sign of things to come, and frankly i'm pretty encouraged by that at least.

Past that, you could only hope for another world war