I am a bit behind on my listening but would like to comment on the theories on why outer space is not as interesting to the mass population. I think it is in part that we shifted from test pilots and military to teachers and scientists. The loss of anyone is a great loss, but the protection of the “average person” seems to make NASA more cautious. Also one fact, the lack of money given to NASA to do it right and fast enough to keep the attention of some. It is still a big deal for some of us. I watch all launches and listen for the booms on landing, but I live very close to NASA in Florida.
I enjoy your podcasts,
Leah
Bill from Albuquerque says
August 15, 2009 at 5:20 amA lot of the reason why the general public has mostly lost interest in Outer Space is the delusion that the media and politicians have been operating under the last 35 years is that the money can be better spent on entitlement programs instead of investing in our future and keeping people working since nearly all jobs related to space exploration are here on the Earth. As someone who grew up in the shadow of Apollo and saw the economic devastation around the area of the Cape when the Apollo program was chopped off and the lack of direction NASA has suffered since we quit going to the Moon has been key to the current view of the Space Program. What we need to have happen is to get someone in charge of NASA who can reinvigorate the public and get our kids interested in exploring and colonizing the Solar System the way some of us were who grew up watching the Apollo missions and thinking we would have bases on the Moon by now being serviced by the Shuttle or by spaceplanes as shown in “2001: A Space Odyssey” and would be starting the first manned missions to Mars by now. Hopefully, we can get back the lead in the sciences we had when we were trying to get to the Moon and restart the advances in Medicine and Technology that have slowed to a crawl since short-sighted politicians refuse to look at the benefits of actually funding NASA at appropriate levels instead of wasting money on “bridges to nowhere.”
Brian Brown says
August 16, 2009 at 8:48 amWarren Ellis did a wonderful story some time back called “Orbiter”. It has some powerful messages and a great bit on his take on the Challenger incident. If you get the chance I recommend picking it up and giving it a read.