[bloggers] Ad Astra, Per Aspera

[Emperor_Norton_II]

Two views of the moon announcement from a little-known California liberal blog:

http://www.nukefreezone.net/archives/000066.html

Now, I'll be up front. I'm a technophile in a number of ways, from my basic computer-geekishness to transhumanist leanings, but one thing I'm quite fanatic about is space exploration - by which I mean manned space exploration. Among my greatest hopes for my life is that I last long enough to see either a manned landing on Mars, or a permenant - by which I mean span of generations, not weeks - presence on the Moon. We as a species have a window, I believe, in which we can get our act sufficiently together to get the eggs in multiple baskets, before something happens on Earth which will make us have to climb back all over again for one reason or another. That window may be ten years, it may be five hundred, but I think it's comparatively narrow in the grand scheme of things, and a human offworld presence isn't a neat thing as much as should be a species imperative, with all the urgency and vigour such a thing should imply. Suffice to say, a significant offworld presence, or even just demonstrating that we could begin one, will make me Very, Very Happy. I'd settle for a space elevator (which would probably be cheaper and even - in the long term at least - more useful, but people are afraid of the technology for purely irrational reasons), but this works.

However, the person apparently preparing to announce one of the literal plans of my dreams is President George W. Bush, and so I find myself unable to get too excited. Why is that?


and...

http://www.nukefreezone.net/archives/000067.html

All in all, while I'm interested to see where this goes, I'm also skeptical. The timing of the announcement - which, don't forget, has NOT been made yet - coincides with the beginning of the 2004 primary season (the Iowa caususes are held on January 19, and Bush is set to make the announcement presumably on January 14). The timing seems odd for such a program, not coming this week (in the immediate afterglow of the Spirit landing), last month (for the Wright anniversary, when we originally thought he would make the announcement) or next month (for the one-year rememberance of STS-107). Also, the involvement of Bush's chief political advisor in the making of the decision strikes me as ensuring that this is more geared to scoring political points with the Space Coast than accomplishing anything worthwhile.

[Dogmudgeon]

1. Bush In Space

He will promise us the Moon ... and Mars.

He will deliver nothing.

This is how it's gone with every major progressive "initiative" that Bush has proposed. No Child Left Behind is an unfunded testing scam. The so-called Medicaid reform package passed in the Fall is another shell game. Remember Bush's big speech about fighting AIDS in Africa and other less-developed countries? You know what they got -- a gift certificate for a month of free AZT and a stern lecture on sexual continence.

But Bush is such a megalomaniac, that he feels if he gives a rousing speech on Space Exploration, so powerful will his legacy be, like the Moon Program guided by JFK's resolution, that millions of Americans will work diligently to fulfill Our Wise and Courageous Leader's call to glory.

The reality will be a badly-funded boondoggle consisting of goodies for his corporate sponsors and ridicule from the scientific and international communities. And may God help the poor astronauts called upon to pilot the vehicles built under his regime of arrogant manipulation and bold stupidity.

--bkl

[SheilaT]

2. Ad Astra, Per Aspera

That's the state motto for Kansas. I thought this was going to be a thread about the great state of Kansas.

[NV1962]

3. I thought aspirin was bayer's

http://www.astra.com/

Toto, this isn't Kansas anymore :crazy: