Posted on 07/21/2009 7:13:45 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
“Yes, we do have it. We haven’t forgotten anything about building rockets, and the engineering has improved.”
I have read several times where the Saturn V is a mystery in some ways to the current crop of scientists. Perhaps they could build a better version of the Saturn V, but they would be starting over.
“I think you’re completely wrong, and grossly unjust to today’s science and engineering community.”
Would that be the current science community that embraces Global Warming in order to further political agenda, (NASA), or to gain funding and favor? Doubting them is anything but unjust.
“Who’s “we”, Kemosabe? Our political class certainly lacks such drive ... and our welfare class lacks any drive.
Then, there’s the rest of us ...”
The rest of us is a very small group now. You’re not taking into account what the public schools have done to several generations of Americans. As proof, I offer you the election of Barack Obama. Not only that, without the support of the political class, the climb becomes very steep indeed.
“We haven’t forgotten anything about building rockets...”
Most of the folks who did that work are long retired and/or passed on. Sometimes institutional knowledge about what works and what doesn’t is as important as book learning. Most of the engineers at NASA today haven’t a clue. What they have been told is fast and cheap. Buy off the shelf. Don’t design anything new.
We may not be able to replicate the work done
In 1989 an explosion on the battleship USS Iowa occured, taking out a main gun turret with three 16” guns and snuffing out 47 lives in the process.
The USS Iowa was launched in 1942 and the original guns were manufactured in the late 1930’s to the early 1940’s. But 50 years later, when the navy got around to making a decision on repairing the damage from the explosion, it was found that the US no longer had the capability to manufacture 16” guns to replace those destroyed in the explosion.
The 16” guns could fire a 2,700-pound shell over 24 miles. (record set @ 24.6 miles in January 1989)
Leno looked directly into the camera and said, “I can’t do this anymore.” “
Whats worse is that in a year or two we won’t be able to get an astronaut in space period, without begging a ride from the Russians or the Chinese. Disgraceful.
” Or better yet, are erased from history by publishers.”
Just like with the WTC statues. Thay wanted a black man to be represented.
This post, and Shooter’s, are about as short sighted as it gets.
Mars may not be habitable. Don’t really know yet, but Jupiter and Saturn both have moons that might be.
To get there, we learn by going to Mars.
People talk about the space program like nothing good came from it beside interesting pictures.
We are STILL reaping the benefits of the material science of the space program. We learned the practical effect of Van Allen belt radiation and its overall effect on space travel. We came up with the technology to produce the ICBM and the SLBM. We own space militarily. Our command/control/communication capabilities supplied by advanced satellite technology allow warfighters on the ground to coordinate forces surgically on the battlefield.
I can’t imagine the number of armed conflicts the military advantages gleaned by the space program spared the US. It’s a big reason why the cold war stayed that way.
Doing technically hard things ALWAYS benefits us in innumerable ways collateral to the primary goal itself. Of all the programs, the space program is likely the one that has benefitted the average American more than any other program.
Why, the environmental concerns would squash it before it even started.
Actually I think it would be a great idea if Muslims could have their own planet. Then they could jihad all day without bothering us.
Replicate?
We wouldn't want to do that ... the underlying technology of metallurgy and other materials (for example) has changed dramatically for the better since then. If "we" really wanted to go to the moon again, we'd want a XXI Century rocket (scaled up from current designs, just like the Saturn V was an extrapolation from previous designs) ... we would NOT want to just rebuild the Saturn V.
Your point about lost institutional knowledge is valid ... and a good reason for not just dropping things like NASA just dropped big rockets in the late 1970s ... but it's not a mission-killer. Just a major annoyance.
“While I would love to explore, when Columbus sailed for the new world, there was at least the promise of solid land and air and food when he got there.
Despite what Star Trek says, we don’t see that on the horizon.”
There was a time not long ago when the mere thought of going to the moon was pure silliness due to the impossiblity of it. Going to Mars?! Not even a whimsy.
Can you imagine putting the library of congress on a few small disks? We can, you know.
If we don’t reach, we won’t find out what is in our grasp. And the side benefits of such effort is not insignificant.
This is a joke, right? I ask because sometimes I see stuff that a lot of blacks take seriously.
“space exploration DOES have to “pay off” at some point.”
AC - I have to respectfully disagree with some of your premises. If we only look to go where there is a possibility of a commercial pay off, we will only cheat ourselves. Exploration is by it’s nature a reach into the unknown. Mankind’s progress can be measured by these “reaches”, whether in exploration, science or other endeavors. If we stretch ourselves, we may fail - we have no assurances. History is littered with failures and successes, often times success being built on the back of failure. I fully realize that we have budgetary constraints. But, we have to find a way to keep “reaching”, because if we fail to reach, we most assuredly will fail to achieve. As a nation, we will be left behind. If we stretch and reach, our best days may indeed lie ahead.-—JM
Depends on how many you have die / day.
Abortion,Wars,Murders,Eugenics,Earthquakes,Fires,Starvation,Volcanoes.
Just to name a few.
Wish it made me feel better!!!
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