I Have A Dream For The Democrats

Spacedaily ^ | 12/18/02 | Donald F. Robertson

[Brett66]

I Have A Dream For The Democrats

by Donald F. Robertson

San Francisco - Dec 18, 2002

As Republicans celebrate their historic win in the mid-term elections, it will be easy to forget that little has changed. The nation remains evenly divided and Congress remains closely split. We are still a nation at war with ourselves.

The Democrats are fighting defensive battles to preserve hard-fought social gains of the past. However important, that does not constitute a positive electoral message. Democrats desperately need a forward-looking cause that the entire nation can rally around, a cause that unites, yet one that does not sell out their core beliefs.

There is such a cause. It is a dream that the Democrats once embraced and somehow lost. It is a call whose beginnings thrilled the nation, created jobs, and a high technology economy that every one of us benefits from to this date.

That cause should be nothing less than opening wide John F. Kennedy's "this new ocean."

We should explore the inner Solar System. In areas that do not have native ecosystems, we should establish early colonies. We should start the beginnings of trade -- raw resources needed by the Space Station and applications satellites, rare minerals, and knowledge, in exchange for the complex technologies and manufactured goods needed from Earth. In short, we must create a new civilization, much as the United States was created out of the old countries of Europe.

Such a cause plays to key Democratic strengths. Achieving it will require government investments in civilian endeavors on a far grander scale than most Republicans would ever condone. The American continent was not colonized without government help, and neither will the new frontier.

At their best, Democrats are idealists, vying to create a better, more fair society. The United States' Constitution could never have been written in the established societies of the old world. It was written surrounded by the open horizons of new territories. Just as Europe today is a better place for having watched and participated in the American experiment, the new ideas developed "out there" will have profound positive impacts on the social dialog back home.

An expansive space effort could advance many Democratic causes and interests, while also advancing the nation as a whole. More than anything else, the economy needs to put more people to work. Great aerospace projects employ large numbers on the ground, and not just the highly skilled. Giving young people constructive, hopeful jobs that lead to dramatic futures could ameliorate many social ills.

The Apollo project was a catalyst for more and better education for all. Historically, culture, science, and the arts thrive in expansionist times. A fresh wind of discoveries and images blows away mental cobwebs and tired routines. No truly healthy society can long exist as a closed system.

Using such a cause to achieve important social goals is very much in the Democrat's tradition. It may be forgotten by today's southern Republicans, but Lyndon Johnson used Apollo to help industrialize the south and to bond the nation more closely together.

An expansionist space policy could again prove popular in many southern states. Bill Clinton inherited a discredited International Space Station on the edge of cancellation and gave it a social purpose to which moderates in both parties could subscribe -- helping to tie the Russians into the global economy.

The time is ripe. With the Space Station, we have proven that we can build complex structures in space and live there for extended periods. A new generation of cheaper and safer heavy lift launch vehicles is being introduced.

Deep space propulsion is in the midst of a little-noticed renaissance. New cryogenic upper stages have been designed, solar sails are in development, and electric "ion" drives are now fully operational.

With these tools and a determined effort -- and a willingness to take measured risks -- adapted Space Station designs and hardware could quickly be sent to Earth's moon. An initial polar science base might be possible within one four-year term. Eight years could see us exploring and learning how to extract resources from the Martian moons and nearby asteroids.

As on Earth, the key resource is water. The initial goal would be to deliver extraterrestrial water into low Earth orbit. Because of Earth's gravity, this can be done far more cheaply than delivering water from Earth.

Once near Earth, the water would be split into hydrogen and oxygen to provide propulsion for communications, environmental, scientific, and other satellites. It would also supply air, drinking water, and fuel for the Space Station, and the new ships heading out into the unknown.

It won't be easy, but, as Kennedy said, we chose to do these things, "not because they are easy, but because they are hard." Advocating an expansionist future involves great political risk, but the conservative "rock no boats" strategy the Democrats have been following is not working. Americans want a positive, exciting vision of the future, not simply a defense of the gains, however important, from yesterday's battles.

Every time the moon rises, the cause the Democrats so clearly need stares them in the face. Now, all they need is another charismatic Democrat courageous enough to make it her own.

Is anyone out there?

Donald F. Robertson is a freelance space industry journalist based in San Francisco. He is an unrepentant Democrat. An abridged version of this article appeared in a recent issue of Space News

[Brett66]

Well this is a different idea, it sure would beat the lame class warfare and race baiting the dems love so much. The problem is that there is no clarion call for a renewed push for space exploration. There are significant concerns about terrorism though and Republicans own this issue.

[Brett66]

Indexing.

[HumanaeVitae]

"He is an unrepentant Democrat"

Kind of puts a smile on your face when you see people automatically defending their "unashamed" or "unrepentant" allegiance to the DNC...

[Voltage]

This would have merit if it permitted us to place weapons in orbin from which we could pretty much call the shots.

But something tells me that is not what he was talking about...probably more like how NASA employees could keep their jobs, while taxpayers try to keep hearth and home together.

[jpl]

Today's Democrats, embrace space exploration? Laughable. I hardly know a single liberal who truly supports the space program. They don't think like J.F.K. any more, they think like Walter Mondale.

[Shooter 2.5]

What the heck is an "inner Solar System"?

If this guy is trying to send all the dems into outer space, I'm all for it.

[krodriguesdc]

right now the dems need a cause - any cause - that's why this is happening...

Enron didn't work, the evil Republican environment trashers hasn't worked, etc etc...

this issue will register with the voters for the bullsh*t it is and they will lose seats again in 2004!

so let's just stoke the fires...

[Radix]

Walter Mondale thinks?

Since when?

[folklore]

This is a great idea. Congress could move to moon and we would solve global warming.

[WorkingClassFilth]

A slight correction: They think like Karl Marx.

[Eala]

At their best, Democrats are were idealists, vying to create a better, more fair society.

Now at their best, Democrats are thoroughly corrupt, dishonest, amoral and completely imbued by their lust for total(itarian) power and control.

[Brett66]

Bill Clinton inherited a discredited International Space Station on the edge of cancellation and gave it a social purpose to which moderates in both parties could subscribe -- helping to tie the Russians into the global economy.

This is one of the most ridiculous statements in this article. Clinton turned NASA into a propaganda arm of his administration. The inclusion of the Russians led to delays and a corrupt transfer of money from the US to a post cold war Russia that wound up lining the pockets of the Russian mobsters. Any serious space analyst knows what a joke that was. Clinton "Klintonized" all of NASA, turning it into an organization that served klinton's propaganda purposes and wasn't held accountable during his reign. This environment was responsible for creating the huge cost overruns of the ISS. Klintoon left a big mess which Bush and O'Keefe are now trying to clean up.

[Brett66]

Space ping.

[MadIvan]

What the Democrats need to do is very simple - they need to thoroughly repudiate Clinton and make a fresh start of things. They'll never do it, which is why they are going to be stuck in the wilderness for a while.

Regards, Ivan

[RightWhale]

That would be refreshing, a race between Democrats and Republicans to see who can support space development more.

[RadioAstronomer]

Thanks for the ping :-)

[The_Victor]

This is one of the most ridiculous statements in this article. Clinton turned NASA into a propaganda arm of his administration. The inclusion of the Russians led to delays and a corrupt transfer of money from the US to a post cold war Russia that wound up lining the pockets of the Russian mobsters. Any serious space analyst knows what a joke that was. Clinton "Klintonized" all of NASA, turning it into an organization that served klinton's propaganda purposes and wasn't held accountable during his reign. This environment was responsible for creating the huge cost overruns of the ISS. Klintoon left a big mess which Bush and O'Keefe are now trying to clean up.

BINGO!!!!!

[Frank_Discussion]

"The American continent was not colonized without government help, and neither will the new frontier."

Oh, there are a number of things to pick on in this article, but the statement above pretty well sums up my general objection to the tack he's taking.

Yes, we did have government help to colonize North America, but his implication is that the government forged the path. It's a socialist dream, and a big lie. The Government did two basic things: Give Land Grants/Easements to Railroad companies and backed Loans to the same. Other than that, the government got the hell out of the way.

What this "space journalist" wants is a big jobs program and government control of the space industry - socialism in space!

[Frank_Discussion]

"This is one of the most ridiculous statements in this article. Clinton turned NASA into a propaganda arm of his administration. The inclusion of the Russians led to delays and a corrupt transfer of money from the US to a post cold war Russia that wound up lining the pockets of the Russian mobsters. Any serious space analyst knows what a joke that was."

You get the cupie doll! For the casual observer, this is not transparent. In fact, people still link ISS and Space Station Freedom, tragically. ISS is not Reagan's space station.

"Clinton "Klintonized" all of NASA, turning it into an
organization that served klinton's propaganda purposes and wasn't held accountable during his reign."

In fairness, the Klintonized environment already existed at NASA. Adding the Russians was merely a flourish.

"This environment was responsible for creating the huge cost
overruns of the ISS. Klintoon left a big mess which Bush and O'Keefe are now trying to clean up."

A big mess? Surely, putting the cash-strapped and socio-politically shattered Russians into the main decision path hasn't helped. A further complication is Russia's justified pride in their own space program, now nominally subservient to its old opponent. Bad Medicine.

However, I always like to point out that the apples-to-apples comparison of ISS overruns and Apollo overruns would show Apollo was the greater. Especially consider the longevity of the ISS hardware versus Apollo. And it is very good hardware, to boot.

Here's the sad part: Even with the old Space Station Freedom program, at the point the toon added the Russians, we were about to cut metal and get started on construction. Sure it had technical problems, but they would have been solved or worked around, resulting in a much larger station much earlier. It probably would have been even cheaper to implement.