Space Station Is Near Completion, Maybe the End

Washington Post ^ | Monday, July 13, 2009 | Joel Achenbach

[edge10]

A number of times in recent weeks a bright, unblinking light has appeared in the night sky of the nation's capital: a spaceship. Longer than a football field, weighing 654,000 pounds, the spaceship moved swiftly across the heavens and vanished.

Fortunately, it was one of ours.

The international space station is by far the largest spacecraft ever built by earthlings. Circling the Earth every 90 minutes, it often passes over North America and is visible from the ground when night has fallen but the station, up high, is still bathed in sunlight.

After more than a decade of construction, it is nearing completion and finally has a full crew of six astronauts. The last components should be installed by the end of next year.

And then?

"In the first quarter of 2016, we'll prep and de-orbit the spacecraft," says NASA's space station program manager, Michael T. Suffredini.

[Technogeeb]

Why do people who want the U.S. to de-industrialize because they can’t bear the risk of greenhouse gases melting glaciers so anxious to de-orbit our huge spaceship?

Because when humanity finally establishes itself outside of Earth's gravity well in a self-sufficient fashion, the game is up for every little tyrant and leech on the planet.

Unfortunately, it is pretty clear at this point that those humans aren't going to be Americans. We sold that birthright for a bowl of socialist porridge.

[BobL]

I agree. The space program seems to be one place where people can brandish their penny-pinching, while trillions pass them by with barely a whimper (i.e., don’t you DARE touch my parents’ Social Security...otherwise I’ll have to give them a few dollars to get by).

[Kakaze]

Because when humanity finally establishes itself outside of Earth's gravity well in a self-sufficient fashion, the game is up for every little tyrant and leech on the planet

That is exactly right.

Those in power now learned their lesson, colonies are only colonies until they become self sufficient, then they are a force. You simply cannot govern people at a distance unless they allow you to govern them.

Releasing humans into the solar system would be a technological boom.

Those in charge now would rather reduce humans to a manageable population, than find a way to send "excess" population to the stars.

It is always about control and power.

[haroldeveryman]

“We sold that birthright for a bowl of socialist porridge.”

And a “free” set of false teeth.

[haroldeveryman]

“It is always about control and power.”

No psychologically healthy person would begrudge the fact that the majority of the people in North America, Western Europe, Japan and South Korea have benefitted enormously from the progress that began about 150 years ago with the Industrial Revolution. Or, the fact that the most rapidly growing mass economies now are highly populated third world countries like India, China, and Brazil. There is no more shining (pardon the pun) symbol of the human capacity for achievment than that space station. There may be good practical reasons for “de-orbiting” it. And I think there are some unhealthy motivations for doing so.

But there are a lot sick, uncomprehending bastards in this world who react to such creativity with frothing resentment. Unfortunately, these are the people who are driven to seek power. We don’t have to read about the old Soviet Union or Nazi Germany to find such people. Our most powerful elected officials are perfect examples. They have nothing positive to contribute. But they can and are determined to shut down the best among us.