The Last Scientist On The Moon

Fox News ^ | December 12, 2002 | Rand Simberg

[NonZeroSum]

Eugene Cernan expressed a wistful regret at being the "last man on the Moon."

He didn't, and probably couldn't, have imagined at the time that his title would stand for three decades, but as of Saturday, Dec. 14, that will be the case. No human being has trod on lunar regolith since that date in 1972.

[NonZeroSum]

We continue to need a little clarity in our national discussions of space policy. That is, when we actually have them, which is almost never.

[Chemist_Geek]

In fact, it's hard to come up with any justification for what we're presently doing in space, even for those who, like me, want desperately to see us become a truly space-faring nation.

It is, I think, better than doing nothing. I'm sure that there are better ways to go about building the XXI Century spacefaring society...

[chimera]

Science has typically been an afterthought in the manned space program. Applications and geopolitics have always been the primary drivers. Still, the science that does get done is valuable and, to be honest, in many cases, just can't be done much better any other way (e.g., sampling on the lunar surface).

That said, while not the primary focus of the posted article, there are always those who bring up the cost issue, and its usually in the form of a loaded question ("If we can spend oh-so-much money on space, why can't we do the same on Earth?"). I like to answer, we do, and more. The spending on the multitude of entitlement programs funded by the taxpayers every year dwarfs what was spent on the Apollo Program. For example, one budget year in the 1990s, the funding for ADC was in the range of $35 billion for one year (money given to people for having kids). We spent something like $25 billion over ten years for Apollo (which put money in the pockets of working men and women who pay taxes). IOW, the money spent on one government entitlement program would be more than enough to fund an Apollo-scale project every year, if you wanted to. Kind of puts things in perspective.

[Billy_bob_bob]

During the moon launches there were some people protesting the money being spent on the program, saying it could be better spent on social welfare programs. One gentleman in particular carried a sign that said "Forget about space, feed my face!"

Well, we did, and we did. And now we have nothing left of a space program anymore, but boy howdy do we have a whole lot of worthless eaters hanging around, who produce nothing but more children to carry a new generation of "Forget about space, feed my face!" signs.

My thanks to all of those welfare cases for taking our dreams, eating them up and sh!tting them out. Thanks so much to all of you. You just don't know how much I'd like to thank them all. I'd like to thank them again and again and again and again........

[Barry Goldwater]

If you want men on the moon again, simply eliminate all space treaties. If Bill Gates, Larry Ellison or the like could wind up owning large portions of the moon by settling it with colonies, the moon would quickly be populated. Put some economic incentives into space exploration and get the government out of it altogether.

[Procyon]

Better we squander the money paying for scientists on the ground, than passing the same amount of money through the Department of Education and into the pockets of social scientists and NEA-socialist teachers and administrators.

The ISS is a waste, but it is a holding play. If we didn't have it we would abandon space and thirty years from now our grandchildren probably won't even be taught about the space program unless it's to blame that program for poverty and illiteracy because it diverted funds from socialist education.

[chimera]

I know, and it breaks my heart to think of all the trillions of dollars this country has thrown away on social program boondoggles that have done nothing but make the problems worse, when we could have spent some of that on productive people who actually accomplish things and make a difference in the world.

The slimemold holding the "Feed My Face" sign probably doesn't have any concept of the radical notion of working for a living and earning his way in the world so that he can feed his own face. No, its someone else's responsibility to feed him. If he's an able-bodied person, I say to hell with those leeches.

[TomSmedley]

My thanks to all of those welfare cases for taking our dreams, eating them up and sh!tting them out.

Thirty years ago, we had the moon. It was deemed more politically expedient to buy poverty. Supply increased to meet demand, and now we have a lot more poverty. You could say the war on poverty has been won -- by the poverty warriors, who earn comfy livings on 90% of all the moneys the fedgov spends on "poverty."

[NonZeroSum]

Ping...

[RightWhale]

The article is a bit overblown and ignores current progress and ongoing development in the ISS. We need a sufficient, or even compelling reason to resume our conquest of space. Economic justification.

[headsonpikes]

"Supply increased to meet demand..."

Bump.

[hopespringseternal]

The best thing you can do to spur a spacefaring civilization is to get the government out of space.

Right now, we can't get to space economically. Many private investors have tried only to be run out of business by competition from NASA. But NASA is simply never going to develop affordable access to space. NASA is the poverty pimp of the space industry, meaning that they want to keep it stunted so they can control it.

If affordable access to LEO was available, companies would invest. Space industry would explode.

[Brett66]

Thanks for posting this. BTTT.

[RadioAstronomer]

Thanks for the ping. There still is a great deal of information being sent back by our robotic explorers we have sent into our solar system.

[buffyt]

I am one of those sceptics who doesn't believe man ever stepped foot on the moon. I think that is why the astronaut slugged that author the other day, when he asked him to swear on a Bible that he walked on the moon. I was looking at a photo of the supposed moon landing and the shadows go two different directions, and the flag is waving in the strong wind. There is no wind on the moon. I think if we had gone to the moon 30years ago, we would have gone to Mars by now. I have seen the space capsules and computers we had at NASA back then and they are pretty rustic. We were barely able to get into orbit.

[NonZeroSum]

I am one of those sceptics who doesn't believe man ever stepped foot on the moon.

I pity you. I'm sorry that you had such a deficient education, and never learned to actually reason.

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

I one of your many FReepmails to me, you say that you never said man didn't walk on the moon. If you never said it, please explain post #15.

[Flyer]

How long did you have to search to find this?

You remind me of me.

[RightWhale]

That's right. Do that.

[Doctor Stochastic]

I am one of those sceptics who doesn't believe man ever stepped foot on the moon.

What's your opinion of the WWF?