|
|
|
 |
Donate Here By Secure Server
FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
|
|
|
|
Posted on 01/08/2004 5:24:55 AM PST by presidio9
Edited on 04/22/2004 11:50:46 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
The irony of NASA's scoring a 300-million-mile hole-in-one by landing the Spirit rover in the Gusev crater on Mars -- while, barely 200 miles from home, an occupied but uncompleted International Space Station circles forlornly above grounded space shuttles -- is practically Shakespearean.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
|
|
|
|
|
Donate Here By Secure Server
FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
|
|
|
|
Although Burrows is correct about the utlimate motivation for a human movement into space, his "rationale" in political terms is as absurd as those who want to go to Mars to "look for signs of life" or those who proclaim (like Zubrin) that "it's our destiny!" Congress just laughs at ideas that we need to "preserve human culture by settling space." Want proof? How much have they funded efforts to search for, catalog, and mitigate against near-Earth object collisions?
What Burrows does not realize is that we can begin progress towards his ultimate goal (in fact, Space Station, for which his contempt here is obvious, is arguably a step in that direction, but that's another story) with a rational political need -- American space control. By declaring Earth-Moon space an American "strategic zone of interest" (which it happens to be), we make the Moon part of a long-term space transportation architecture. Once a transport infrastructure is established, we have the elements of what Burrows is after.
Which layer is to be raised?
"The Beagle has landed"
Bump!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.