Posted on 02/01/2003 7:56:27 PM PST by nwrep
Florida's Space Coast Worried for Future
By MIKE BRANOM, Associated Press Writer
TITUSVILLE, Fla. - The nation's space program transformed this area from a sleepy patch of orange groves and fishing communities into a bustling center for tourism and high-technology jobs.
After Saturday's shuttle disaster, Space Coast residents didn't need to be reminded how closely their fortunes are linked to the Kennedy Space Center (news - web sites). After another shuttle, Challenger, exploded just after takeoff in 1986, the region struggled to recover from the economic and emotional loss.
"You're going to see a lot of people out here lose their jobs," said David Moore, 46, of Cape Canaveral, a financial analyst who was watching a sailing regatta not far from the space center.
The space program is also one of the largest employers along the state's central Atlantic coast. NASA (news - web sites) and its contractors — including Boeing, Lockheed Martin, United Space Alliance — account for about 16,000 jobs.
Many of the area's businesses, hotels and restaurants also depend heavily on tourists who visit the Kennedy Space Center.
After the Challenger accident, NASA put the shuttle program on hold until 1988, which meant the loss of thousands of jobs for engineers, technicians and others at aerospace companies and with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Those memories came back Saturday for several patrons gathered at Shuttles Bar and Grill in North Merritt Island, a popular restaurant where the walls are covered with memorabilia from the nation's space program.
Dean Morris, 41, had recently applied for a job at Kennedy Space Center, but was doubtful that he'd be hired after the disaster.
"This isn't going to be good," he said. "I think a lot of people are going to suffer."
But the suffering goes beyond economics. Many people feel an emotional tie to the astronauts and the space program that made their community famous.
Glenda Marcus, 42, a dentist from Merritt Island, said she cried until she was numb.
"I just looked at the TV for two hours and just kept thinking about the Challenger. I couldn't believe it was happening again," Marcus said.
Along Florida's Atlantic coast, businesses up and down A1A posted memorial messages on their marquees. "Our thoughts are with the crew of STS 107," read the message at Maine-ly Lobster. A local grill, Coconuts on the Beach, posted "God bless Colombia crew, our prayers are with you."
The economy of the Space Coast has been improving over the last two or three years, said Walt Johnson, executive director of the Space Coast Economic Development Commission.
"But certainly when a tragedy of this magnitude happens, we have to take a good hard look at how its going to effect our economy," Johnson said.
But Rep. Tom Feeney, R-Fla., whose district includes the space center, said private companies that use the Kennedy to launch rockets might ease the economic impact.
Earlier in the day, hundreds of visitors and residents had gathered along beaches and parks to await the landing of the space shuttle. John Berger, a 61-year-old retiree from Gilroy, Calif., and his wife joined about 200 people at Riverfront Park, a prime viewing area for shuttle launches and landings in Titusville.
"We figured something had gone wrong about twenty after nine. I looked at the wife and she looked at me and we both said 'Something's got to be wrong,'" Berger said.
The Kennedy Space Center visitor complex remained opened Saturday but guided tours of the Kennedy complex were canceled. At the complex, more than 500 people gathered for a moment of silence around the Astronaut Memorial, a black granite wall etched with the names of astronauts killed in the line of duty. The memorial has one of the clearest views of the landing site.
"We've all hoped and prayed many times that no names would be added to this wall," said Stephen Feldman, president of the Astronaut Memorial Foundation.
I couldn’t agree more. It is sad to say, but it is true that the fire has gone out of the program and a spark is lacking. Ask the average person on the street about space exploration and you’ll likely get a gee-whiz kind of response, like they think spaceflight is neat and all that but don’t have a clue as to what its really about or what the benefits are. Shuttle flights to the ISS or low earth orbit to go around and around without really going anywhere don't seem to ignite any excitement among the sheeple and only when disaster strikes to people really look up and notice.
Everyone knows that the spur for Apollo was beating the Soviets to the moon. We did that and then what? Its like a runner winning a race and then standing around with his hands at his sides, wondering what happened. Apollo continued for a while and then sputtered out like a carelessly struck match. What did we get then? A space shuttle program born in large part because of bean counters worried about the cost of expendable launch vehicles and politicians who were swayed by the bogus criticism of spending “too much” on space “at the expense” of doing social programs on Earth. Complete claptrap. In fact, I’m tempted to argue it the other way around. Spending too much on social programs that have been nothing but utter, dismal failures has cost us our true destiny, which is to soar above the Earth and among the stars.
During and for a short time after Apollo's heyday people in high places talked about flying to Mars. They were serious. Today you hear chit-chat about it but nothing really being talked about at the levels where something really could happen. Its all just robots, satellite cell phones, GPS and what's-the-bottom-line?
The whole structure of spaceflight and space research is creaking and crumbling. We don't have a realistic plan to get back to the moon, or what to do if we got there, which would be a good thing to do first. Nobody talks seriously about mounting a Mars mission anymore. I'll never live to see it, I'm pretty sure. We don't have even a clue as to how to do extra-solar missions. People talk about exploding nuclear bombs behind blast shields as a way to push spaceships to nearby solar systems. Geez, I mean, get the penicillin. What kind of a drive system is that, blowing things up?
Its going to take someone with a real vision and the drive and commitment to see it through, push it until it gives, to turn this around. Someone with guts and vision and the courage to pound desks and tell the bureaucrats and business-as-usual buttkissers to flip off and if we’re really serious about doing this, its going to take commitment and the political will to see it through. Given the present breed of political leaders (e.g., a bean counter heading up NASA), businessmen, and scientists, I'm not optimistic (I'll include myself in that third group since I opened my big mouth).
"...but, in my opinion, the military dominance of Near Earth Orbits, which is crucial to US defence, does not depend on them at all."
Though the first all-military Shuttle mission was originally scheduled for launch on 8 December 1984, it did not lift off until 24 January 1985. Captain Thomas K. Mattingly, II was selected to command Discovery on the highly classified mission. The orbiter was piloted by Air Force Colonel Loren J. Shriver, and the mission specialists were Air Force Major Ellison S. Onizuka and Marine Corps Lt. Colonel James F. Buchli. Air Force Major Gary E. Payton served as payload specialist. The launch was delayed on January 23rd due to weather, and cold weather held up cryogenic fueling operations for two hours on the 24th. Those delays aside, the last four hours of the countdown proceeded smoothly, and Discovery lifted off Pad 39A at 1950:00Z on 24 January 1985. Details of the mission are not releasable. Discovery landed at KSC at 2123:24Z on 27 January 1985.
All the Best....
I recall a statement some time back of an Air Force General, whose name I cant recall, to the effect that, "We must not only be prepared to fight in space. We must also be prepared to fight our way into space."
There's a certian ominousness in that, which informs the opposite of your view, to me, as much as I respect it, however.
We watched what we were sure was a satellite pass overhead from south to north, so in polar orbit, an hence likely military. Given just the numbers, I said, the chances are better than even that it was one of ours.
Everything Good....
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