It's a plan. We'll have folks wandering routinely around the moon between 2020 and 2030. A prediction that I didn't make in my book Darwin's Orphans.
With so much focus on easier ways to get into space, I thought for sure we'd see the wisdom of first constructing space elevators -- some with stations attached to them. This would let us to more easily launch to Mars and other places we haven't been.
However, I do see the wisdom of having a low-gravity jumping off point that also lets us practice living in non-terrestrial conditions. It seems wise to get good at it closer to home before heading farther into the solar system.
This has oftentimes been interesting fodder for speculative fiction. Feel free, as always, to post your opinions on the subject.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Men on the moon?
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2 comments:
NASA, for the past thirty years, has been afraid of putting forward a workable plan for the man space program. Watching Dan Golden on TV trying to explain why the man space program even exists was a very painful thing to watch. The fundamental problem is how large, multi-year (decade?) programs are funded. Each year NASA has to go back to Congress and get the next installment of their funding. As things change--the amount a particular congressman is getting for his/her state etc.--appropriations wax and wane, and eventually programs fall short of goals and run long on expenditures. Result--little of lasting importance ever gets done.
Another annoying aspect of man space is the inappropriate way in which it is sold, both to congress, and to the American people. Broad visions of exploration and scientific research are the WRONG way to do it. First, most scientists hate man space. As far as they're concerned all this does is take money away from "serious" research, i.e. unmanned missions. Anyone who doubts this only has to read the venom that the late Van Allen had for man space. Second, the greater American public are more than happy watching movies and playing video games. The great public enthusiasm of the 60's is a distant memory. This may be, in part, because America is a much less scientific culture in the 21st century than it was in the 20th century. We like the gadgets, but we know and care little about the science.
Man space will stay bogged down unless and until advocates come up with a viable and attractive business plan that gets both private companies and state governments excited about man space. Once the money starts flowing, the sense-of-wonder will return.
BTW, thanks Mark for your interest in Proteus Rising. Even though I am a scientist, I still have the bug.
Thanks for the insights Peter...extremely informative considering that they're coming from a scientist like yourself.
Cheers! - Mark
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