An interesting article by NASA Administrator Mike Griffin appears in the current Air and Space Magazine.
http://www.airspacemag.com/issues/2007/june-july/Uncommentary.php
Whether you agree with the American space program or not, it gives you something to think about. I think this commentary expresses some of the thoughts I have on the subject but can never seem to put into words.
As Mr. Griffin states, there is more benefit and value in exploration than what you can see in a cost-benefit trade study. Straight logic falls short - the value of exploration to the human spirit is hard to express in words.
In graduate school, I took a fascinating course on the History of Exploration. It covered everything from the beginning of human history to the Space Age. The original humans ventured out from their initial habitation to look for resources, etc. But those basic, tangible needs do not explain why they kept going, further and further. There is something in the human spirit that requires answers, discoveries, reaching out. Most of us do this instinctively in our own lives as we learn new things, visit new places, search for spiritual answers. As a society, one of the ways we do it is space exploration.
Would the money spent on exploration be better spent on feeding, clothing and sheltering people? Hell yes! Do you believe that, if we cancel the space program, the money will go directly where it should? Hell no!
There are many federal programs that receive much more money that the space program, for which we receive absolutely no benefit. And part of the benefit of the space program is to the economies of the states where the space business takes place.
The last numbers I saw showed that less than one tenth of one percent of the federal budget went to the space program. That just boggles my mind. As far as national priorities, that's probably the right place. But it makes me wonder about how the remaining 99.9% is spent.
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2 comments:
Ha ha. Sometimes Sassy does that too, only we have a screen on our fireplace. It's so cute.
This is how I wash Sassy. I fill up a shallow container with warm water. Then I take Sassy by the legs and lower her back-first into the water. I just dip her in and out. Then I suds her up while she's standing on her own. Then I repeat the first step a couple of times. She doesn't seem to mind it too much. I do it all very matter-of-factly, like "Kitty, you don't have a choice..."
Oops, somehow I managed to post the cat comment on this post :P
I read the article. I liked the comparison of the medieval cathedrals and the space program. An apt likeness, as both are acts of faith, really. I would much rather we spend money on space exploration and exploration of our own planet than on killing people, i.e., war.
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