No Return to the Moon (at least by the United States)

I was only an infant when man first set foot on the moon. I have no memories of that moment in history when everything became possible and science fiction became science. I have taught about that moment in history and how it inspired the world to reach for bigger and better things. How many different advances were made and how many jobs and careers had been launched right along with those Apollo missions. I remember telling my class that there were plans afoot to return to the moon and that they could expect to see this happen within the next 8 – 10 years baring any drastic cuts to NASA.

Well, here are the drastic cuts: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9150040/White_House_killing_NASA_s_moon_mission_reports_say. That nixes the moon and the Space Shuttle. As for Mars – who knows?

I did pass along my excitement at the notion that private companies would now become major players in space travel. I discussed the X-Prize and Space Ship One and Virgin Galactic and Sir Richard Branson and the VSS Enterprise and how a real and true revolution was going to be taking place in their lifetime. I just didn’t know that the revolution would be happening as quickly as it will be. When the Space Shuttle is done and over and mothballed our government expects private enterprise to take up the slack. This is, at once, a good thing (mostly) and a bad thing. Private industry will open up the market much wider than NASA ever could hope to. Need a satellite placed in orbit? Virgin Galactic could do that in between passenger trips. How about repairs to the Hubble telescope? Sir Richard could probably put those repairmen just where they need to be. I wonder, however, what corporate entity is going to represent the United States on the International Space Station? The hatch opens and the contingent from the United States are all wearing Red Bull or Monster Energy Drinks or Viagra tee shirts and hats. As they say in some circles, “That’s the weak sauce.” And, Gentle Reader, THAT is the weak sauce.

If I could go back in time I would have told my class that Wall Street investment bankers, American car manufacturers and credit card company bailouts would prove to be more important than their futures. I would have told them that they should really consider learning Japanese or Chinese if they wanted to be in on the lion’s share of technological advancement in air and space technologies. Oh sure, I would have encouraged them in math and science and foster an interest in the possibilities; I would have just recalculated their aspirations. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the power of their dreams.” I would have set those dreams a little lower. Really, where do I think I am, Tokyo – Hong Kong?

Oh, if I could but turn back the clock.

Look, I understand. It is just not that important to us here in the States. Why would it be? We have it all. We have been there and done that. Exploration, advancement, and goals for the future - our overtaxed attention spans just can’t handle that amount of pressure. Our standards in education have sealed the deal. We are a service society. We do not produce. Those days are gone. Production is now in the hands of those who have put it at a premium, those who invested in their futures by training the next generation to actually want to be engineers. Humanity will return to the moon. It is as sure as the tides. Here in the United States of America - well, we’ll be able to watch it happen on our flat screens. I just hope that they don’t have to preempt “American Idol” to do so. Our sensibilities just couldn’t take it.

Note from the author… While writing this blog I encountered another little article from BBC. It is about how some states (currently California) are attempting to protect the Apollo 11 landing site from other countries that have active plans to go to the moon… unlike us: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8488783.stm.

Twenty Years Ago – Tiananmen Square

I remember watching the news feed break into the, “regularly scheduled programming”. I can still see, in my minds eye, Peter Jennings announce that tanks were literally rolling over students who were protesting the fact that they wanted to have democracy in their homeland – that the simple right to gather was being trampled on the other side of the globe.

That was twenty years ago. Here is a pretty good article on the anniversary: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090604/ap_on_re_as/as_china_tiananmen_28.

Twenty years. China, hosted the last Olympics and it truly was a sight to behold. Old and new, ancient and cutting edge; I can only assume that China itself must be, at once, a similar occurrence, a culmination of both of those worlds. Hong Kong has become the epicenter of the financial tsunami that China has morphed into; a truly wondrous example of capitalism at work. I wonder what would happen if some of the principals of democracy were in place there. I wonder what would happen if the people of China were able to be free; free to vote, to gather, to speak their minds, to pursue whatever their desires are for their own lives – what a staggering super power they would be.

I understand that all of the theoretical systems of government look good on paper and I know that we have our own problems right here in our own democracy; yadda, yadda, yadda – but still the very chance to be free, to live free – that alone is worth it.

Who’s to say what the next twenty years will bring? Hong Kong is a prime example of capitalism today. They also have freedoms that the rest of China only dream of. Who is to say, in the future Tibet and the whole of China may be free. One never knows. In the above linked article, Cheung Man Kwong says, “Hong Kong is China’s conscience.” He may be onto something.

The Beijing Olympics

By chance did you see the opening ceremonies? Amazing. If you did not, here is the NBC link (be warned though, you’re gonna have to jump through a few hoops and advertisements before the clip shows. It is, however, worth it.): http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/share.html?videoid=0808_HD_OC_RC_CE005. Here’s what Wikipedia has to say on the subject: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Summer_Olympics_Opening_Ceremony. Zhang Yimou pulled off something that will be hard to duplicate. Something wonderful.

I’m not a big sports guy but I do enjoy a good epic. It’s this epic that attracts me most to the Olympics. For China this is big and that’s saying something. The opening ceremonies cost about 300 million dollars and about 150,000 performers to pull off. The drummers, the jaw dropping technology and pyrotechnics, the shear spectacle was simply astonishing. I pity London in 2012 – they are going to have a hard act to follow. China’s sleeping giant has awakened.

Beijing has rocketed up my list of places to see before I keel over and assume room temperature. The Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven, The Great Wall of China and Tiananmen Square are all good reasons to visit the city; now add to this list the Beijing National Stadium (or “Bird’s Nest”) and you’ve got an unforgettable experience.

You know, I’ve put off hitting the lottery and applying for passports for far too long. I’m gonna get right on that.

Enjoy the Olympics!