|
I'm fine with much of what NASA does but I think a new government campaign for manned visits to the moon (or any other planet, or even low earth orbit for that matter) is a waste of money (keep in mind that I'd love to see NASA's budget quadrupled, but lacking that eliminating waste on manned spaceflight without significant reduction in budget would be a significant step in that direction).
I do think you misestimate how well loved the space program is. I think it is incredibly well loved in an extremely narrow sliver of society, well regarded in a huge portion of society but it is a regard that doesn't actually put any effort into it and held in indifference except for the occasional splashy headline by the majority.
And yes, decades of geeks were inspired by men in space but it is a leap to say that without men in space they'd have been uninspired. NASA may have lost is gleam but 7 years of the Constellation program so far hadn't returned it and that means it probably wouldn't have done **** in that regard until at least 2020 which assumes that the Constellation Program actually ever accomplished anything which the last few years left in serious doubt.
Now, I love the thought of men in space and on other planets. I just can't justify it to myself on any more legitimate grounds than that it gives me a geek boner. And that's true even if private industry never steps in and it turned out to be the case that no other human ever again leaves our atmosphere.
|