6th grade. What I remember most is watching the Apollo program. My life was changed by witnessing that great adventure. By the time I was an adult (around the age of 45) Mankind seemed on the verge of another such step. Never had I thought we might be where we are now. Where is that?
The United States of America - the nation that put the first astronauts on the Moon, who made the
International Space Station even possible - will after next month be renting spaceships from Russia. We will have no capability to resupply the ISS or exchange crewmembers. No new large satellites, no servicing satellites already in orbit; in fact, after July, NASA can't put a man in orbit at all.
For the first time in over 40 years Americans can't go to space without the help of someone else.
While it's not the only situation in which the USA lags behind other nations, I find it something of a
landmark. NASA and our space program is part of what defined us as a superpower. We no longer had a lead in manufacturing, science and technology, or medical care for our citizens, but we still had nukes and astronauts. Apparently our only claim to world power now is the ability to invade or destroy everyone else.
Why would that bother me? Well, for one, history shows that a country that rules with its military will often be ruled by the military. Furthermore America has developed the bad habit of failure, and here is a truly significant example. Last, I was kinda hoping to get rich one day and buy a spaceship ticket to Mars, so I'm bummed.
What do you think?
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