Americans Walked on the Moon this Day in 1969

[Haggis@wk]

If someone had told me 42 years ago that our space exploration program was essentially over that day I would have thought them crazy. We were going to have a moon base, mine the asteroids, fly to Mars, explore the solar system, and maybe have colonies at the LaGrange points.

Now, a sad last shuttle returns for the last time tomorrow and.....that's it. Will Americans go into space again in my lifetime without buying a ticket on a Russia Soyuz? I'm doubtful.

Meanwhile, Iran is planning on putting a monkey in orbit and is talking about a satellite network. China has plans to go to the moon and wants to mine Helium 3 as a possible fuel for fusion generators.

India's been putting stuff in orbit since the 70's and successfully tested an empty manned capsule recently and plans to put men in orbit in 2015.

And the U.S. of A. plans to do...nothing. Constellation was cancelled and there is no plan to ever, ever put another American in space.

I'm depressed.

[Shapley]

We let them talk us out of 'commercial exploitation' of space, and so we were left with no incentive to go there - except for an occasional service call on the satellites we have up there.

Open the Moon to mining, and we'll have someone up there gathering rocks, and selling them in every Wal-Mart in the country. As it is, we've lost our way. Why go up there if there isn't any money to be made at it?

[dai bread]

It's odd how quickly we lost interest in the moon. When the first landing was made, everyone in my office gathered around a radio (no TV in the office) and listened spellbound.

When the second landing was made, nobody even turned on a radio.

[Giant Communist Robot]

The Soviets, with their many firsts in space, pointed out that they went from an agrarian nation to the world leader in science and technology in a single generation; and they reasoned this was possible because of their superior social system. Let's be frank about this: the primary purpose of space exploration for the Soviets was propaganda.

I remember newscasts where the embarrassment to the U.S. was discussed, but the feeling I sensed at the time was more like humiliation or even shame. As long as there will be history books, Americans will have to read the Soviets were first. This was a time of heavy rhetoric. The U.S. was willing to play that game. Kennedy's moon challenge defined U.S. participation. By the time we made it there, the world had changed and detente was around the corner. The major impetus behind manned exploration was over.

[jamiebk]

The Soviets, with their many firsts in space, pointed out that they went from an agrarian nation to the world leader in science and technology in a single generation; and they reasoned this was possible because of their superior social system. Let's be frank about this: the primary purpose of space exploration for the Soviets was propaganda.

I remember newscasts where the embarrassment to the U.S. was discussed, but the feeling I sensed at the time was more like humiliation or even shame. As long as there will be history books, Americans will have to read the Soviets were first. This was a time of heavy rhetoric. The U.S. was willing to play that game. Kennedy's moon challenge defined U.S. participation. By the time we made it there, the world had changed and detente was around the corner. The major impetus behind manned exploration was over.

Pretty expensive bragging rights...

[piqaboo]

it ate my post. am annoyed.

want to keep space program going. more another time