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Originally Posted by bluesdave
You seem to refuse to accept the point that both I and Bruce have tried to put forward - that there is an emotional aspect to space exploration. At the risk of being flamed by you, yet again, I agree with much of what you say. There *is* a huge wastage of money being spent on projects that return a questionable level of benefits, and more deserving projects are canned because politicians want to gain points for supporting the "glory" missions.
As Bruce has pointed out, the public will choose a widescreen plasma TV, over a new space probe, every time.
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Therefore you should be calling for more Hubbles, Martian Explorers, probes to Saturn, etc. Fabulous science AND better pictures comes from these. We have plenty of fireworks on 4th of July.
The only emotion from manned space is created in spin and myths. How quickly all that emotion faded after Apollo 11. Apollo 13 was completely ignored by the networks.
Meanwhile, tell me about this emotion? Tonight the Space Shuttle will be launched in a trajectory that might be viewable all up the East Coast. Notice how everyone is excited and talking about that unusual and so exciting event? Where is all this emotion? I don't see a single post here reminding everyone from FL to Maine to watch for the space shuttle. Where is this excitement and emotion? Where is this extremely rare and visible Space Shuttle launch attracting everyone’s excitement – if manned spaceflight is so emotionally important?
This 'emotion' attached to manned space is myth as even demonstrated by how we totally ignored Apollo 13 - until an event made real science necessary.
But again, what made Apollo 13 both exciting AND made that disaster into a success? In every case politicians were silence and people who come from where the work gets done both defined each problem AND initiated each solution. Even Lyndon Johnson was forced to sit outside in the car because astronauts wives demonstrated proper contempt for political games. All this science and success accomplished without any White House interference. And yet the White House suddenly knows a Moonbase is needed?
That lesson about manned spaceflight has been repeated continously. Instead, manned spaceflight should be integrated into a science program that has a strategic objective. Is emotion a strategic objective? Obviously not. Emotion only comes after a strategic objective is first defined. Frustration - the current emotion attached to Space Shuttles and ISS - is the emotion we have because politics (not science) created both missions.
BTW, what is the strategic objective of ISS? It has one. Do you know what the strategic objective of ISS is? The answer creates emotions. What is that answer? What is the purpose of ISS?