
Apollo 13's Jim Lovell: Houston, we have a real problem - ColinWright
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/10411026/Apollo-13s-Jim-Lovell-Houston-we-have-a-real-problem.html
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todayiamme
I have been obsessed with the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs since
childhood and I've read the first hand accounts of astronauts, flight
directors, engineers, administrators, and journalists covering the programs.
What has consistently struck me is that although the programs were marketed -
if you may - along the lines of their exciting thrust into the unknown, the
programs were executed based upon a cold rational calculus that extended sabre
rattling and the grounds of engagement beyond the surface of our planet.

Yes, for me it might be one of the greatest achievements of humanity, but for
the people paying for the show all of that work was for one thing and one
thing only; to claim the high ground swiftly and decisively before the enemy.
For anyone with the ability to put a capsule into orbit and to retrieve it,
also possessed the ability to spy on the other party, safely launch and drop a
nuclear warhead into the other party's major cities, and one-up the enemy in a
show of technical prowess and strength - something that would persuade those
on the fence to pick the right side if it were. That's what these programs
were sadly all about and that's why they were ended once the high ground was
decisively seized.

The reason why there isn't an Apollo-esque or Manhattan-esque thrust towards
landing on Mars is because there is no substantial tactical, economic, or
political advantage to be gained from the act. Sure in the long term there
will be amazing pay-offs if we open up the solar system and expand outwards,
but right now in the minds of the people who are actually cutting the cheques
that pay-off is too distant, too abstract, too foolhardy, and too unsettling
to justify any kind of support.

Now some people choose to rue the cause behind our current Earth-bound
civilization, but I think this is actually a good thing. It ensures that when
we do manage to find a way to reach out to the stars we will do it for the
right reasons and our exploration will continue from one frontier to another
because of that fact.

