For our part going to see the last shuttle launch was a bit of a whim. Our oldest boy loves astronomy and all things space-related, so that was enough of an excuse. So we packed up into the van for the 30-plus-hour drive to Cape Canaveral.Along the way we got to see what’s left of America after the great financial crash of 2008. The all-night radio was full of news on the jobless rate in the U.S., now at something like 9.1 percent, and the stalled growth in hiring, sputtering along at only 18,000 new jobs last month. The eeriest part of this was the deserted freeways in northern New England on July 4th. Obviously, vacationers were not travelling in droves to spend their money. When we stopped in Massachusetts at a pretty—and normally very busy—historic inn it wasn’t even half full.
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The next low orbit reusable space vehicle will most likely have "Made in China" stamped on the underside.
ReplyDeleteNot just the United States of Amerika, the entire human species ... over-populated, over-consumptive, forever fractious and violent ... is going over the cliff. You can save yourself by changing to another species and changing your mindset as your venerable octopus has done. This is your last, best hope. I recommend changing yourself into small reptiles, small mammals, or small birds. The smaller and more ubiquitous, the better.
ReplyDeleteYes, Octo, it might work, though it hasn't worked for fish. (I think that "So long and thanks for all the fish" might actually be the epitaph for the human race.)
ReplyDeleteWell, Robert, and we already know that wherever it's made it will probably sport Richard Branson's Virgin brand... or maybe Burt Rutan's.
That said, one wonders: where is the next frontier...?
"Private corporations will exploit space, not explore space."
ReplyDeleteFrom my post on this issue.
That's a profound difference, and reflects American's attitude today, on many issues.