Science a GoGo's Home Page Forums General Discussion Not-Quite-Science Forum The heritage of the Space Program.

Last Christmas whilst buying presents for the grandchildren I was searching for a toy space rocket. The result was dispiriting to say the least. Whilst there were toy cars and even boats that had a realistic look, all the rockets were cartoon-like. There were the spin-offs-- Toy Story and the like, and lots of chubby rockets with faces, and fantasy rockets that turn into other fantastic monsters, but no realistic, miniature Apollo-type rockets. I eventually ordered one of the last of the toys available from NASA toy-shop (I still don't know if it's real NASA!) It was the last of a discontinued line.

My point is -- now that most of the population were not alive on that day on July 1969 when Armstrong and Aldrin landed on the moon, are we trying to downplay the achievement by belittling it and relegating it to the realms of fancy? People now don't believe it happened-- I remember GTV 9 here in Melbourne broadcast the whole thing for 3 days non-stop! It was playing non-stop in shops, banks, schools and our house! You don't fake that!

We should not let it all be forgotten because it's too hard to follow! The death of Armstrong this week has, I think, not produced the sort of discussion I thought it would. Why are we not critical of the inertia that has finished our exploration of space? It would probably be less expensive to reach Mars than fund the crazy wars we are currently fighting in.

I certainly never thought that the dreams of Space would end up as a bright plastic rocket with a smiley face!

Ellis

here is a great place to find rockets.

both powered and models.

the hobby shop

they will mail you catalogs when you purchase a item.
they have an online catalog also.

another for models

loads of models here

its sad that the models cost so much these days.

OR for a mere $22K you can wow all your friends and neighbours with some ex-russian rocket launcher

http://www.mortarinvestments.eu/products/jeeps,-trucks-a-motos-3/zil-135-rocket-launcher-266

If your pockets are a bit deeper say $2.9 million you can buy an actualy russian space rocket

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnew...s-for-1.7m.html

And if you are truely wealthy with around $40 billion you can buy the real deal one of the shuttles.

http://www.cbronline.com/blogs/technology/for_sale_one_sp


Seems everything is for sale at a price :-)

It is also sad that you could buy toy versions of all the paraphernalia of those wars, for the “edification” of your grandchildren, with the greatest of ease.

I’m not fundamentally opposed to space exploration, but I do have reservations about the amount of money spent on it, when there are so many people starving and dying of curable diseases. However, given a straight choice between space travel and war, I would have no hesitation in saying let’s go “to infinity, and beyond”, rather than blow one another to bits.

Paul, I'm flattered that you should consider my sentiment worth repeating, but should there have been a comment?

Orac- Whilst there are days when I wish I had a Russian rocket launcher handy I do not think it would fit into my life in suburbia, ---sadly!

And Bill S, I too have struggled with the idea that it's just too much money to squander on exploring space, but I really do feel that it is that urge to explore and satisfy our curiosity that is that thing that makes us human, and anyway I really do not think that the revenue saved would be spent on those who need help, instead it would be grabbed by war-mongers and oligarchs the world over.

When I wrote the first post I was really trying to point out how one of the most amazing achievements of we humans has been dumbed down. The moon missions are now conflated with 'Toy Story', and Buzz Aldrin has morphed into Buzz Lightyear! So much of the population missed the excitement that we oldies remember, as one of our species stood on the moon.

Many of the people under 40 today believe it was all a story and no-one ever went to the moon. Soon there will only be the stories left, and they will be told to children at bed time as fairy stories -and I think that will be very tragic indeed.

We need results - answers that lead us closer to understanding and mastering our piece of the universe. If space researchers can get more bang-for-the-buck via unmanned missions, then good for them. The glamour of manned missions has been short lived, and I see no reason why that would change with a mission to Mars. I'm with those who believe that we have to reach for the stars (literally) in the long term; but technology is just beginning to take off (forgive the pun) by leaps and bounds. A major challenge to astronautics today could be a walk in the park a few decades from now. I vote for patience and pragmatism. Lives and the quality of lives here on earth must come first.