🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <46m2uf$950@crchh327.rich.bnr.ca>, Jeff Wilson <jdwilson@bnr.ca> writes:
> To date, the Voyager spacecraft has probably provided the most pure science
> data of any mission.  However, if you ask the public what is the most
> important mission NASA has accomplished, you'd most likely get Apollo 11.

  As important and fascinating as I think Voyager was, I would agree with
the public that Apollo 11 was more important.  That's isn't the question,
though, as these programs never competed.  A better question is which the
public think is more important, Viking/Voyager/etc or the Shuttle.  I have
never been convinced that the public is so all-fired pro-Shuttle.  I
see a good deal of interest in the unmanned missions -- not interest at
a level that would fund these programs at manned-space levels, but those
programs don't NEED manned-space levels.

> Don't dismiss the life science benefits that manned missions have discovered.
> I can't think of any right now, I don't follow these achievements.  There must
> be something that has come directly from the research in orbit (I hope).

   If you can't think of any, I guarantee Joe Taxpayer can't either.  I
don't know of any, and don't believe any have occured.  Corrections welcome
if you can name a *specific* instance.  Note that I am talking about life
science benefits that benefit Joe Taxpayer directly today, not knowledge
that advances future long-duration zero-gee missions.

/-------------------------------------------------------------------\
|  Catherine Mancus               <cathy@zorac.cary.nc.us>          |
|  PP-SEL, N5WVR                  "God is a sponge."                |
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