🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1989Jul21.031420.1292@utzoo.uucp> henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes:
>In all the fuss about lunar bases and Mars missions, it is easy to lose
>track of one big, unpleasant, nasty fact that has gone from unlikely to
>certain in the last 20 years.  Unless something changes radically...
>
>None of us is going.

If "us" means everyone reading article <1989Jul21.031420.1292@utzoo.uucp>,
this has a fair chance - not 100% (=84%) - of being true.

Primarily because the hustling overachievers who WILL be in space in the
next 15 years know better than to fritter away their time on Netnews!

>Remember the early days of the shuttle program, when weekly launches were
>seriously planned, and the shuttle was going to open up space?  Remember
>"routine access to space"?  Well, you and I may remember it, but as far
>as NASA is concerned, it's dead, buried, and forgotten ...

Look, let's put this in perspective.  They fly B-1 bombers *daily*.  Has
anyone reading this newsgroup ever flown one?  "Routine access" is not
the same thing as "outdraws Disneyworld."  Most *Soviets* won't go,
either, yet we blithely grant them the "routine access" label.

>Remember when Jerry Pournelle said "we're going if we have to walk!"?
>Did you agree?  Did you think you meant it?  I did.  ...

No aspersions on Henry whatsoever, but anyone who lets the author of
JANISSARIES do his prognosticating for him, deserves the letdown. :-)

>            ... You can ride the bus, but you have to pay in Swiss francs
>and learn Russian first... 

The UK will be sending a cosmonaut up in 1991 (oooh, where are you Eric
Blair!), they are not paying in SFr and although, with 13,000
applicants[!], HMG has the luxury of making an acquaintance with Russian
a requirement, I don't believe the Soviets themselves impose it on
visitors.

				and the driver inspects your baggage before
>deciding whether to let you on.  

Also true on Air Canada. :-)

The most dangerous fallacy in this editorial is the equation of
*conquering space* with *you [the reader] going.*  It's pointless to
cheerlead a guaranteed non-starter.  None of us will go to Mars, unless
someone's kid is reading this.  But we could put a rover and sample
return mission there before your present lawn mower gives out if we
wanted to.  How about some space activism about THAT.

>1961-1969: 8 years of Apollo.  |
>1969-1989: 20 years of nothing.|

Tell it to the boys at Taurus Littrow... to Skylab... Viking... IRAS...
Solar Max... Mir... Voyager...  HST... Magellan... and please, don't 
forget to tell Christa.

-- 
"My God, Thiokol, when do you     \\	Tom Neff
want me to launch -- next April?"  \\	uunet!bfmny0!tneff