MAIN ARTICLE: 1st Inaugural Address and John F. Kennedy.
Poll Results: Yesterday's poll, the fourth in a series had an interesting turn. Scroll down for the latests in space polling.
Star Trek: In the News. T'Bonz from Trek Today does the Star Trek bullets.
Yesterday's Comments: "We need the elevator. Jump start present tech and future exploration all at the same time." - Indexer
Today's Poll:Would you support President Obama if he called for a new American boldness in space.
America has never been about a country. America is, and hopefully always be, nothing more then a few simple ideas. Those ideas are made manifest each four years, and celebrated, with the peaceful transfer of power.
Listening to President Obama's first inaugural address one passage, among many, jumped out at me. As an advocate for, at times a contentious subject, human space flight, I was struck by the summation this passage represented for space.
"In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom." - President Barack H. Obama, 1st Inaugural Address.
Human spaceflight is not for the faint of heart. It too calls on "the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things" to achieve the unachievable. President John F. Kennedy, when refering to space, made this same clarion call. Greatness, for America, was not a given. It would have to be earned and the journey would call for nothing less than the successful landing of two Americans on the surface of our closest neighbor, Luna.
"So it is not surprising that some would have us stay where we are a little longer to rest, to wait. But this city of Houston, this State of Texas, this country of the United States was not built by those who waited and rested and wished to look behind them. This country was conquered by those who moved forward -- and so will space.
William Bradford, speaking in 1630 of the founding of the Plymouth Bay Colony, said that all great and honorable actions are accompanied with great difficulties, and both must be enterprised and overcome with answerable courage.
If this capsule history of our progress teaches us anything, it is that man, in his quest for knowledge and progress, is determined and cannot be deterred. The exploration of space will go ahead, whether we join in it or not, and it is one of the great adventures of all time, and no nation which expects to be the leader of other nations can expect to stay behind" - President John F. Kennedy, Rice University.
There were many then, as there are today, who would like to wait a little longer and put things off that deal with space. History proved the contrary. America should exercise the political will to once again move forward in a bold way.
For me, those two words, "answerable courage" is how America answered in both President Kennedy call for the moon and the skill of the American workforce in fullfilling that call. It is with this knowledge of what America can do with progressive leadership that the Nation, should once again, embark on President Kennedy's "great adventures of all time".
"This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America." - President Barack H. Obama, 1st Inaugural Address.
I fully agree with our new President. Our workers are the most productive and inventive with an undiminished capacity, in both ability and private enterprise. "Standing pat", as it relates to American space interests, should end and a vibrant commercial space economy should be developed to break up those protected narrow interests as it relates to the American Space Program and that funding. (see Becoming Spacefaring: Integrated Space Policy Jan 13, 2009)
"For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do." - President Barack H. Obama, 1st Inaugural Address.
For many, including myself, laying the foundations for growth should include laying the foundations for a renewed interest in space and developing America into a space faring Nation. Jobs should not only be created for today, (see Becoming Spacefaring: Technology investment Jan 14, 2009) but for the rest of the 21st century. For those that say space is to expensive I say what new technology isn't during it's infancy. From automobies to x-rays and everything in between, they too were to expensive for the general public when they first started out but with economy of scale and competitive pressure they have always come down in price so the general public becomes the main benificary of those developments. It will be the same in an American commercial space economy.
"The growth of our science and education will be enriched by new knowledge of our universe and environment, by new techniques of learning and mapping and observation, by new tools and computers for industry, medicine, in the home as well as the school. Technical institutions, such as Rice, will reap the harvest of these gains.
And finally, the space effort itself, while still in its infancy, has already created a great number of new companies, and tens and thousands of new jobs. Space and related industries are generating new demands in investment and skilled personnel" - President John F. Kennedy, Rice University.
Looking back at President Kennedy's observations and sage advice about what space can do in our economy in his day, it did come to pass. The scientists and engineering talent created in the 60's fueled our Nation's growth for decades. Once again America should make that call to our Nation's youth, our best and brightest to be challenged by the most demanding environment there is, space.
(see Suggested Principles for a Progressive Vision for Space Exploration Dec 27, 2008)
"Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage." - President Barack H. Obama, 1st Inaugural Address.
POLL RESULTS:
Yesterday's Poll #4 - "Upgrade the old or add more new systems." had a really low turnout but those members taking part were strongly in favor (71%) of recommendation seven " National Global Monitoring Strategy and Architectural Framework." with 28% put a priority on "Upgrade Aging Weather and Climate Satellite Systems."
In the two previous polling segments one and five came out on top we can now add recommendation number seven:
(1) Recommendation: Robust and Highly Qualified Space Workforce Essential.
(5) Recommendation: NASA’s Science Programs.
(7) Recommendation: National Global Monitoring Strategy and Architectural Framework.
STAR TREK: In the News.
By T'Bonz January 20, 2009
"Star Trek: Online is offering fans a beta slot in their closed beta, a special forum title and online publication of the winning fan entry in a new contest. Fans will "tell us about the planet" that is shown on the contest details page, where a red planet, surrounded by black rocks/asteroids and with a starship of some sort approaching orbit of the mysterious planet, is pictured. The contest entrants will have to write a short entry of up to five hundred words, which could be a story of the daily life on the planet, a scientific survey log, or any other type of tale that strikes the writer's fancy."
YESTERDAY'S COMMENTS:
"if "the future" isn't very close The materials just aren't there, even getting single nanotubes of the needed tensile strength remained a goal last time I looked, much less assemblages of them. As more analysis is put into such structures, dynamic problems are showing up that increase the requirements on them and move the goal posts further away.
We can build space elevators on the Moon using existing not-too-hitech materials. If we want to haul a lot of stuff up into orbit then the best way to reach that goal might be
- use the ISS as a test bed for developing techniques for vacuum and microgravity construction work, as well as space habitats. Look at the problems they've had there and tell me further R&D isn't needed.
- Improve survey data for the Moon, with the goal of establishing long term bases there. The earlier stages of this could be done with robotic craft, both from space and on the surface, to keep costs down.
- Build at least one such base, using it to develop lunar construction and mining methods. The goal should include making such bases as close to self-supporting as practical, especially for short to medium periods of time. High tech stuff, and things requiring specialized fabrication would still be done on Earth, but day to day needs eventually would be met using lunar resources.
- Then comes the lunar elevator or elevators, using materials harvested on the Moon. When completed the Moon with its shallow gravity well becomes our construction and supply site; only humans and other lifeforms, and specialized items come from Earth.
The Moon is close, problems that arise could be helped with quick delivery of supplies from Earth. As we learn how to live and work in vacuum and microgravity, we become better equipped for further ranging manned trips, and need to loft less and less out of Earth's gravity well. And we may find ways to make the materials need to build the Earth based elevators." - wondering if
TODAY'S POLL:
Three thoughts in today's poll:
Money is no object means we do something on the scale of Apollo and it becomes at least a couple percent of the federal budget. For many space critics this is the sticking point. You simply can not get this passed in congress.
Pay as you go is based on what you can get passed through congress.
The third choice is about cutting human space flight funding and work on problems like healthcare and the environment.
Read other NASA and space diaries on DKOS.