One step for a Man
Save This Post as PDFNature News has decided to start running a Twitter microblog devoted to the history of Apollo 11 mission – the first manned mission to the Moon. They will basically twit all the steps of the mission, to the Moon and back, day after day, event after event as if it was happening today, in 2009. They also promise that the feed will include various contextual information – politics, related events, etc. Following this Twitter feed you will open yourself to a quite unique experience: learn exactly what your father felt back in 1969. Thanks so much for this precious gift, Nature. Such feeds as yours make Twitter a really great service, worth to have a Twitter account.
If I may to suggest one thing… Many of your readers are young, restless and eager to learn. Although it is priceless to remember the history, to know what our fathers and mothers were able to accomplish, your younger readers look into the Future. Start another feed – about the future mission, the next “step for a Man”. I believe such a feed will find its readers.
Thank you, Nature.
P.S. Let me also list some other news on the subject (space research) I found interesting…
a) due to the lack of funding ESA is going to somewhat cut the forthcoming (scheduled for 2016 at this moment) mission ExoMars. In particular, they decided to drop “Humbolt” from the project – “Humbolt” is a static science payload for studying Mars climate. There are also difficulties with ESA Bepi-Colombo mission to Mercury. It is not like EU was more seriously affected by crisis than USA, and ESA funding is uncomparable to the one of NASA anyway. I really hope that this is not the reflection of seemingly stable recent trend of funding cuts for space research.
b) China Daily and a couple of other portals including the authorized government portal site to China, www.china.org.cn, have published recently a rather interesting note. In this note an opinion by a seniour strategist is presented that “hi-tech military corps, including space forces, need to be considered in the future development plan of the Chinese Army”. I guess, the very fact that China develops military satellites (as well as military space station) is le secret de notre polichenel. What is interesting is that the opinion was published on the State Council Information Office portal. From my point of view, it means that the development of the program is really close to the end. Whether you want it or not, Middle Kingdom is going to be a Player in space.
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What is the point of the ‘next step’ if it is just about the same as something that happened 40 years ago?
You must know that a lot of NASA science projects have been cancelled or severely cut back in order to focus on, basically, repeating Apollo with slightly more modern technology. That is not ’space research’. Nor is anything that happens on the ISS ‘research’. It is entertainment. Hugely expensive, risky and dishonestly promoted entertainment.
There was a choice for NASA between putting some more men on the moon, or funding a pretty large number of experiments in cosmology and space science. I believe all the experiments had the possibility to find something really new…
Well, not much of a choice, because in the end they had to do what the President wanted.
For those getting excited about Apollo 11 all over again –
Celebrate the 40th anniversary by reading moving and poignant comments from those that lived through it, and sharing your own memories at an Apollo 11 Special Post at Blog on the Universe.
http://blogontheuniverse.org
The Post includes extensive resources to help you share stories with family and friends.
With best wishes for a wonderful return to the Moon,
Dr. Jeff Goldstein, Center Director
National Center for Earth and Space Science Education
USA