NASA - Kennedy Space Center (1 Viewer)

[Combat]

I had a chance last week to visit the Kennedy Space Center. I'm old enough to barely remember the moon landings and what an exciting and historical period that was. The launch platforms are incredible. All 12 men who walked on the moon left from the same launch pad. The technology and heroics of those involved is still impressive. What struck me though is how much this program feels stuck in the late 60's and early 70's. Space exploration has been overtaken by computers and mobile phones as the technology of interest. In some bizarre way it's like space exploration is behind us. It must be some kind of technological oddity that folks were going to the moon nearly 50 years ago, but nothing close to that has been attempted since. Someone told me the US pays Russia $74 million per person to transport our folks to the space station. Not many of us will probably live long enough to see the next big achievement.

 

[lancer]

I had a chance last week to visit the Kennedy Space Center. I'm old enough to barely remember the moon landings and what an exciting and historical period that was. The launch platforms are incredible. All 12 men who walked on the moon left from the same launch pad. The technology and heroics of those involved is still impressive. What struck me though is how much this program feels stuck in the late 60's and early 70's. Space exploration has been overtaken by computers and mobile phones as the technology of interest. In some bizarre way it's like space exploration is behind us. It must be some kind of technological oddity that folks were going to the moon nearly 50 years ago, but nothing close to that has been attempted since. Someone told me the US pays Russia $74 million per person to transport our folks to the space station. Not many of us will probably live long enough to see the next big achievement.

The last sentence is prophetic. Dr. Zefram Cochrane isn't even born yet (2030) and his invention of warp drive won't occur until April 5, 2063, followed closely by First Contact. I, for one, will be long gone by then. -- Al

 

[BLReed]

Never been there. I did go on a private tour of the White House. There were four
of us. Two of whom were some astronaut and his girlfriend. Can't remember his
name. Buzz something or other. Nice tour, and we got to go places the public tours
didn't go.

 

[Currahee Chris]

Not many of us will probably live long enough to see the next big achievement.

I wouldnt say that- back in November we landed a module on a comet- pretty flippin impressive. The focus of NASA and space exploration has changed- it really isnt the proxy cold war as it was in the 1960's. Space exploration is more science driven and doesnt have the sex appeal it probably did back in the heyday. Still, amazing things are being done all the time. I always grinned when the current events were unfolding in the Ukraine and Russia was being the bad guy again yet hovering above us in the ISS was a team of astronauts and cosmonauts, dilligently working to move the human race forward.

Space-X is an exciting entity to follow but until the US loosens the restrictions on spaceflight then we probably wont see the excitement for the Apollo missions anymore.

Not to mention the two shuttle's that blew up- that never helps a track record.