Exploring space is like having children

"Those who came before us made certain that this country rode the first waves of the industrial revolution, the first waves of modern invention, and the first wave of nuclear power, and this generation does not intend to founder in the backwash of the coming age of space. We mean to be a part of it--we mean to lead it. For the eyes of the world now look into space, to the moon and to the planets beyond, and we have vowed that we shall not see it governed by a hostile flag of conquest, but by a banner of freedom and peace. We have vowed that we shall not see space filled with weapons of mass destruction, but with instruments of knowledge and understanding.

"We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too." -- President John F. Kennedy, speech at Rice University, Sept. 12, 1962.

With that one speech, a young president focused the resources and national will necessary to accomplish that goal. Just under seven years later, men -- American men -- from the planet Earth set foot on the moon, and returned home safely.

This week, another young president quietly and with little fanfare ended the Constellation program, which was to return Americans to the moon by 2020. The program's funding was eliminated from the budget and hopes for Americans returning to the moon ended.

The NASA budget submitted focuses on rocket development and will use private contractors to ferry supplies and personnel to the International Space Station. The space shuttle will be retired this year after nearly 30 years of service. Plans call for the shuttles to be sold after they are retired.

The International Space Station's life span is expected to end in 2015.

Both sides of the case for manned space exploration can be argued with passion. Tremendous strides have been made in unmanned exploration, with a great deal of knowledge being obtained without risking a single human life.

With the Chinese launching manned spaceflights and planning a moon shot for 2020, it would appear that our nation's role as a leader in manned space exploration will come to an end.

While it is natural for these things to occur, I would hazard a guess that many Americans will not be happy to see the red flag of China being unfurled on the moon.

We all know that JFK used manned space exploration and the moon landing to humiliate the Soviet Union, who we were in an ideological and political war being fought through proxies. As a child growing up in that era, I can personally testify that NASA made me believe that I could do anything, if I worked and studied hard enough.

What will be the message the children of today will receive? The Chinese are superior to us in every way? We already depend on the communist nation for many manufactured goods, as well as for financial assistance for our national debt.

Ceding manned space exploration, in my opinion, is a bad idea. You can sugar coat it all you want, but we are giving up. It is true that the Constellation program was over budget and behind schedule, and perhaps scrapping it will result in something better. Hey, I even have a name: Phoenix.

It is also true that the private ventures are having difficulty delivering the goods. By the end of the year, we may be dependent on the Russians to get men into space. How ironic would THAT be?

Exploring space is like having children. If you wait until you can afford it, it will never happen. Both also cost more than you plan for and both give you much more back that you ever expected.

As always, I welcome your comments. You can reach me by email at tstangl@lemarscomm.net, telephone 712-546-7031, x40 or toll free 1-800-728-0066 x40.

Thanks for reading, I'll keep in touch. Feel free to do the same.