Like every other Baby Boomer, I'll
never forget where I was when Neil Armstrong landed on the Moon. The word
"hero" is thrown around loosely these days, but he was the real
thing.
Only in the last few years have we
found out just how risky that landing was – and how gallantly he overcame them.
But the thing that puts him in the
pantheon of America's greatest heroes, from George Washington to every World
War II veteran I've ever met, is that after his moment of glory he walked away.
Instead of trading on his celebrity
to make a fortune or run for political office, he taught college students and
spent the rest of his life quietly enjoying the company of his family and
friends.
His heartbroken family issued this
statement: "For those who may ask what they can do to honor Neil, we have
a simple request. Honor his example of service, accomplishment and modesty, and
the next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down
at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink."
Having said that, I also feel
compelled to point out the painful truth: That the era of manned space
exploration, of which he was the greatest exemplar, is over. All the action is
now in robotics, like the self-propelled laboratory on wheels called Curiosity
that is now exploring Mars.
Manned flights are simply too
expensive. You not only have to lift the astronaut into space, you have to send
food, water, oxygen, extra clothing, laundry facilities, exercise equipment (to
combat the deteriorating effects of weightlessness), heating/air conditioning
and, of course, toilets.
But not with robots.
And if worst comes to worst and a
disaster occurs – and history teaches that they occur pretty frequently – all
you've lost is a robot, not a human being.
Back in the day, there were three
reasons for using human astronauts.
First, there were things humans
could do that machines couldn't, such as determining which rock should be
analyzed further. But today, Curiosity can perform sophisticated on-the-spot
scientific experiments that humans can only dream about.
Second, there was the Cold War. For
some reason, we got it into our heads that the way to win the hearts and minds of
people in the Third World was to build better rockets than the Russians. Only
later did we find out that they're more interested in our blue jeans and iPods
instead.
Finally, it was thought that the
way to get public support for the space program was to give them human
astronauts to identify with - exemplified by the motto "No Buck Rogers, no
bucks."
The problem was that NASA's public
relations department has done its best to make the astronauts as bland as
possible. As a result, how many can anyone name today? The only current one I
can think of is Mark Kelly, and that's only because he's married to Gabby
Giffords.
As for being relatable, who is the
most beloved of all the Star Wars characters? Luke? Leia? Han Solo? Obi-Wan
Kenobe?
No, it's R2D2! And it isn't even
close.
So rest in peace, Neil Armstrong,
and thanks for a job extremely well done. But the next time we need someone to
do a man's job, let's send a machine.
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