The Bully Pulpit

I'm an amateur and ill-informed space junky. I read with interest any news tid bits related to physics, space exploration, astronomy and the like, and have a firm belief that the exploration of space is this generation's monument to the future.

The pyramids have been built, as has the Great Wall. Delving further and further into space is how this generation, this new millenium, will mark itself out against the tides of humanity that came before. Look at us!! We have rockets!!

But being a normal nine-to-fiver, an out-of-shape dad no less, my opportunities for space travel are severely limited, right? Maybe not.

According to these guys, a capitalist or two is taking an interest in developing relatively low-flying space trips for tourists.

Something to hope for — when I am 60 years old, I will hawk the last of my valuables, sell my dog and buy a ticket for a space flight. There may be dangers, but alas: Is there a better way to go than trying to burst the bubble of space? Sign me up.

Some people question whether the investment of time and resources into space is worthwhile, given the huge problems we have back here on planet Earth.

My answer? No matter what the conditions here, humankind needs something to kindle the imagination, to fire the soul furnace. If we spend all our time trying to fix problems, rather than at the same time trying to put one foot out further than ever before, we atrophy. And as things work, inevitably the research into space exploration, space travel etc., will pay dividends here on the home planet.

Tang, for example. Without space travel, we never would have discovered the wonders of Tang.

All this comes up because NASA budget cuts had almost led to the winter-time shutdown of the Mars Rover missions. After all the failed space missions coming from NASA, a budget crunch almost led to the hibernation of the one better-than-expected project still in operation.

Thankfully, the public outcry was too much, and the cuts will come from somewhere else. Hey, I know. There's a war in Iraq that seems to be quite the fiscal drain ...

Posted by James Faulk at 10:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

I pushed and prodded all three of my kids out onto the back porch last night so we could catch a glimpse of the lunar eclipse. It was pretty spectacular.

According to some online resources, it will be two years before the next one hits the night-time skies. Last year, there were two, but the next isn't predicted until Dec. 20, 2010.

For those of you who don't know, a total lunar eclipse occurs when the full moon passes into Earth's shadow and is blocked from the sun's rays. During an eclipse, the sun, Earth and moon line up, leaving what seems to be an almost blood-stained satellite.

My nine-year-old was especially riveted by the display. He's at the age where things like this hold the kind of wonder that most of us lose as adults. It would be a worthwhile mission in life to retain even a tenth of that imaginative power. He makes it fun to corral all the kids onto the porch for these kinds of things.

Update:

Shaky video filmed by Jen Morey, of the Times-Standard:

Posted by James Faulk at 12:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Love this site ... new space images every day. Buck Rogers, eat your heart out. Here's the latest:

I don't know what it is about space, but for me it kindles the imagination in a way nothing else does. I know we have problems here on The Rock that cause grief, conundrums that could use the money we spend on space. But exploration is hardwired into the human genetic code, and the distance we reach out into space is a monument to that aspect of our nature.

Posted by James Faulk at 02:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)