"That's one small step for (a) man,one giant leap for mankind." Neil Armstrong Apollo 11
aloha again, i am trying to resist the urge to be Ultra Snarky as i am on a liquid diet until my colonoscopy tomorrow morning.SIGH.
RANDOM FACTS
i have no memory of where i was during the Moon Landing 40 years ago,probably out protesting the Viet Nam War,Tricky Dick was in the lily White House...
just a short aside, when i found out the Viet Namese resisted Chinese occupation for a 1000 years,i repeat ONE THOUSAND Years, i knew we were screwed.no amount of lethal weaponry or endless supply of ghetto cannonfodder can beat that kind of determination,esp. not us short haul Yankees.(Yanqui come home!)
why did we go to the moon then drop the ball? no wonder tales of 'the moon landing hoax' (did you know NASA "accidnetally erased" the original moon landing videotape,oh really? mentioned on CNN just last weekend) and rumors of crashed dead cosmonauts spread across the lunar surface abound ( the "Santa Claus IS on the moon" Apollo 11 comment).
why are we going back now? a million tons of Helium 3,as reported on NPR this morning, or an endless supply of green cheese? i honestly don't get it. what happened to the GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND??? look at the news for the last 40 years,if you can and not puke your guts out...let me not belabor the obvious, you get the idea. half of NASA is currently involved in secretive 'black launchs' of military and intelligence hardware out of Vandenberg AFB (near Jacko's Neverland) and even the Space Shuttle has a discrete Military Channel unbenownst to most American listeners. if we were really going into Deep Space we would have 2001 style rotating wheel stations in the L-5 Zones halfway to the moon,stationary and eternal with non degrading orbits. do we ? if we don't we should...
PAUSE, despite my best efforts i am getting totally pissed just thinking about it.BREATHE BREATHE...despite using my C PAP gear nightly i still have persistent bouts of insomnia,just as my PCP warned despite her earlier praise of prior C PAP users being 'HAPPIER', i am Happy damnit despite being old sick and miserable (Thanx Soul Mate) in a state misgoverned by morons who can't or won't balance a multibillion dollar checkbook... BREATHE BREATHE.
aw screw it.
in other news.
http://www.supportyourvet.org/ to help or cope with our returning vets with PTSD or TBI.they need all our help and understanding.
aloha, Mahayana wishes y'all.
P.S.if you are a sci fi fan and not watching the TORCHWOORD mini series on BBC AMERICA,then shame on you!
PAGANI that toon keeps me sane, well almost...
namaste
semper grumpy
mega
I remember... I was 14 at the time, we lived in a really crappy place about 3 blocks from the hospital where my mom worked. It was very exciting for me as a kid! Back then I thought Star Trek could be real.
ReplyDeleteOf course, I also thought I'd actually do something important with my life because I thought I was here on earth for a good reason. :)
As an adult, I figured out that we only went to the moon to beat the commies: They got the first satellite in orbit and the first man in space - we wanted to win at *something*. .. And along the same lines, I figured out that I was just a sack lunch for future worms. But I digress...
About the commies: That's why we stopped going, too - we don't care that much about commies anymore. In fact, we send all our best jobs to them, to have our products made by slave laborers. Profits uber alles.
You know, I can't think of a really good reason to go back to the moon, actually, except to try to prove we're not really a third world country. We could do that more cheaply by a more fair tax structure and universal healthcare but if I had to wager between the two I'd bet they'll go for the moon before they'll decide to take care of sick people.
Do you know how much fuel it takes to get a couple of guys to the moon?? Well, I don't know either, but it is a LOT. You could probably do universal healthcare for less than the cost of one moon visit. And you aren't going there for the weather so what would be the reason that would make it worth the cost?
On the other hand, sending robot vehicles to explore and learn stuff is pretty interesting and not as expensive. Of course, it's a matter of personal preference; I have a natural hunger for knowledge so I like space exploration. But that's me.