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I wonder if the transfer of technology during the Clinton Administration was of any help to the Chinese.
Peggy Whitson and the Kelly twins should be on speaking tours at every academy and every science and engineering venue in the nation. We need to pump up the collective enthusiasm for space and its challenges that absorbed everyone’s imagination during the glory years.
China makes long term plans and they have patience. They have a 30 yr plan for space exploration that started in 1992, they are progressing with it, and the last part is a plan for a huge space station. They are advancing at a steady pace, and meanwhile we advanced so quickly during Apollo days, then through the years slowed down, and finally floundered. But so many technologies originally developed for space programs improved life on earth, things such as GPS, telecommunication satellites, microcomputers, MRI, even running shoes. And generations of kids were inspired to study science/math/ technology by the space race. It’s much more than a sideline, it’s so important for our nation’s defense now, it would be a terrible setback if we lose our edge in space, and would impact our future. Everyone remembers what Kennedy said about going to the moon in that speech so long ago, but we forget the rest of that speech in which he cautioned the people and govt to consider the space program carefully. He said if we really desire that the U.S. take the lead role in space, we have to be willing and prepared to DO THE WORK and BEAR THE BURDEN to make it a reality. It would be wonderful if we restored that commitment to space programs and NASA and united behind it again, as it would not bode well for us if China takes the lead in space. Thanks, Alex.
We certainly have the edge in satellites, and they are used for virtually everything these days. My morning Egg McMuffin even has a satcom terminal so McDonalds can automate their monopoly game. Not sure what he means by operstionalizing space.
We are behind in the space race because we (or more specifically politicians) would rather fund hoards of illegal aliens, bringing terrorists from known ISIS hotspots to our shores, and transgender bathrooms. The politicians don’t want us to be #1 in the world in anything. They are determined to turn us into a 3rd-world country – probably at the behest of their UN puppet masters.