Quote from: high road on 09/27/2021 01:31 pmQuote from: Lee Jay on 09/27/2021 02:36 amI'll tell you what killed it for me - the gap between Apollo and Shuttle. Despite an intense interest, I went into another industry for that reason. And the gap we're in right now (post Shuttle) happened at the same time in my kids' lives. And, no, commercial crew cycling to the ISS doesn't count. It's just a taxi service and just as exciting.So, have exciting things going on that involve people in space. Get rid of the damned gaps!What gap are we still in then? Either the return of the taxi service counts as the end of the gap, or Space Shuttle was part of the gap.We're in a boom in space startups that has been building up for years now.The Space Shuttle flights often involved a high-density of EVAs performed by the Shuttle astronauts, the delivery of hardware beyond just people, or at least the delivery and berthing of an MPLM, followed by a Shuttle landing at KSC. A Dragon launch with cargo or 4 long-term ISS crew members followed by an ocean splashdown is like watching paint dry by comparison.For me, space as it is right now is as boring as it has been during my lifetime.
Quote from: Lee Jay on 09/27/2021 02:36 amI'll tell you what killed it for me - the gap between Apollo and Shuttle. Despite an intense interest, I went into another industry for that reason. And the gap we're in right now (post Shuttle) happened at the same time in my kids' lives. And, no, commercial crew cycling to the ISS doesn't count. It's just a taxi service and just as exciting.So, have exciting things going on that involve people in space. Get rid of the damned gaps!What gap are we still in then? Either the return of the taxi service counts as the end of the gap, or Space Shuttle was part of the gap.We're in a boom in space startups that has been building up for years now.
I'll tell you what killed it for me - the gap between Apollo and Shuttle. Despite an intense interest, I went into another industry for that reason. And the gap we're in right now (post Shuttle) happened at the same time in my kids' lives. And, no, commercial crew cycling to the ISS doesn't count. It's just a taxi service and just as exciting.So, have exciting things going on that involve people in space. Get rid of the damned gaps!
Quote from: Lee Jay on 09/27/2021 01:36 pmQuote from: high road on 09/27/2021 01:31 pmQuote from: Lee Jay on 09/27/2021 02:36 amI'll tell you what killed it for me - the gap between Apollo and Shuttle. Despite an intense interest, I went into another industry for that reason. And the gap we're in right now (post Shuttle) happened at the same time in my kids' lives. And, no, commercial crew cycling to the ISS doesn't count. It's just a taxi service and just as exciting.So, have exciting things going on that involve people in space. Get rid of the damned gaps!What gap are we still in then? Either the return of the taxi service counts as the end of the gap, or Space Shuttle was part of the gap.We're in a boom in space startups that has been building up for years now.The Space Shuttle flights often involved a high-density of EVAs performed by the Shuttle astronauts, the delivery of hardware beyond just people, or at least the delivery and berthing of an MPLM, followed by a Shuttle landing at KSC. A Dragon launch with cargo or 4 long-term ISS crew members followed by an ocean splashdown is like watching paint dry by comparison.For me, space as it is right now is as boring as it has been during my lifetime.I think it's age and nostalgia getting to you. Hardware is being delivered all the time. Just not by people,
..as that's very inefficient. The last module to be docked to the ISS caused the most exitement in the existence of the station (for the wrong reasons) There are plenty of EVA's on ISS that are equally as exciting/boring as Shuttle EVA's. We might see fewer and fewer of them as technology matures.
And the tack of anti-space people has changed recently: they are now using the tactic of "Billionaires and Space Billionaires are Evil and they're wasting money and taking food from the mouths of those in poverty". And "All those rocket launches are ruining the environment!!"
It's because they have far more important things to worry about, like their insecure employment and housing situations, or the fact so many of them are being discriminated against, or the fact they're inheriting a screwed up climate. Young people are getting screwed over by the previous generations at every angle, space hardly matters then. Priorities, people.
MIT’s Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics graduate admissions program this past year saw a record number of applicants, “most of whom want to work in the space business,” said Daniel Hastings, professor and head of the department.NASA’s exploration achievements and SpaceX’s high-profile space missions are driving enthusiasm at colleges and universities, Hastings said Sept. 28 at the Space Sector Market Conference in Cambridge, Mass.“I can’t tell you how many students think that flying a helicopter on Mars is just a cool thing to do. They want to do things like that, it’s really attractive to a lot of students,” said Hastings.
Quote from: MATTBLAK on 09/27/2021 02:55 amAnd the tack of anti-space people has changed recently: they are now using the tactic of "Billionaires and Space Billionaires are Evil and they're wasting money and taking food from the mouths of those in poverty". And "All those rocket launches are ruining the environment!!"Quote from: Welsh Dragon on 09/27/2021 07:34 amIt's because they have far more important things to worry about, like their insecure employment and housing situations, or the fact so many of them are being discriminated against, or the fact they're inheriting a screwed up climate. Young people are getting screwed over by the previous generations at every angle, space hardly matters then. Priorities, people.Of course, those are legitimate concerns. But what's annoying is the either-or / false dichotomy proposition that space travel must be abandoned completely to fix poverty or the environment.
My Dear Welsh Dragon; even though you are likely correct; you always seem to take the negative/glass half-empty tack. Or maybe you're just realistic...
Quote from: MATTBLAK on 09/29/2021 10:21 amMy Dear Welsh Dragon; even though you are likely correct; you always seem to take the negative/glass half-empty tack. Or maybe you're just realistic...I would counter that most people here have an unrealistically positive and blinkered view that doesn't confirm to the real world. I wouldn't say saying most people don't care either way is negative at all. It's just the facts, and anything that isn't actively hostile is fine by me.
Quote from: Pipcard on 09/28/2021 11:29 pmOf course, those are legitimate concerns. But what's annoying is the either-or / false dichotomy proposition that space travel must be abandoned completely to fix poverty or the environment.I think that's a view more commonly (and falsely) ascribed to people by space fans than actually held by people. Most of the general public couldn't care less either way.
Of course, those are legitimate concerns. But what's annoying is the either-or / false dichotomy proposition that space travel must be abandoned completely to fix poverty or the environment.
Maybe people think space is waaay more expensive than it really is?