From the Left to the Right: Mark Matthews

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Goodbye, Space Shuttle!

July 12, 2011

Orlando Sentinel correspondent Mark Matthews appeared solo this past January on Washington Journal, a call-in program on CSPAN, in a segment about NASA. I wrote about it on May 17. To see it, please do a find for "blog archive" in your browser and scroll down a little. Open up May. Click on: NASA: Gifts From Space. This time, CSPAN leveraged some needed expertise in calling in Scott Pace, an older and wiser gentleman, to appear with young Mr. Matthews. Mr. Pace is George Washington University's Space Policy Institute Director. Why a college might need a position such as this is way beyond me, but Mr. Pace provided plenty of respectability in the segment. Susan Swain, the host, began with a line mainly answered by the callers, and not the guests, "We're going to talk about what America gained from the Space Shuttle program…”

Mr. Matthews, the reporter, fed us some pessimism by revealing the Shuttle cost more and let us down in the safety department during its years, but he did tout the Hubble Telescope as a major achievement. There have been about a million other benefits from our space programs, such as metal alloys, smoke detectors, scratch-resistant lenses, pacemakers, and insulin pumps. I challenge you to google this, you may be surprised. Mr. Pace, the professor, educated by telling us that the Nixon Administration, where the Shuttle gained its initial support, made a mistake by concentrating on cost benefits rather than scientific gain. He therefore concluded that the Shuttle failed economically, but exceeded what it was asked to do in the technical sense.

I recall the hope and inspiration instilled in us through the space programs over my entire lifetime. Yet, both President Bush and our current president, Barack Obama, seemed content to terminate the Shuttle program by now (2010-2011). Perhaps it had already run its course. However, as early as 2004, President Bush revealed a bold vision for returning men to the moon by announcing the beginning of the Constellation program, the step beyond the Shuttle. (I’ll bet the mainstream media never told you that!) You can read his rather inspiring speech at this URL: http://history.nasa.gov/Bush SEP.htm Unfortunately, President Obama, in a fit of ignorance, and with a lack of insight, cancelled Constellation in favor of ‘investment’ in future research. This is consistent with his energy policy in some respects. Why drill for oil (an actual fuel), when you can do theoretical research instead?

In a later reconsideration, President Obama proposed we keep the Orion capsule from Constellation, but still proposed the program’s termination. To be fair, I’ll admit that Mr. Obama did commit to a new space vehicle by 2015, but his plan delays manned missions to other worlds by at least 20 years. In that time, where will our unemployed expertise go? Much of it will run away from the NASA space programs, for sure, and that’s a shame. In the mean time, Russia, and other countries, will lead the way in space for the foreseeable future. The current president seems to enjoy situations in which America is not leading. As a citizen of the U.S.A., I find that circumstance – at the very least - disappointing. It's expensive to push even an ounce of weight into space. When thinking about the final frontier, we should consider the past and future benefits of space exploration. It's always a natural result of the urgent need to miniaturize.

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Tuesday, May 17, 2011

NASA: Gifts From Space

Feb., Apr., and May 17, 2011

Newspaper reporter Mark Matthews appeared on Washington Journal on 1/29/11, and spoke about NASA (The National Aeronautical and Space Administration). I was surprised he, a reporter for a The Orlando Sentinel, could not think of ONE benefit that came out of the space program! The interviewer didn't even challenge him on his omissions. This is stunning, if you think about it. Everyone who has followed NASA, from Mercury to Gemini to Apollo, will know at least some reward that we now reap due directly to our exploration of the cosmos.

Here's a reduced list of what we've gained from our ventures outside the earth's atmosphere, grouped by categories: For Agriculture: a. Satellite Imagery Crop Management and Resource Planning. b. Weather Satellite Storm Prediction. c. Long-Range Weather Forecasting. d. Climate Change Imagery. For Education and Telecommunication: a. Micro Computing. b. Long Distance Telephone Networks. c. Car Phones. For Science and Technology: a. High-Density Batteries. b. Robot-Guided Wheelchairs. c. Dry-Film Machinery Lubricants. d. Flat-Panel TV's. For Transportation & Infrastructure: a. Advanced Structural Design for Bridges, Buildings, Trains, Shops, Turbines, etc. For Health & Medicine: a. Automatic Insulin Pump. b. Programmable Pacemaker. c. Food Processing Control. For Energy & Natural Resources: a. Water Purification Systems. b. Energy Efficient Air Conditioning. For The Environment & Public Works: a. Environmentally Safe Sewage Treatment.

Even a good reporter must ask if and/or why these items are related to space exploration. Remember, we should question everything! The answer is simple. For flight, everything required miniaturization in order to save fuel costs. According to Wikipedia, as of the year 2000, to lift just one ounce of material into space cost just shy of $1,000! We had to simplify and reduce weight in a drastic way. Our best scientists did these things for the program, but we get a boost from all of them down on earth, too. Each day, these wonders assist all of us, rich and poor alike, to live a better and a more enjoyable and rewarding life.

Why did a reporter for a Florida paper not know any of this? Mark Matthews, at his job for at least eight years, had to either be kidding - or uneducated. If he was kidding, he is a liberal ideologue, foisting the notion upon us that anything which doesn't directly deal with helping or funneling money to the poor must be shut down. I vote for uneducated, but you have to ask, how did the educational system fail him in this regard? How could he not name even a single contribution from NASA?

Every day we should thank NASA, and President John F. Kennedy (D-MA), for what has been accomplished on our behalf. President Kennedy's vision for our future adventures into the heavens was forward-thinking, and bold for his time, but we need to strive for more - much more. I look forward to the next leader of our country who will step forward, and push us deeper into space - and deeper into discovery for all mankind.

Would someone please instruct reporter Mark Matthews to use Google and/or look at: NASA Spinoffs? Mr. Matthews should also see: Kennedy Space Center and NASA Today. The first site reveals dozens of improvements which came from the aerospace industry, most of which are not listed by me, above! From the second, one can learn of what's going on at KSC right now, and the third is NASA's main site. For all you reporters out there, other sites also exist. There's one for each mission, including the Mars Exploration Rover Mission, which reveals astounding photographs. Use google, reporters. It's a terrific learning tool.