An Open Letter to NASA

A message to the NASA Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee:

As a child I was fascinated by the space program. I wanted to become an astronaut and took all the math and science classes that I could in preparation to becoming an astronaut; I even started flying lessons at 13.

Unfortunately my future was taken away from me as launches were cut and almost everyone (except me apparently) seemed to lose interest in the promise of space. Oh sure, there was Star Trek but, for me, it only made the longing worse.

It’s too late for me, but not for the youth of today. There are so many reasons why we need to, no MUST, go back to space (and not just earth orbit) – survival of the human species is one big one (big rocks DO fall from the sky).

We need a truly functional space station, bases on the Moon, humans on Mars, and we need to be exploring the asteroid belt for the valuable resources it holds. We need to be planning a colony on Ganymede or Callisto, exploring the life that most likely exists on Europa. We need to be researching how to get beyond our solar system and out to the stars.

Just like man explored the surface of this planet and made great voyages over land and sea, it is time for us to begin our next big exploration. Our future depends upon it.

So, that's my letter. Follow the link at the top of this post if you would like to express your opinion directly to NASA. You can also attend one of the meetings in person. Here's the info I got from The Planetary Society:

"Next week, the committee is holding three meetings where the public is invited to propose their ideas and to make comments. The meetings are scheduled for three U.S. areas where the space program contributes mightily to the local economies:"

HOUSTON, TEXAS
Tuesday, July 28, 2009, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
South Shore Harbour Resort & Conference Center, Crystal Ballroom Salon A & B, 2500 South Shore Blvd., League City, TX 77573, 800-442-5005.

HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA
Wednesday, July 29, 2009, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
The Davidson Center for Space Exploration, The U.S. Space & Rocket Center, One Tranquility Base, Huntsville, AL 35805, 256-837- 3400.

CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA
Thursday, July 30, 2009, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront, Grand Ballroom, 1550 North Atlantic Avenue, Cocoa Beach, Florida 32931, 321-799-0003.

Fixing Our Economy - A Few Suggestions

By now I think even the most skeptical and conservative would have to agree that we are in, at the least, a recession here in the U.S. Personally I’m inclined to agree with those that feel this started late last year as that is when my computer consulting business saw the bottom drop out of it.

Because this is an election year there has been much mud and smoke thrown about as both major political parties describe how wonderful their plan is and how bad the other party’s plan would make things. I’m not here to say which side is best, rather I want to point out some [possible] long-term solutions that are not being discussed:

Energy

Currently we import and consume too much oil. Oil is not a sustainable resource and, while we can’t agree on when it will run out, we will eventually run out of it. There are other ways to produce energy. We need to fund, at a national level, research on alternatives. There are a number of, I feel, obvious benefits from this, including:

• We reduce the amount of money flowing from this country and spend it here at home instead.
• Money spent on research should spur an increase in engineering and other related fields. This country desperately needs more high-wage jobs as opposed to our current choices of “paper or plastic?” and “you want fries with that?” opportunities.
• Reduction in air, water, and land pollution.

Check out official energy statistics from the U.S. Government showing how much we import and from which countries.
Read what the Apollo Alliance has to say on clean energy and good jobs.
I have more ideas posted on my alternative forms of energy blog post.

Science

Nations prosper that invest in science and engineering. For many years the U.S. was a leader in new technologies and we prospered because of it. Now, unfortunately, few students are interested in math and science because there are not enough new jobs being created.

I know that a lot of people feel that ‘pure science’ research is just money being thrown away. However, research spurs new ideas and new products. New products lead to new jobs. Have you seen the unemployment numbers lately? This country has been on a net job loss for too long. When people have a job they can spend money on things they need. Spending leads to investment with leads to even more jobs and a way out of this recession.

Check out what the HPC Wire has to say about current science funding.
See a comparison of U.S. to China science funding.

The future of this country

The U.S. is still a superpower, but for how much longer? China is in the process of outpacing us in both scientific funding and space exploration.

So what you say? Why waste money on science and space? Look at some of the spin-off products from our space program are now part of our daily life:

• NASA technology gave us a "cool" laser, which provides thousands of patients with an alternative to heart bypass surgery.
• Hubble Space Telescope technology has made it possible to do certain breast biopsies with a needle instead of a scalpel.
• The foam insulation that covers the shuttle's external tank, developed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and Lockheed-Martin, is used to make molds for fitting artificial limbs.
• Medical personnel can monitor fetal activity inside the womb using a small pill-shaped transmitter developed at NASA's Ames Research Center.
• The same material used for lightweight, durable spacesuits is used as permanent covering for shopping centers and sports stadiums. NASA technology also is used to pad football helmets and baseball and soccer chest protectors and shin guards.
• NASA-driven technology also makes possible satellite TV transmission and telephone signals that are beamed around the world.
• It has led to microcapsules that help clean up oil spills and to satellite remote sensing technology that locates and maps forest fires.

There's a lot more. Read the full list at the NASA Solutions site.
Read about recent developments in China’s space program.
Take a look at China’s overall space program and plans.
Read about some of the medical benefits that have come from space exploration.
Space exploration is important, read more here.
Mining resources from space, read more here.
Take a look at planet Earth as seen from space.

After World War II this country invested in both science and space. Our economy boomed. People from all over the world flocked to this nation because of the availability of high-paying jobs and the many opportunities for all to prosper. If we are going to get out of our current mess we need to look at what worked for us before. We can’t afford to wait.

Pictures from home

Every human, every plant, every animal, everything we have ever known has come from one place: Earth. We argue over borders, fight over territory, and pollute the land, soil, water, and air. It is our only home. We think of it as limitless, with endless resources available for us. It is not. Earth is a lovely planet, but it is finite and fragile. To help illustrate this I have collected a series of images of our home -- from near to far. Each image has a link back to its source if you want more information on the picture.

The first image was taken from orbit by a satellite. What you are looking at is the ocean in the vicinity of the Bahamas. The Web site is "Earth As Art".

This next picture was also taken from Earth orbit by the crew of the International Space Station. Here you can see some of the curve of the planet.
Now we've moved out of Earth orbit. This picture was taken by the Apollo 8 astronauts during one of their orbits of the moon. What a lovely, blue world.
We continue to move out in space away from Earth. This image was taken by the Mars Global Surveyor. For more information about this image you can also read this article from the National Geographic News. The image you see here has been greatly enlarged - go to the Mars Global Surveyor link to see the actual image.
This last picture is part of the first family photo ever taken of the planets of our solar system. You are looking at home from 6.4 billion kilometers away. Earth is a pale, blue dot less than the size of a pixel. Click on the image to view the whole family.

New Year's resolutions

Ah yes, here we are at that fateful time of year where many a person will resolve to do this or not do that. It’s another tradition that has been with us for a very, very long time. I got to wondering how long we’ve been doing this to ourselves and discovered that this goes back to the time of the Babylonian’s (who’s most popular [recorded] resolution was to return borrowed farm equipment). Seems we’ve been torturing ourselves for much longer than I thought!

Personally I’ve come to the realization that it is not good to set a bunch of unrealistic goals for myself and then not be able to achieve them. It’s not good for my (or anyone’s) self worth. It is much easier to be one’s own worse enemy than it is to be one’s own best friend. I have learned that if you can’t like yourself then it is very hard to truly like others; and there is one thing that I know for sure, you can’t make it through life without friends. I am very grateful for my good fortune to have some very good friends.

So, with all of that said, I want to list a few “non-resolutions” – suggestions for things for all of us (myself included) to consider doing (and, yes, this is me stepping up on my soapbox again):

1. Be kinder to one another.
2. Take care of our home, our real home: Earth. Recycle wherever possible (Circuit City takes rechargeable batteries; Publix takes plastic bags, paper bags, and foam cartons; many communities have drop sites where you can take aluminum, plastic bottles, and glass; Staples takes some brands of empty toner and ink jet printer cartridges). Try to use less water, less energy, and other non-renewable resources.
3. Invest in the future: support education (read a book or magazine, watch a nature or science program on PBS – NOVA is a favorite of mine). Encourage a child to learn about science.
4. Don't believe everything you hear on the TV or read in the papers. Remember who owns those sources (a very few, big corporations) and that they do not have your best interests in mind. Instead, try to read more from non-traditional sources: PBS TV and NPR radio, Free Speech TV, Free Inquiry magazine, and Mother Jones are just a couple of suggestions.
5. Be a volunteer. I’ve found that getting involved with something is very fulfilling. Many communities are allowing retired folks (who are on limited incomes) to “pay” their taxes by doing volunteer work.

I also have one important, and personal, resolution for this year: find a job. If you’ve read my earlier posts you know that late last year I quit my job. So this is one resolution I’ve got to reach soon (or you might not see many more posts from me!).

In closing I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year! I hope that you have a happy and enjoyable day. As for me, I’ll be sitting down to a traditional dinner tonight of ham and black eyed peas (with rice) for a dose of luck for the coming year.

Space Exploration is Important

I’m mad, not as in crazy but rather angry, upset, and quite disappointed. An elderly gentleman that I respect greatly for his wisdom and knowledge said that he felt all the money that the government spent on the space program was an absolute waste. He feels that “all that money could have been put to better use solving problems here in our country”.

This is not the first time I’ve heard someone say this. I know that many people feel this way. However, have any of them actually taken the time to look in to the issue? How much money does NASA get every year? What is that money used for? How much money does the Federal Government put to other programs? How much money have we spent on our latest “war”?

OK, let’s tackle these questions:

Has anybody really checked out the facts? In my opinion, no. If they had, they would see how little goes to NASA, how much the space program benefits EVERYONE, how much useful technology we’ve gotten as a spin-off, and how much more money the Federal Government manages to waste (ever heard of ‘pork-barrel’ spending?) in other areas.

How much money does NASA get every year? Not much, especially compared with the overall budget. Wikipedia has a very interesting article on this. NASA has received an average of $12.681 billion dollars (adjusted for inflation) per year over its forty-nine year history. That’s barely a drop in the budgetary bucket. For comparison, lets look at what the Federal budget spent on other things in 2007:

• $586.1 billion for Social Security
• $548.8 billion for Defense (not including the “war”)
• $394.5 billion for Medicare
• $367 billion for Unemployment and Welfare
• $76.9 billion for Veterans’ benefits
• $33.1 billion for natural resources and the environment
• $26.8 billion for community and regional development

Check out this other Wikipedia article for a full breakdown plus links for additional information. And here’s one fact for you: Americans spent over 19 times as much at restaurants in 1997 as the federal government spent on NASA that year.

What does NASA spend ‘all that money’ on? Well, among other things, NASA has procurements, grants, and awards that go to businesses, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations throughout all 50 United States. Millions of dollars are spread throughout the country. Check out this map showing the disbursements. As for all their space exploration programs, research centers, aeronautical programs, etc., you should check out this site by NASA.

I’ve already addressed the issue of how much money the Federal Government puts to other programs, so let’s look at our “war” spending. Much of the money for the war does not come out of the annual Federal budget, instead it is done as ‘Supplemental Funding’. For example, in FY 2006 $153 billion in Supplemental Funding was added to the base budget of which the War on Terror received $120 billion and a massive $33 billion went to events such as Hurricane Katrina. My source for this information is here. Total estimates for our “War on Terror” go as high as $2.4 trillion. TRILLION. Check out this CNN Money article and be sure to follow their link in the middle of the article.

Right now this lovely little planet is our only home. The environment is not in the best shape right now and many feel the future is only going to deteriorate. Personally, I’d like to see humanity expand beyond Earth. Our future, if we have one, is in space. Check out these folks.

Scotty, where are you when I need you?

Pale Blue Dot

There may be a few folks who remember a scientist by the name of Carl Sagan. Back in 1980 he released the Cosmos series, a show that introduced the concepts of science to people in a way that almost anyone could understand. It was a great series, one that I enjoyed. If you were to view it now it may appear to be a bit dated on some topics, but his widow, Ann Druyan, re-released the show on DVD a while back (don't know when) and included some updated graphics and information. If you ever get a chance to see it, I highly recommend it.

I know that many people view science as a nasty, evil thing. It is not. It is what has brought us to where we are today (both good and bad). Do you enjoy artificial light at night? A scientist invented it. Do you every talk to someone who is far away over the telephone? A scientist invented it. What about television, microwave ovens, air conditioning (OK, a doctor created it, but medicine and science go hand in hand), the list goes on and on.

This is not to say that science is universally good. However, anything can be used for both good and evil. You can use a pen to write a love letter and use that same pen to stab someone. The choices we make determine the end result.

My concern is that so many people do not really think about most of the decisions (or maybe I should say opinions and beliefs) that they make. They follow along with "popular opinion" or what someone tells them they should believe. If you went to the doctor and they said you needed major surgery, wouldn't you get a second opinion? I'm trying to offer a second opinion on science to show that it has done good things and can continue to do good things. Please read this article posted at the American Institute of Physics.

As for the title of this blog, when the Voyager I spacecraft was beyond the orbit of Neptune its cameras were turned back in towards the sun and a portrait of our solar system was taken. Earth is only a tiny, blue dot, smaller than a pixel. Click here to view an article about it.

Thanks for listening.