Reasonable people can debate whether the shuttle, ISS, or current space program are accomplishing much, or whether they will truly lead us somewhere.
However, I believe there is also a broader issue. As a 45 year old, I grew up with the wonder of space travel. We got up early to watch the Mercury & Gemini launches, and were tranfixed watching the lunar landing. This has survived (witness the number of these discussions going on) to the present day -- to the disdain of my kids, I watched NASA TV as the Pathfinder/Sojourner landed on Mars a few summers ago.
But we have lost that. With no real goal, space travel has become common place -- obviously not truly, but in the mind of the public. While my childhood heros (at some level) were astronauts, those of the recent past are stock traders.
A result of this (at least in the late 90's) was and increase in MBA's along with a large decline in the number of math, science, and engineering graduates.
My bottom line: without the national goal, we have lost our way. Whether it was the scientific goal per se, or the challenge of "beat the Russians", we had a goal, and as a society, we rose to the challenge.
Americans and, at present, the human race, seems to need such a challenge. Not necessarily science for science sake (too many folks consumed with "joe millionaire"), but the competition or target to achieve.
IMHO, we (be it Congress, the President, whoever) needs to set the strategic goal of Mars by 2010 (or 2012, whatever), and move toward that target. Without these challenges, we thrash.
We need to renew the sense of wonder with science and exploration.
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Reasonable people can debate whether the shuttle, ISS, or current space program are accomplishing much, or whether they will truly lead us somewhere.
However, I believe there is also a broader issue. As a 45 year old, I grew up with the wonder of space travel. We got up early to watch the Mercury & Gemini launches, and were tranfixed watching the lunar landing. This has survived (witness the number of these discussions going on) to the present day -- to the disdain of my kids, I watched NASA TV as the Pathfinder/Sojourner landed on Mars a few summers ago.
But we have lost that. With no real goal, space travel has become common place -- obviously not truly, but in the mind of the public. While my childhood heros (at some level) were astronauts, those of the recent past are stock traders.
A result of this (at least in the late 90's) was and increase in MBA's along with a large decline in the number of math, science, and engineering graduates.
My bottom line: without the national goal, we have lost our way. Whether it was the scientific goal per se, or the challenge of "beat the Russians", we had a goal, and as a society, we rose to the challenge.
Americans and, at present, the human race, seems to need such a challenge. Not necessarily science for science sake (too many folks consumed with "joe millionaire"), but the competition or target to achieve.
IMHO, we (be it Congress, the President, whoever) needs to set the strategic goal of Mars by 2010 (or 2012, whatever), and move toward that target. Without these challenges, we thrash.
We need to renew the sense of wonder with science and exploration.