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From: eugene@ames.UUCP (Eugene Miya)
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: "Long Term Implications of Challenger Accident"
Message-ID: <1399@ames.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 16-Feb-86 16:32:04 EST
Article-I.D.: ames.1399
Posted: Sun Feb 16 16:32:04 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 18-Feb-86 03:36:55 EST
References: <860210-065500-1155@Xerox>
Organization: NASA-Ames Research Center, Mtn. View, CA
Lines: 40

> Does anybody remember the last time in history when a government
> operation successfully "explored a historic frontier?"  Yeah, me
> neither.
> 
> Paul Gloger

I can remember many.
We had, what I considered, an important ocean program which died with
the death of one aquanaut off the CA coast in the late 1960s.
We want to go into space without exploring 70% of our own planet.
Much of this work is military related.  What happened to the industrial
use of the ocean?  Well, it turns out Mn Nodules are not as high
quality and plentiful as first believed.  You also need more than
Mn.  {same as with space: you need more than loncrete, O2, etc.}

We must not belittle the efforts of the USGS, the purchases of Alaska,
Lousiana (oops, sp) [I recognize we took a lot, too].

What about the non-physical frontiers such as nuclear energy and
attempts of build great societies thru education [I was educated
in the latter, and many of my doors are now closed to others].

I think many of these programs died for complex combinations of reasons.
The economic risks are great.  The social biases are interesting.
Many people don't so see as we do about the uses of space.  Rather
than say, "They are blind" I try to ask myself what do they see that I don't.
I also ask how can I convince them of the importance of my viewpoint.
Occasionally, I succeed; I typically fail: that is the nature of debate,
one rarely converts one's opponents.

See the similarity of our arguments with historical record.  We have
great differences, too: we don't send POMEs (pardons to the English
and Australians) into space.  Most of the arguments for going into the
sea were the same as going into space. Mostly the scales were
different.

--eugene miya
  NASA Ames Research Center
  {hplabs,ihnp4,dual,hao,decwrl,allegra}!ames!aurora!eugene
  eugene@ames-nas.ARPA