Space Project Opinions

                                  by Larry Pyrz


    "Well,  NASA's  gone and done it again!  Billions of dollars and  seven 
    human  lives wasted!  And for what?  Why the hell can't they  save  the 
    money  and feed the hungry Americans that are starving to death in  our 
    cities  or  do  something  about  the  plight  of  the  farmers?  Jesus 
    Christ.....what  the hell do we need to go to the moon for?  What is so 
    damn important about Halley's Comet.  What's wrong with those idiots in 
    Congress? Can't they think of better ways to spend our tax dollars? Why 
    don't  we just divert our attention to other productive  programs  that 
    are deserving of our support?"

    Now that I have your attention, I'll continue.

    How  many times have you heard comments like those above in these  past 
    few days? 

    Before  you  develop the wrong opinion,  let me say that I'm nearly  36 
    years old,  father of two fantastic boys, married to the most wonderful 
    woman on Earth, Cubmaster, ex-Little League Commissioner, member of the 
    Naval Air Reserve for over 17 years,  work in telephony, go fishing and
    camping and consider myself a typical person.  Tuesday evening, January 
    28,  1986, I cried. Yes...I cried for people I didn't know. I cried for 
    the  ones  they left behind.  And I still think about  the  President's 
    words  when  he quoted one of my favorite poems and  said  they...."had 
    slipped  the  surly  bonds of earth....and touched the  face  of  God."

    Actually, many people have the opinion stated above. As I discussed the 
    tragedy  with  my wife,  I told her that if the  opportunity  presented 
    itself  to  don a suit and climb into the next shuttle,  I'd be  there. 
    Quite  a few people look at this as a serious case of sheer  stupidity. 
    Well....,  we all have opinions.  Really though,  I wanted to put  down 
    some  of  my answers to people who ask those questions and  make  those
    statements without considering the impact that the space program has on 
    their  everyday lives.  Too much of everyday life is taken for granted. 
    The  clock  radio switches on at 4:45 AM and the next thing  you  know, 
    you're  downstairs  sucking down that cup of coffee and  stuffing  that 
    Danish into your face, catching a few minutes of CNN on the counter top 
    TV,  then it's out the door,  into the garage, up goes the garage door, 
    out you go....off to work.

    Let's assume that this is the morning scenario in most of  metropolitan 
    suburbia.  There's a good chance that about 15 or 20 minutes before the 
    clock  goes off,  the thermostat,  with it's integrated circuitry,  has 
    determined that it is time to kick up the furnace.  (I hate cold floors 
    in  those Chicago winters.) The clock radio is one of those with  AM/FM 
    stereo,  digital  readout and the telephone on top...the one that  will 
    store  numbers and dial them back for you if the number was  busy.  The 
    toothbrush you use might be one of those self-powered jobs so you don't 
    wear out your wrist and elbow joints.  If you shave,  maybe you use  an 
    electric  razor.  You  put  on your clothes made of a  synthetic  fiber 
    blend. Downstairs, the timer switched on the coffee put and by the time 
    your on the way down,  a fresh pot is ready.  You toss the Danish  into
    the  microwave  and after a dose or two of low  level  radiation,  it's 
    piping  hot  with the sugar running all over.  After you walk  out  the 
    door, the thermostat brings down the temperature and the house switches 
    to idle. In the car, the key goes into the ignition, lights come on and 
    the  onboard  emission control computer (assuming you  drive  something 
    built  after  1981) checks and sets the air/gas  mixtures,  checks  the 
    emission  output and if you've got one of those fancy Datsuns it  tells 
    you  to put on your seatbelt,  the door is ajar and the rear left brake
    light is burned out. The next thing that happens is you push the button 
    on  the remote control for the garage door and up it goes,  out you  go 
    and hopefully soon after, you arrive safely at work.          

    No, I don't own any of the above but I suspect that some of you reading 
    this  do.  There  is  a lot here that can  be  directly  attributed  to 
    research  and  fallout from our space program.  The technology for  the 
    integrated circuit chips in the radio,  telephone,  thermostat,  garage 
    door opener,  appliances and the computer in the car is direct fallout. 
    I  remember a four function,  fixed decimal calculator I  purchased  12 
    years ago that set me back $45.00. You can buy the same thing for $2.50 
    to $3.00 depending on the sale.  Remember the first digital wrist watch
    at  almost  $350.00?  The  first computers were as big  as  houses  and 
    consumed  thousands  of  watts  of electricity  and  cost  millions  of 
    dollars.  Today,  I  have an IBM PCjr that is just as powerful,  has  a 
    keyboard  that  can  communicate wireless over infra-red light  to  the 
    processor,  is slightly larger than a breadbox,  and has a manufacturer 
    cost of under $350.00.

    Can you think of more?  I sure can!  Everything from A to Z. Everything
    we  know  of has some relation to the space program in one  respect  or 
    another.    Manufacturing,   education,   healthcare,   food   service, 
    communications,  transportation,  even  if all you do is walk down  the 
    street,  the  soles  on  your  shoes have probably  been  derived  from 
    research that has fallen out of the space program.

    For those of you who need pictures before you can understand a concept, 
    picture  the state of affairs in the good old USA back around the  year 
    1850.  Back in the days of Sam Morse and Tom Edison fellows like  these 
    and others who made their discoveries by luck and ingenuity rather than 
    the understanding of physics.  Besides if you could go back in time and 
    ask them about physics,  I'm not sure they'd know what you were saying.
    Consider the speed that their inventiveness progressed.  Next,  look at 
    the period from 1940 to 1950.  Then look at the `60s.  Look next at the 
    gigantic leaps in technology and the comparative time it took for these 
    advances  to occur.  Most of these seem to have come right out of  Buck 
    Rogers and the 25th century.

    The  major  advancements in medicine and electronics have come in  just 
    the past ten or so years.  Every day something new is being  developed.
    New  applications  are  being derived for many of  the  inventions  and 
    processes that came from direct research done for the space program.

    What does this all mean for the common man?  Well...the most evident is 
    employment.  The  fact is that if you are not a part of an industry  we 
    call "high-tech", your job is affected in one way or another. If you're 
    one of those people who just don't think that the program has a  direct 
    impact,  just look around you.  The quality of life has come a long way 
    since WWII.  In my neighborhood,  we've got cable TV. I own an IBM PCjr 
    and  more  than  one phone.  My Buick has one of  those  darn  emission 
    control  computers.  (When the car was new,  the computer was  replaced 
    four  times  in 6 months) Most of us have seen or used CorningWare  for
    cooking,  CNN  comes to us via satellite,  the newspapers we read  have 
    sections that are transmitted from all around the world,  all kinds  of 
    things.  Whether you know it or not,  the space program is doing things 
    for you every day.

    Technology generates more technology,   whether that technology is used 
    for  the common good or to sustain a military  advantage,   it is still 
    out there providing for all of mankind.

    When  people  ask what good all of this is,   I can't  just  walk  past 
    without  throwing  in my two cents.   All that really needs to  be said 
    is that the space program is too valuable to cut back on. It means more 
    than  blasting rockets into the vast darkness far  over our  heads.  It 
    means much more than most of us can comprehend.
                                                            
    The   space programs run by NASA and the space administrations  of  all  
    countries  will continue on.   They will continue in spite  of failure,  
    in  spite of tragedy,  and in spite of those who  can't comprehend  the  
    effects  on their lives.   We need  to  carry  on because  all  of  the 
    people  on this oasis in space may  some  day depend upon it for  their
    continued existence.

    Who   the hell am I to say that I feel a sense of loss and  sorrow over 
    the  loss of seven people I'd never heard of before.  My voice is  only 
    one voice out of billions who happen to feel the same way but  may  not 
    have  the  ability to make those feelings  known.   The  entire   world  
    owes  much to the space  effort.   From  up  there,  looking down,  you 
    can see that there are no lines drawn  between nations or countries. We
    are  the children of Earth.  We must learn to accept this fact.  If  we 
    don't, well...........

    I   think   that  I can safely speak for all people when  I  offer   my 
    sympathy  to the families of the seven astronauts.   They  carried with  
    them  the  dreams  and  prayers  of  everyone.   In   their convictions  
    and  commitments  to their objective of  going  into space, they set an 
    example for future explorers.  In spite of this tragedy,   others  will  
    step   in   line  to  carry  on   with   the   same  convictions    and  
    commitments.   They will carry out  what  others before them had begun. 
    They  go into space on behalf of all men so that those of us  remaining 
    behind  can  look at the pictures of our  planet,    chuckle   at   the
    weightless    antics,     listen    to    the  discussions    of    the  
    experiments,    and  watch  the   faces   of   our  children   as  they 
    experience the awe and majesty of seeing men in space.   The  knowledge 
    gained by these explorers is for  everyone, no matter who or where. The 
    knowledge  gained  through the programs and research that  puts  people
    into space will continue to benefit all of those here on Mother Earth.

    It   was   after   the  tragedy that Chuck Yeager   said   it   plainly
    enough.....`you find out what went wrong, fix it, and then carry on.'

    For the sake of our children,   and their children and for all who will
    follow,   we  must carry on.   In spite of human suffering  in spite of
    failure,  this is an age for pioneering in space.   What we  learn  may
    not  have an application today or even  during  our lifetime,  but  any
    knowledge is of great value.

    Thanks   for   the  chance to share my thoughts.   If   you   have   an
    opposing view, drop me a note. Maybe I can change your mind.