tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1233073253115884208.post2357365220042549555..comments2024-02-15T03:29:16.280-07:00Comments on Dan’s Diary: The Space Shuttle: Inspiration or Distraction?Dan Schroederhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13437237801383466177noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1233073253115884208.post-33389437318330074062012-07-17T16:55:14.162-06:002012-07-17T16:55:14.162-06:00When I wrote this article a year ago, I assumed (f...When I wrote this article a year ago, I assumed (from the lack of coverage in local newspapers) that the JWST had little or no connection to Utah contractors. But I was wrong, as the <a href="http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/money/54496871-79/atk-telescope-space-mirrors.html.csp" rel="nofollow">Salt Lake Tribune now reports</a>. Although I wish people would take more interest in science for its own sake, let's hope this article, and others like it, will help raise awareness about this mission.Dan Schroederhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13437237801383466177noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1233073253115884208.post-43815564915017058532011-07-08T08:28:04.590-06:002011-07-08T08:28:04.590-06:00Coverage of the Shuttle in the Utah news media con...Coverage of the Shuttle in the Utah news media continues. <a href="http://www.standard.net/topics/space-shuttle/2011/07/07/shuttle-replaced-magic-space-flight-mundane" rel="nofollow">Here's a fascinating story</a>, originally from the Oakland Tribune, about various peoples' attitudes toward the human space flight program.<br /><br />Without discounting what the Apollo program <a href="http://dvschroeder.blogspot.com/2009/07/apollo-11.html" rel="nofollow">did for us culturally</a>, my dim recollection is that even in 1969, most Americans were more interested in the Vietnam War or the new president or their favorite sports team or Woodstock. <br /><br />The urge to go back and relive the Apollo era, by sending humans to Mars, strikes me as nostalgic. It wouldn't be the same, for a whole bunch of reasons: The mission would take years rather than days, testing the public's patience; yet most of the public wouldn't understand what a tremendous technological achievement it would be, since they have no idea how much farther Mars is than the moon; nor would people understand the purpose, since we've already explored Mars so thoroughly with robots. Given these barriers, and the cost and the risk, I just don't see it happening.<br /><br />My colleague John Armstrong has suggested that we develop a human mission to L2, a point in space about four times as far as the moon where the JWST and other space telescopes are being placed. That would serve as a "milestone" and might just be feasible within a realistic time frame and budget. More importantly, it would draw the public's attention to the telescopes themselves, which are making actual scientific discoveries (and which otherwise might fall under the budget cutting axe). Would the public (and Congress) see through the ruse, recognizing that you can put the telescopes there much more cheaply without bringing humans along? I don't know.Dan Schroederhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13437237801383466177noreply@blogger.com