THE
      FOLLY
      OF
      “FREEDOM”:
     
     
      JASA’S
      BILLION-DOLLAR
     
     
      300NDOGGLE
     
    
   
   
    
     
      3y
      LANCER
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Question:
      Ina
      time
      of
      “‘restraint,’’
      why
      is
      the
      United
     
     
      tates
      government
      sending
      hundreds
      of
      billions
      of
     
     
      ollars
      up
      insmoke?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ,nswer:
      Good
      question.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      he
      above
      answer
      presents
      the
      kind
      of
      flat
      affect
     
     
      hich
      typifies
      most
      responses
      to
      queries
      regarding
     
    

    
     
      ne
      necessity
      of
      manned
      space
      travel.
      The
      lack
      ofa
     
     
      bstantial
      reason
      for
      promoting
      the
      continuation
      of
     
     
      ch
      an
      enormously
      expensive
      venture
      belies
      the
      term
     
     
      responsible
      government.’’
      Last
      week’s
      highly
     
     
      blicized
      launch
      of
      the
      space
      shuttle
      ‘‘Discovery’’
     
     
      ith
      Canadian
      astronaut
      Roberta
      Bondar
      aboard
      was
     
     
      e
      latest
      instalment
      in
      this
      never-ending
      story
      of
     
    

    
     
      gh-tech,
      high
      adventure,
      and
      low
      returns.
      Seeking
      to
     
     
      leviate
      the
      cost
      of
      their
      prodigality,
      the
      U.S.
      has
     
     
      nerously
      opened
      its
      heavenly
      enterprises
      to
      foreign
     
     
      vestment;
      thus
      adding
      a
      Canadian
      twist
      to
      this
     
    

    
     
      smic
      case
      of
      conspicuous
      consumption.
     
    

    
     
      Derating
      under
      the
      guise
      of
      scientific
      scholarship,
     
     
      ASA
      has
      appropriated
      $120
      billion
      forthe
     
     
      altinationally
      endowed
      space
      station
      ‘‘Freedom,”’
      to
     
     
      nich
      Canada
      is
      a
      contributor.
      Considering
      the
      fact
     
    

    
     
      atan
      unmanned
      space
      platform
      could
      achieve
      practi-
     
    

    
     
      ily
      the
      same
      results
      for
      one-tenth
      the
      cost,
      (a
      fact
     
    

    
     
      rich
      NASA
      guilelessly
      acknowledges)
      one
      cannot
     
    

    
     
      lp
      but
      question
      the
      enthusiasm
      for
      such
      an
      endeav-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      *
     
    
   
   
    
     
      nust
      be
      understood
      that
      this
      is
      a
      programcreated
     
     
      d
      driven
      --for
      the
      most
      part--
      by
      middle-aged
      men.
     
     
      recent
      survey
      of
      NASA
      personnel
      found
      that
      their
     
     
      prage
      age
      was
      45;
      placing
      them
      in
      their
      impression-
     
     
      €
      youth
      during
      the
      heady
      days
      of
      the
      Mercury,
     
     
      miniand
      Apollo
      programs.
      Adventure,
      ambition,
     
     
      1,
      above
      all,
      patriotic
      pride
      marked
      their
      introduc-
     
     
      nto
      the
      space
      program.
      Although
      the
      unifying
     
     
      nificance
      of
      the
      latter
      is
      not
      to
      be
      dismissed,
      $120
     
     
      lion
      seems
      like
      a
      high
      price
      to
      pay
      in
      order
      to
     
    

    
     
      sfy
      some
      vague
      notion
      of
      national
      pride.
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
     
         
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      mittedly,
      there
      is
      something
      uniquely
      edifying
     
     
      jut
      the
      image
      of
      human
      space
      exploration.
      It
     
     
      resents
      the
      pinnacle
      of
      earthly
      progress;
      the
      touch-
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      stone
      of
      technological
      accomplishment.
      Itrepresents
     
     
      the
      best
      of
      our
      world:
      raw
      human
      courage
      coupled
     
     
      with
      the
      sophistication
      of
      science.
      And
      if
      something
     
     
      is
      to
      be
      said
      for
      judging
      a
      society
      on
      the
      basis
      of
      its
     
     
      wants
      as
      opposed
      to
      its
      needs,
      then
      the
      innate
      human
     
     
      curiosity
      which
      compels
      humanity
      to
      explore
      space
     
     
      must
      be
      the
      desire
      to
      which
      we
      owe
      our
      reprieve.
      In
     
     
      light
      of
      the
      present
      human
      condition,
      however,
      this
     
     
      position
      becomes
      less
      tenable.
      Considering
      the
     
     
      myriad
      of
      social
      and
      environmental
      concerns
      facing
     
     
      the
      planet
      today,
      spaceflight
      represents
      a
      colossal
     
     
      misdirection
      of
      capital.
      NASA
      resembles
      a
      spoiled
     
     
      child,
      demanding
      expensive
      toys
      ata
      time
      when
      his
     
     
      parents
      are
      going
      broke.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Perhaps
      there
      is
      something
      in
      the
      American
      psyche
     
     
      that
      does
      not
      want
      to
      admit
      the
      space
      program
      is
      not
     
     
      affordable.
      Its
      very
      existence
      validates
      their
      own
     
     
      inflated
      conceptions
      regarding
      their
      limitations,
      both
     
     
      technological
      and
      financial.
      Perhaps
      it
      makes
      them
     
     
      feel
      young
      again.
      But
      in
      a
      nation
      where
      the
      average
     
     
      citizen
      cannot
      afford
      extensive
      medical
      treatment,
      the
     
     
      plea
      for
      more
      space
      funding
      has
      a
      resoundingly
      hol-
     
     
      low
      ring
      to
      It.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Ultimately,
      NASA
      is
      an
      agency
      held
      captive
      by
      a
     
     
      group
      of
      incurable,
      middle-aged
      romantics.
     
    
   
   
    
     
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