| Subject: Fear of flying |
Author:
Betty
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Date Posted: 12:20:10 02/21/04 Sat
In reply to:
Betty
's message, "Hubbble telescope to die & be destoyed" on 12:26:05 02/15/04 Sun
The Bush administration has used the Columbia Shuttle disaster of last year as an excuse to drastically curtail and undermine all future Shuttle programs.
One of the casualties of this very ill advised policy is the Hubble Telescope. The Hubble Telescope was originally launched in 1990, and has been serviced by the Space Shuttle about 4 times already. Since then, the Hubble has gone on to generate some of the most spectacular images in the history of Astronomy. In 1994, the Hubble provided the
first convincing evidence of "Black Holes", & more recently, the age of the universe, the beginning of time, & anti-gravity. To this day, the Hubble has still been the source of some of the best telescope views of the Planets. The pix we all saw of a comet colliding with Jupiter were taken by Hubble.
For more than a decade now, Astronomers have been standing in line to use the Hubble, far more than can be accomodated in the space telescope's tight observing schedule.
Astronomers have correctly described the Hubble Telescope as the most productive scientific instrument ever built. But as a result of Bush's new policy, in the absense of a Shuttle repair mission, the Hubble Telescope will just deteriorate in a matter of a few years, become completely useless, & be destroyed. It'll cost us $300,000,000 just to push it into the ocean after it's dead.
Bush's policy contends that sending the Shuttle to repair the Hubble is too risky an adventure. Yet he proposes waiting almost a decade before building another Shuttle so that it can be sent to a place that is far, far riskier: the Moon & Mars.
This makes no sense.
We are obligated under international treaties to continue construction of the International Space Station, which Bush promises we will do, because it is supposedly not as risky to send a Shuttle there. Due to last year's Shuttle disaster, it looks like a fear of Space travel has
permeated in the American culture. This fear is a bad thing, it is stifling our progress.
We call explorers & astronauts heros. Why? Because it's risky. What if every explorer was grounded or forbidden to unfurl their sails because their expiditions were deemed dangerous? We'd still think our world is flat, was the center of the universe (it's not you know), & still believe it's only 5,000 years old (according to most religons, the world & all the universe is only 5,000-7,000 years old). Of course most scientists know the universe is at least 13 billion years old.
Pushing the limits of our technology & saftey has led to the greatest discoveries of civilization. But it's dangerous. So we put on a helmet, strap ourselves in, & pray for the best. If we make it back in one piece, we're a hero. If we don't, we were well aware of the risks before we went, & took the chance for discovery.
If we are not willing to accept the risks of space travel, then what's the point of building the Space Station?
Occupants of the Space Station are there to study the effects of space on people, in preparation for longer flights.
The American people, Astronauts & the Scientific community are all willing to accept the risks of space flight. The Space Shuttle program, the Hubble Telescope & scientific progress, these are all things that should NOT be impeded based on trumped up or imagined fears. Astronauts volenteer & sign up to go. They're not ordered to go. There's also more than enough qualified people willing to go. If asked, I'd go up too!
A person is more likely to die or get injured in their car than an astronaut is likely to die or get injured on their mission. So should we all stop going to work & driving? Maybe we shouldn't even leave the house because we might get hurt.
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