Discovery News: Space Diary

The President of Free Space, Part 2: Legacy of George Bush

The inertia that defines the George Bush presidency may be a blessing for the space program. I’m not saying that facetiously. For all I know, Bush’s passivity (some may say willful blindness) may be a skill he
has honed throughout his life, like a parent practicing patience. The Iraq flak at least should have taught him the dangers of going off half-cocked.

I refer to presidential candidate John McCain’s request for Bush to suspend the shutdown of the space shuttle program, pending further study (post election.) McCain is listening to folks who are 1) scared of losing their jobs; and/or 2) outraged that America, the leader of the free world, the king of off-planet pursuits, will soon be in the unseemly position of depending on foreigners for rides to space.

Personally, if McCain is such a maverick and really concerned that riding in Russian spaceships is poor form, especially with Russia thumping its neighbors, I think he should look into using Chinese spaceships to taxi crews to the space station. I’d bet that would get the Russians attention.

The fact is that unless the military has a secret space plane, or someone in the commercial sector lets loose a fly-pod, there will be five or more years when this country will have no means to launch people into orbit. That’s the price we pay for choices already made. It may be of some consolation to know that the people who FLY the shuttle for a living believe it is in the country’s best interests to let it die. It’s become a Terri Schiavo.

Chances are, the Bush space legacy will be a boon for whoever wins the presidency. All Bush has to do is do nothing and the shuttle shutdown will continue undisturbed. If it gets too uncomfortable in the gap -- the years between the shuttle’s retirement in 2010 and the debut of a replacement ship in 2015 or so -- the new prez can honestly claim it’s not his fault, though the last thing we need in this country is another poster child for victim mentality.

Finally, rather than mooning over the past and trying to delay the inevitable, McCain could rally around space workers who have taken the plunge into new careers and explain how their big brains and disciplined behaviors are now helping businesses create new economic engines to drive this country out of recession. It happened once before after the Apollo program. Obama has been making good use of its progeny to wind McCain’s clock. It’s called the digital revolution.

The President of Free Space, Part 1

(George Bush waves good-bye to a television picture of astronauts in orbit after a congratulatory phone call. White House photo by Paul Morse.)

Marsgate, Revisited

A few days have passed since the buzz about what is or isn’t on Mars and NASA’s handling of the matter so it seemed reasonable to have a think for a bit about what happened.

First and foremost, it’s striking that so many people apparently care whether there is or isn’t life on Mars, though why knowing whether some bit of bacteria absorbed energy, made microbial pee and/or poo and spun off 2.5 microbial kids is a bit hard to explain in this age of opposite-speak and skepticism.

Second, to the extent that my personal and professional integrity extends, I can state that there was no government cover-up about what information to release and when to release it, so if you’re totally into conspiracy theories, you can stop reading here.

Third (and if you’re into conspiracy theories you might enjoy this), the buzz that initially cast NASA as the villain for hiding information, not only allowed the government to step into a role most beloved by Americans -- the vindicated -- but also exit the drama with heightened awareness, even accolades, for its work. For anyone missing this subtlety, NASA spelled it out for us: “Phoenix Mars Team Opens Window on Scientific Process,” was the headline on the agency’s Aug. 5 press release laying the matter to rest. In addition to world-wide media coverage, the clan following the mission on the Twitter text-messaging network grew by more than 300 members.

Finally, will it happen again? Indubitably. That is the price we pay for our Freedom of Speech. It can make for an uncomfortable moment or two, but when it’s lacking, guess who is the first to take note?

“We strongly believe societies which allow the free expression of ideas tend to be the most prosperous and the most peaceful.”

-- President George W. Bush
Aug. 8, 2008
at the dedicated of the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, China