One thing I forgot to mention in my previous post was Newt Gingrich’s desire to set up a base on the Moon. I guess he wants to ride the mighty moon worm before Al Gore gets the chance. So does he plan for it to be a distinctly American base? I would imagine so, but doesn’t that set a dangerous precedent? The Moon belongs to everybody, right? Once Americans start claiming parts of it, this would no longer be the case. And what does Newt hope to accomplish with his base? Is it a line of defense against alien attack? Would such a base make the game Moon Patrol into a reality?
On a more serious note (as if there’s any way to make anything Newt says serious), the thing with space travel is that it really isn’t all that practical, as far as I can tell. What’s more significant is what it represents. When NASA put a man on the Moon, it wasn’t so much that they expected him to do anything there, but rather the sense that we as a nation can accomplish pretty much anything. The space program is a symbol of hope and imagination. And is that something we need right now? Well, it’s something we always need, but maybe not exactly the highest priority at the moment. If it comes down to a case of either coming up with a jobs bill or putting a man on Mars, obviously I’d favor the former. I really don’t think that’s quite how the budget works, however. It almost seems like, if we want to make any progress in space exploration, we need an enemy. When it was a case of trying to beat the commies, we couldn’t get astronauts up there fast enough. Maybe the problem contains its own solution, though. If popular culture is any indication, there are all sorts of aliens out there ready to fight against us. And if they have oil, that’s all the better.
While I would love to see more government initiated space programs due to the scientific discovery and accomplishment aspect, I do agree that such programs shouldn’t be a priority while the country is in domestic turmoil. Commercially funded space programs are satisfying enough for me at the moment.
Comedy option: if I learned anything from anime, a moon base will become a thriving metropolitan city with high tourism but also high crime, and you will get seduced by a cute girl who turns out to be a boy and is luring you into the trap of a crime lord who intends to ransom you back to your family or just torture and kill you.
What I wonder is whether the Man in the Moon would approve of a colony.
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