The pioneering spirit

[dobbins]

The pioneering spirit. In the 17th century it led people to cross the Atlantic Ocean to found new settlements in the wilderness that later became the United States. It led Americans westward into the frontier. At the same time it was leading Russians eastward into founding new settlements in Siberia. This pioneering spirit lay deep within the national psyches of Americans and Russians. It wasn't just the cold war that resulted in the USSR and the USA being the first two nations to reach out into space, it was the pioneering spirit that Americans and Russians share.<br /><br />The pioneering spirit is more than just living in a shack in some wilderness, it's a boldness, a willingness to risk your life in pursuit of a goal that you consider worthwhile. Yuri Gagarin was just as much of a pioneer as any Russian who dared to venture into Siberia in the 1700s. Alan Shepard was just as much of a pioneer as any American who headed westward in a covered wagon.<br /><br />After he flew on Gemini 3 Gus Grissom said "If we die, we want people to accept it. We are in a risky business and we hope that if anything happens to us it will not delay the program. The conquest of space is worth the risk of life". Grissom died in the Apollo 1 fire less than two years after making that statement. There are few statements that show the pioneering spirit better than Gus Grissom's willingness to risk his life to conquerer space.<br /><br />William Anders figured he had a 33% chance of dying on the Apollo 8 mission. His feelings about accepting such a risky venture was "as a pilot, and a patriot, and a military officer, I thought those were pretty good odds.". Chris Kraft had to approve the mission before Apollo 8 could even be planed. He thought the odds of bringing the crew back alive were 50-50, and he still approved the mission. When Frank Borman's wife Susan got Kraft to admit that her husband had a 50-50 chance of dying on the Apollo 8 mission she was relived, she thought the chances of succe

 

[dobbins]

America is becoming adverse to taking risks.<br />

 

[dragon04]

"Where are roots of the problem? I mean the problem of "loosing of pioneer's spirit"."<br /><br />I think the answer to that lies with the ending of the Cold War. Apollo was a political mandate, not a scientific one, IMHO.<br /><br />Without and Dragons or Bears to slay, Congress looked at Challenger, for example, in a very different light than it would have in 1966, for instance.<br /><br />We had a civilian on Challenger. We were going up into LEO to do science and a bit of Teacher in Space PR work. Challenger wasn't going into LEO to thumb its nose at those eeevil Soviets. The Cold War was nearing its conclusion.<br /><br />Today, the political environment is obviously far different. Congress is willing to consider purchasing reliable and relatively less expensive Russian vehicles to shoot Americans into space. That in and of itself speaks volumes.<br /><br />Congress no longer sees a need for the "at any cost" mentality of the 60's and 70's. Other posters have stated it correctly. As individuals, we have not lost the spirit. What we have lost is political will to take risk.<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>"2012.. Year of the Dragon!! Get on the Dragon Wagon!".</em> </div>

 

[dobbins]

The Teacher in Space was as much of a PR stunt as Apollo's goal of getting to the Moon first, and far more pointless than gaining the lead in a period when a dictatorial system was challenging freedom for the leading postion in the world.<br />

 

[tap_sa]

<font color="yellow">"problem of loosing of pioneer's spirit"</font><br /><br />Their RTGs are failing and the distance is so big <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" />

 

[tomnackid]

What we have lost is political will to take risk.<br />---------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />Tell that to all those soldiers in Iraq! That was a big risk that took loads of political will (some might say to the point of stretching the truth) and has taken the lives of tens of thousands. Is it a risk that will pay off for the US? Personally I doubt it but who knows. Similarly, whether or not the American pioneering spirit and westward expansion were a good thing or not kind of depends on which side of the reservation fence you stand on. But, I don't want to turn this into a political argument.<br /><br />Every generation thinks that the next generation is hopelessly decadent and that in the past heros walked the earth and men were REAL men and women were REAL women. I would say that after WWII Americans just wanted to rest for a while and enjoy themselves. They were happy to let government agencies like NASA take the risks in their name. The idea of starting your own business or moving long distances to find a better life is completely foreign to my parents (in their late 70's) You found a good job (hopefully civil service if you could swing it), bought a house in your home town, or inherited one from your parents, and worked until you could collect your pension. Risk was a board game, not a lifestyle! I think people today are more likely to take risks. More people than ever are comfortable with the idea of moving to find a better life. More small business start up than ever before. Default Americans (i.e. illegal immigrants) literally risk life and limb everyday so that their children can grow up as part of this society. I think "extreme sports" are pretty dumb for the most part, but you can't say those guys are adverse to risk! The only problem (from the perspective of space nuts like us) is that this wealth of risk acceptance is not yet channeled into space exploration. <br /><br />Gus Grissom and his fellow astronauts were se