Why is space travel so boring?

[vanillacoke]

Can't we send people into Space? That would be exciting. Nobody has been further than orbit in a long time. Some have even started questioning whether we ever went to the moon. Laughable I know but nobody in their 20's remembers it. They weren't born yet. I think I'd be more interested in Space stuff if some real live astronauts were doing the sample gathering.

 

[docm]

1. poor decisions in the '70's (see: space shuttle) and '80's (see:ISS)<br /><br />2. cost given the excesses of #1<br /><br />3. lack of political will/insight<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[mithridates]

Sometimes I think astronauts themselves must receive training in how to make space travel seem as boring as possible to the viewer.<br /><br />"Er...we're at an altitude of 350 kilometres and on our 31st orbit. Uh...we expect to make another orbit soon. We will begin commencing science activities as soon as we finish preparations, perhaps later today." Snore. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>----- </p><p>http://mithridates.blogspot.com</p> </div>

 

[qso1]

We can send people into space when the media, and some of the American public realizes the cost is not as much as they have complained about. The percieved cost of human space exploration is what keeps NASA in earth orbit. The idea we spend too much on human space flight has permeated our society long after NASAs budget was cut and the savings wasted.<br /><br />And NASA has been tasked with sending people beyond orbit with plans to return to the moon. However, it won't be long before the excitement goes out of that for most folks. And thats assuming the program doesn't get cancelled after President Bush leaves office.<br /><br />Space exploration by its very nature produces admittedly uninspiring video once the initial amazing factor wears off. Thats as it should be. NASA is not in the business of making cool, exciting programs. NASA is a taxpayer funded government organization tasked with exploration of a dangerous area. And to that end, NASA has to make it as safe to do as possible. Of course, it wouldn't hurt for NASA to perhaps get a couple of media savvy astronauts in the public eye.<br /><br />It would not suprise me to learn many of the people who say space exploration is boring, also watch reality shows. A show about a chef cooking. An activity in and of itself that would never garner a TV audience. The show is made exciting for viewers not because of the cooking, but because of the drama between the chef and his subordinates. Which to me is still boring, yet its on TV.<br /><br />That tells me its all a matter of taste. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><strong>My borrowed quote for the time being:</strong></p><p><em>There are three kinds of people in life. Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen...and those who do not know what happened.</em></p> </div>

 

[JonClarke]

Boring is as boring does, it's a matter of taste. I find the challenges of building space stations, developing new and improved spacecraft, testing human performance in long duration space flight, servicing satellites and all the rest highly interesting.<br /><br />Exciting usually means something has gone wrong. Then people would complain that it is a pointless waste of life and money.<br /><br />Jon <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>

 

[tplank]

The American public’s boredom with space exploration activities is yet another symptom of our massive dumbing-down over the last fifty years. These activities are the great undertakings of our age but folks yawn because they aren’t entertained. We have lost something essential from our collective souls and this is very sad indeed.<br /><br />There was a time not long ago when people were very excited to get news on the radio. It was exciting to them because they were engaged by their own critical thinking about things. Today, we are media drenched and most people are simply collecting data and performing no analysis. This translates into a populace that is content to let the faux media analysis suffice and let those pseudo-analysts tell them what is exciting. This all in turn feeds the Madison Avenue money machine.<br /><br />That “American Idol” is at the center of the public consciousness and Nasa TV is not much more than a beefy public access channel tells you were we are at as a society.<br /><br />Ultimately though, if we are to succeed in these endeavors, the visionaries will have to include modern marketing realities in their visionary paths. There would be no harm to have a catchy theme song…{“Are you ready for some Lift-Off?”}… or some trendy terminology that adds some coolness to things. Perhaps some of the entrepreneurs could get some visibility by sponsoring a reality show along the lines of making participants compete to become space tourists. Surely the twenty million dollar price tag could be raised over a season or two of television shows.<br /><br />I am somewhat tongue in cheek with these remarks, but I think there is merit in doing some marketing. Such are our times where you have to pander to a population of functional illiterates to generate interest in the greatest undertakings of human history.<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>The Disenfranchised Curmudgeon</p><p>http://tonyplank.blogspot.com/ </p> </div>

 

[nyarlathotep]

>"The American public’s boredom with space exploration activities is yet another symptom of our massive dumbing-down over the last fifty years. These activities are the great undertakings of our age but folks yawn because they aren’t entertained."<br /><br />Oh quit spewing your elitist trash.<br /><br />We're not entertained because we have been told by our public figures that NASA's main goal was to research and develop the technologies necessary to make spaceflight accessable and affordable. As it was sold to the public that was the primary justification for building the STS. <br /><br />Frankly, we now have the wisdom to know that this is a load of crap. That's the reason why a certain homebuilt has been getting more media attention over the last two years than $16 billion worth of NASA manned spaceflight.

 

[alokmohan]

Repeated space succes makes it look boring.Its so thrilig of course much less than Gagarins time.

 

[frodo1008]

Is truth then the exclusive property of the elite? If so then humanity in general does not DESERVE to go into space! <br /><br />More people in this country voted for the "American Idol" candidate than voted for the President of the US!<br />(at least that is what the most disgusting of the media types over at fox tell us)<br /><br /><br />The technical knowledge of the average American has declined drastically over the last 40 or so years! This is one of the very reasons why many now even doubt our abilities to even get to the moon as we once did! Along with that decine goes a decline in the technical interest of people in the activity of placing people into space when it is done safely and repetitively! <br /><br />Such a decline would even happen to the commercial pure private interests just as much as NASA, if they were actually placing hundreds of people into orbit, or even on space stations, an doing it with great rapidity and safety. Some of this can even be understandable, as it is human nature. <br /><br />There are millions of boy scouts that continually do very good, kind and great things! But, it only becomes news when "Eagle Scout Ax Murders his Entire Family!" It then becomes exiting to the mdsia and the people that watch it! <br /><br />Going back to the moon and on to Mars may indeed temporarily raise the interest of people, but if such becomes relatively routine then such interest declines. Personally, I guess I am among those very elite that you are so against, as I love watching such TV as The Discovery and History channels, and such TV as fox with its American Idol and the other so called (how can things be reality with someone with a camera taking videos of it?) reality TV just disgusts me!<br /><br />And YOU also post on such a limited interest and technical site as space.com. Does that then make you an elitist also?

 

[nyarlathotep]

>"More people in this country voted for the "American Idol" candidate than voted for the President of the US!<br />(at least that is what the most disgusting of the media types over at fox tell us)"<br /><br />And much like in the Presidential elections, most of those submitting American Idol nominations also made multiple votes. </tongue in cheek /><br /><br />The fact that the 2% of the American population in federal and state prisons, african americans, convicted felons, and illegal immigrants could also vote for American Idol probably also skewed the numbers.

 

[tomnackid]

I never really understood why space exploration has to be made "exciting" and "entertaining". It seems to mean that you emphasize the entertainment value of something only when it really doesn't have much else to offer (like television!). How exciting is drilling for oil? If it interests you or you have a curious nature then it might be interesting, otherwise its pretty ho hum--until an accident happens. Yet arguably oil drilling is one of the most important technological developments of recent times. Why should life on the ISS or a lunar outpost be any more or less exciting (to the general public) than life in an Antarctic research station or a research vessel at sea? Frankly I'm glad the whole VSE is staying low key and not trying to drum up excitement. I don't want the space program to be at the whim of a fickle public. The problem with excitement is that peoples appetite for it is insatiable. You end up like Krushev in the 60's just demanding more outrages stunts that not only hinder real technological development but come back to bite you in the behind when they fail. Like cramming 3 cosmonauts without pressure suits in to a capsule built for 2 and killing them all when there is a cabin leak and no provision for emergency breathing gear!<br /><br />Far better for NASA to fly under the radar and not be seen spending huge amounts of money--or rather spend huge amounts of money but in a way that doesn't draw too much attention!

 

[BReif]

I think, unfortunately, that the rank and file in the American public have unrealistic expectations about what spaceflight is, and how its done. Very few understand orbital mechanics, or the laws of physics. They may get bored because the results are not instantaneous. Real spaceflight is not like Star Trek. There is no warp drive, no transporter. It takes time to get to a destination in space. It takes real science and engineering, and a great deal of time doing R&D to gain the capabilitiy of getting to a space destination. It is not instant gratification, which is a expectation which has permeated American society.

 

[nyarlathotep]

>"Real spaceflight is not like Star Trek. There is no warp drive, no transporter."<br /><br />There are similarities though. Both the Federation space program and the NASA program are run by socialists.

 

[tplank]

Heh...looks like I'm not the only elitist here. :-D <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>The Disenfranchised Curmudgeon</p><p>http://tonyplank.blogspot.com/ </p> </div>

 

[tomnackid]

There are similarities though. Both the Federation space program and the NASA program are run by socialists.<br />-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />Personally I wouldn't expect you to know socialism from a social disease. You rant on these boards like 13 year old.

 

[oscar1]

The funny thing is that many people the world over gladly watch a TV programme called "Big Brother", where a number of people are put together and are being confined together for considerable time. The guy who came up with the idea for this programme (a chap called John de Mol) became a billionair because of it. I have watched this programme once for roughly about ten minutes, and never did so again.

 

[tplank]

What a meant was the reality show thing was probably a bit too far. I do think there needs to be some creative thinking going on. I wish some of it would happen at NASA because I'm a huge fan of NASA succeding. Pinning *all* my hopes on Rutan, Bigelow and Musk does not work for me. I'm pulling for them even more than I am NASA, but it just seems to me that given the scale of things there is still a government role here for a while yet. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>The Disenfranchised Curmudgeon</p><p>http://tonyplank.blogspot.com/ </p> </div>

 

[tomnackid]

The American public’s boredom with space exploration activities is yet another symptom of our massive dumbing-down over the last fifty years. These activities are the great undertakings of our age but folks yawn because they aren’t entertained. We have lost something essential from our collective souls and this is very sad indeed. <br />------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />I don't think we have "lost" anything. Throughout all of human history the vast majority of people haven't cared about more than where their next meal is coming from. To be fair they really couldn't afford to. If anything rather than a "dumbing down" its more a matter of not living up to our potential. I also think that this is a more useful outlook than the romantic nonsense that there was once a golden age where men were men, women were all beautiful and all the children were above average and the we have somehow devolved from this "master race".

 

[MeteorWayne]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>The American public’s boredom with space exploration activities is yet another symptom of our massive dumbing-down over the last fifty years. These activities are the great undertakings of our age but folks yawn because they aren’t entertained. We have lost something essential from our collective souls and this is very sad indeed. <p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br /><br />Boy, did you hit the nail on the head with that! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[spacefire]

space travel would be more interesting if female astronauts were required to dress like 7of9<br /><br /><img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>http://asteroid-invasion.blogspot.com</p><p>http://www.solvengineer.com/asteroid-invasion.html </p><p> </p> </div>

 

[tplank]

Based on those I have known who were born in the early part of the 20th century, I have to disagree. Further there has been some quality research done on the early days of American history and it is pretty clear that the thing that distinguished Americans for a very long time was literacy. Today the functional literacy rates are appalling at best.<br /><br />Ask yourself how many people you have known that were born prior to 1930 that could not make change at the Chik-Fil-A. Then think about the people actually making the change these days. And this is simple stuff, not advanced critical thinking about important topics.<br /><br />Yes, it would be wrong to overly romanticize it. But is equally wrong to say that nothing has changed.<br /><br />There is also a qualitative aspect to the problem that is brilliantly illustrated by the boredom with Space Exploration. The capacity to dream has apparently ebbed. Dreams now seem to be dreams of a Lexus in the driveway and a Rolex on the wrist. “What good is it to me if we return a few scoops of Martian soil to Earth?”<br /><br />This is closely tied to our lack of a shared communal vision. “We came in peace for all Mankind” would scarcely work today. It is all about cost benefit analysis and not about vision. Don’t misunderstand, I am an ardent capitalist and cost-benefit analysis is crucial to ultimate success. But gone is the element of climbing the mountain because it is there. While I am no humanist by any stretch, but it just seems to me that the grand language regarding achieving the potential of the human spirit are more muted these days.<br /><br />Perhaps I’m wrong. Perhaps everybody is merely busy texting their vote to American Idol.<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>The Disenfranchised Curmudgeon</p><p>http://tonyplank.blogspot.com/ </p> </div>

 

[tomnackid]

Ask yourself how many people you have known that were born prior to 1930 that could not make change at the Chik-Fil-A. Then think about the people actually making the change these days. And this is simple stuff, not advanced critical thinking about important topics.<br />-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />OK, making change is hardly a sign of intelligence--or even eduction. If you have to make change in your head and do it everyday you get good at it. My mother (born in 1927, worked most of her live as a cashier or clrk) can make change, and indeed goes on about the lack of that skill in the general population as if it were a sign of the apocalypse, yet she cannot comprehend solving an equation for the unknown or solving an equation for a constantly changing state (the Calculus) something that my 10 year old has already begun to do in school. Lets not even get started on programming a VCR! In fact all of her math skills consist of arithmetic "tricks" to train people to be good cashiers or other low level jobs. In fact I find most people from her generation to be rather limited in imagination. How many entrepreneurs were there per capita in 1956 as compared to 2006? A lot more now I would bet. My parent's generation preached getting a good job at a big company (or civil service if you have connections!) with a nice pension and stay there until you retire. Never take a chance. Be distrustful of "bookworms" and "long haired professor types". The "cult of the common man" reigned supreme then as now.<br /><br />-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />There is also a qualitative aspect to the problem that is brilliantly illustrated by the boredom with Space Exploration. The capacity to dream has apparently ebbed. Dreams now seem to be dreams of a Lexus in the driveway and a Rolex on the wrist. “What good is it to me if we return a few scoops of Martian so

 

[tplank]

I agree that arithmetic is not a good metric on general education. But it is a good metric of how bad things are on the low end of the spectrum. And the low end of the spectrum votes just like you and I.<br /><br />I'm not a professional in education so I do not have source material handy, but there really is no doubt that functional literacy rates have declined steeply. I don't romanticize the past so much as abhor the present.<br /><br />If something isn't done about functional literacy rates, there isn't much hope... <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>The Disenfranchised Curmudgeon</p><p>http://tonyplank.blogspot.com/ </p> </div>

 

[radarredux]

> <i><font color="yellow">I think I'd be more interested in Space stuff if some real live astronauts were doing the sample gathering.</font>/i><br /><br />Someone on these boards once mentioned that people are interested in something novel. By the second or third time it is done, no one is paying attention. How many people (without looking it up) can tell you the names of the second crew to set foot on the Moon?<br /><br />I think we need to be somewhat careful when using public interest in measuring the value of something.</i>

 

[tplank]

Public interest doesn't have jack to do with the value of an endeavor but it does sadly affect funding. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>The Disenfranchised Curmudgeon</p><p>http://tonyplank.blogspot.com/ </p> </div>