Monday, October 24, 2005

Let a thousand space programs bloom

I think Mao's original quote was for "100 flowers" and it has been paraphrased in thousands of ways. It suggests diversity in thinking and action, and while it may have been a short-lived philosophy in China (though it seems to have made a good comeback in recent years), it describes the state of space programs in the world today, which I think is a good thing, for the most part.

Although I'm a space enthusiast, I don't closely follow the space press or even all the issues. I'm more of a grazer -- exploring various paths through the web, reading the occasional Discover Magazine or Scientific American, playing with and promoting Orbiter, buying and sometimes even reading books on space subjects. Even this relatively casual look at space news and issues reveals an amazing level and diversity of space-related activity in the world today.

Consider just the last few weeks. NASA announced its Exploration Systems Architecture Study (ESAS), followed by a lot of debate. China launched two "taikonauts" on its second piloted orbital mission. I read articles about private space ventures by SpaceX (developing low cost launch vehicles) and LiftPort (developing space elevator technology). This morning I saw an article about the NASA-sponsored Space Elevator Games. I also read about European plans for Mars in a Discover Magazine article. And the MarsDrive Consortium launched its web site, working to unite people and organizations that support their "aim to send human missions to Mars and establish a permanent base there within the next 2 decades." I hope to be involved with their educational task force - perhaps a petal on one of those thousand blooms.

1 comment:

Brian Dunbar said...

I hope to be involved with their educational task force - perhaps a petal on one of those thousand blooms.

That is perhaps the most that any one person can aspire to - but tens of thousands of people pulling tword the same general goal can do wonders.