Why People Should Read

[sirhugs]

I appreciate the myths lesson, but I too yawn about the whole "flying to the Moon" hype nonsense. iI stayed up late to watch the original, so I know a fake when I see one. not even a true copy.
Hyped up by the "deeper in space" nonsense. really, who cares? No one should. Goping to the moon is amazing. Flying past it is a yawn.
It's not the "real thing". It's a pale excuse to try to distract people from how horrible the world is becoming. Bread and circuses.
I also agree that the whole "strip mining" aspect just is not cool.
but i'm just a bitter lonely old man.
ignore me.
everybody else does.

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

Shortly after his 100th birthday, I wonder, if this what Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee died for?

 

[sirhugs]

Shortly after his 100th birthday, I wonder, if this what Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee died for?

now THAT'S dark.

 

[SimonDoom]

I don't see the cause for cynicism. I think it's great. The exploration of space never gets old. The space program is over 60 years old, and we've still barely dipped our toe in the water.

I was very young when the Apollo 11 landing happened, and I honestly don't remember it. I'm looking forward to the next landing.

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

This isn't exploration. This is exploitation.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

I admit I was miffed when I realised this 'trip to the Moon' didn't involve landing on the moon. But:

I'm in my 50s, and this is the first time anyone has left Earth's orbit since before I was born.

It's the first time anyone has gone round to see the dark side of the moon.

It's proving what can be done using gravity slingshots, and finding what resources are on the moon, paving the way to a potential lunar base.

And we've had the story of them managing to fix the toilet extractor fan, but not Outlook. Everyone can relate!

Sure, there's the air of rapacious capitalism and trying to beat the Chinese, but that's hardly a change from beating the USSR in the 1960s. It only stopped when they found the moon was a boring ball of rock.

I think since the Challenger disaster, the media has been too scared to focus much on a space launch - and launches have been postponed so many times that everyone gets a bit bored. Wait until these guys are pointed back to earth for re-entry - that's when you'll get half the planet crossing their fingers and watching.

(I thought the 'this is a rerun' was funny. I predict my dad will make exactly the same joke.)

 

[SimonDoom]

Exploitation. Exploration. Whatever.

When they put the first taco stand on the moon, I'll cheer. If I make it that long.

 

[StillStunned]

When they put the first taco stand on the moon, I'll cheer. If I make it that long.

Let's hope the space toilets are more reliable by then.

 

[sirhugs]

I don't see the cause for cynicism. I think it's great. The exploration of space never gets old. The space program is over 60 years old, and we've still barely dipped our toe in the water.

I was very young when the Apollo 11 landing happened, and I honestly don't remember it. I'm looking forward to the next landing.

Here I thought that I'd explained the cause pretty well.

As in" You may disagree with the conclusion, but you can't say you don't see the argument" well.

Come on. You're smarter than that.

 

[TheWritingGroup]

God Speed to the astronauts up there taking incredible risks (yes, Apollo 13), and my best wishes that the mission checklist is fully met in preparation for the future mission's safe landing and return.

The thing that worries me is the return. They're still using the same heat shield that burned the last (and first) time they landed an Orion capsule, and will be hitting the atmosphere at a much faster speed.

 

[SimonDoom]

Here I thought that I'd explained the cause pretty well.

As in" You may disagree with the conclusion, but you can't say you don't see the argument" well.

Come on. You're smarter than that.

I see a reaction, not an argument. You are entitled to your reaction, but you haven't made an argument to convince anybody who isn't wired for cynicism.

I'm not a bitter old man. I'm still a kid who happens to have been around for over 60 years. I think it's amazing and wonderful every time we go into space. I look into the night sky and see Star Link, and my first thought isn't what a rapacious dickhead Elon Musk is. My reaction is, That's fucking amazing.

This is how I'm wired.

 

[sirhugs]

I see a reaction, not an argument. You are entitled to your reaction, but you haven't made an argument to convince anybody who isn't wired for cynicism.

I'm not a bitter old man. I'm still a kid who happens to have been around for over 60 years. I think it's amazing and wonderful every time we go into space. I look into the night sky and see Star Link, and my first thought isn't what a rapacious dickhead Elon Musk is. My reaction is, That's fucking amazing.

This is how I'm wired.

anybody who took Philosphy 101 knows that an ad hominen argrument is a fallacy.

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

Yep. Dad rented a TV so we could watch Apollo 11, and as kids we watched the whole moon walk in the school hall.

I can vaguely recall the very blurry video feed from the first landing, then the later landings with the moon buggies. By that time the video feed was better.

We had one, but I don't remember if it was color or not now. I remember us all huddled around it studying those blurry images. Had an cousin that lived in Cocoa Beach around that time, but we didn't manage to make it there for it.

 

[crookedletter]

anybody who took Philosphy 101 knows that an ad hominen argrument is a fallacy.

How does Philosophy 101 label the "I don't care about this so no one else should" snipes? What's the Latin for "mean-spirited waste of time"?

 

[SimonDoom]

anybody who took Philosphy 101 knows that an ad hominen argrument is a fallacy.

I didn't make an ad hominem argument. YOU described yourself as a bitter lonely old man. I addressed the substance of your "argument," which I find not to be an argument, just an expression of a negative way of looking at things, which I don't share.

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

I admit I was miffed when I realised this 'trip to the Moon' didn't involve landing on the moon. But:

I'm in my 50s, and this is the first time anyone has left Earth's orbit since before I was born.

Not quite sure what you consider leaving orbit, but ....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_human_spaceflights#2001–2010

Manned space flight is not uncommon. And we still haven't figured out what to do with all the liiter we're leaving out there, which is becoming an increasing problem. We still have junk on the Moon no one will ever clean up.

 

[sirhugs]

How does Philosophy 101 label the "I don't care about this so no one else should" snipes? What's the Latin for "mean-spirited waste of time"?

Just the obverse of " I care about this so everybody else should."
Which is what bugged me about the thread.
Everybody is entitled to their own view.
I get tired of being told that only one view is legitimate.

 

[TheWritingGroup]

I get tired of being told that only one view is legitimate.

That is just one person's opinion!

 

[crookedletter]

Just the obverse of " I care about this so everybody else should."
Which is what bugged me about the thread.
Everybody is entitled to their own view.
I get tired of being told that only one view is legitimate.

Points of view that differ from your own are not assaults on your views' legitimacy.

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

What I get tired of it hype and hysteria over something that isn't new and original.


The Ron Popeil approach. 'This is the super duper greatest thing what's ever dun happin't.'


Well, no, it isn't as has been shown.

 

[ElectricBlue]

We had one, but I don't remember if it was color or not now. I remember us all huddled around it studying those blurry images. Had an cousin that lived in Cocoa Beach around that time, but we didn't manage to make it there for it.

Ours was black and white.

Australia didn't have colour TV until 1975. The ABC famously transitioned from B&W to colour with Aunty Jack's boxing glove turning gold.

 

[SimonDoom]

Just the obverse of " I care about this so everybody else should."
Which is what bugged me about the thread.

Literally NOBODY in this thread has said this. People are entitled to their cynical and weary point of view. Others of us are entitled to respond to that point of view by preferring another point of view.

Some people look at a flower, and they say, "That's beautiful and amazing."

Some people look at a flower, and they say, "What's the big deal? There are millions of flowers just like it, and it's going to wither and die soon."

There's no argument for or against either view. They're based on attitude, not argument. Both positions are "legitimate."

I know which attitude I prefer. It gives more joy.

 

[sirhugs]

And just repeating yourself does not make it any more convincing.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Not quite sure what you consider leaving orbit, but ....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_human_spaceflights#2001–2010

Manned space flight is not uncommon. And we still haven't figured out what to do with all the liiter we're leaving out there, which is becoming an increasing problem. We still have junk on the Moon no one will ever clean up.

Until this week, Apollo 17 was the last time a manned spacecraft left Earth's orbit. Every manned mission since 1972 has been orbital (as in, Earth's orbit).

 

[TheWritingGroup]

Technically, Apollo never left Earth orbit and neither has Artemis. Apollo orbited the moon or landed on it (Artemis isn't even doing that, just passing it), but that's within Earth orbit. Luna orbits Earth.

What they left was low Earth orbit. Nobody has passed the Clarke orbits for decades.