A Day In Space

Perhaps I am a little obsessed with space these days.
I don't know why, exactly.

Maybe I picked up some space-bug when I passed through Mojave.

That Rutan private space place company is down there, along with all manner of other aerospace craziness.
Not NASA style aerospace stuff, American style.
Relatively small budget, big explosion kind of work.

Though, I suppose I have always been a bit of a space geek.
It is just closer to the surface, right now, maybe.


The shuttle program is nearly done, that might be it.
With no viable replacement on line, or even in production, it will be years of dead dreams.


American kids can dream of maybe catching a ride on some Russian rocket, I guess.

Maybe we can start importing some Chinese rockets, they are probably cheaper than the ones we build here.


Seems a little sad to me.
There was a time when space was a priority.
A bold effort that brought the nation together, largely out of fear and anxiety that the primitive communists had gotten ahead of us with Sputnik.
Whatever it prod that pushed us into space, it still seems pretty cool.
I think the routine of shuttle flights dulled perception that a bit, even if half that fleet was destroyed in dramatic accidents. We are complacent about people getting to space.


That might speak to a larger failure of our culture.
Loss of vision, dimming of dreams.
Wide spread couch potatoe culture, fed on fast food after a trip to the valuemart to buy some poorly fabricated bit of crap that comes with a remote - so we don't have to get up to turn it on or off.
(The last computer printer we purchased came with a remote. Why the hell does anyone need a remote for a god-damned computer printer?)

Anyway, I am getting far afoot here.
The fact that we loosing the drive to embark on big, brave, dramamtic adventures is sad.
Skylab slowly dipping into the atmosphere and burning up - sad.

A nation of wannabe graphic designers, almost music makers, service industry schmoes and retirees - searching for the next bargain basement plastic placebo to take the place of actual desires, passions or dreams - sad.


Maybe this new administration will help this country dream again.
Hopefully, they will allow us a little space.



The track is from Ballboy, by the way.