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re: Son of Apollo....why?
Fox — (archived)

I'm talking here about the reason, not the hardware.

"Son of Apollo" is very apt. I suspect this initiative has the same fundamental motivation as Mercury/Gemini/Apollo - except it's not the USSR this time, it's the PRC.

Think about it: how embarrassing to all of the America First-ers if the Chinese went to the Moon after we abandoned it 30 years ago! This initiative is an excercise in "saving face" - though, if we're lucky, it may serve scientific purposes as well or better than Apollo did .

I mentioned this thread to a friend - "speculation about the speculation about what Bush might say about a space program" is how I termed it. That person, a lay space enthusiast (if you will) like me, said, "Well, you know what? I no longer care. It's a beautiful place, is the universe, but it appears to me that, apart from oddballs like us, the only people interested are militaristic neocowboys."

I laughed and said something on the order of, "That's always been the case - especially assuming you include all the professional space scientists among 'oddballs like us'. Since I've been reading all the P. O'Brian novels, I'm reminded of the very similar course of development in what was then called "naturalism", 200 years ago. Lewis & Clark are examples, and a lot more of the same kind of science got done courtesy of the Royal Navy. I.e., the scientists ride the 'militaristic cowboys'' coattails. If it's the only way they can get there, they'll take it, gladly."

So you see: I may be cynical (or realistic - take your choice) about the motivation - and I also remember "Agnew on Mars" - but if it's the only way to get there, I'll take it, gladly.

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