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gfs543
Member since May 2012
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Whatever happened to the space race?

- George F. Smith - Barbarous Relic

I agree that Apollo was not a waste. I'm at a loss to find where in the article I claimed it was.

The only comment I could find that could be interpreted as a personal put-down was in reference to the public's view of it as an expensive joyride. I didn't make it clear I was actually speaking on behalf of a public that lacked enthusiasm for the program until July, 1969.

Today's space competition may indeed turn out to be a waste. We'll know eventually. In Bezo's case if it turns out to be a waste of money, then it is his money, not ours.

My problem with Apollo is the same as with any government undertaking. Politics always rules. Profit - loss incentives are lacking. Positive outcomes, if there are any, are overpriced, sometimes grossly so. The public pays for it whether they want to or not. A frequent comment heard at the time of Apollo 11 was that indeed it was a great achievement, but the money could've been better used elsewhere. We'll never know. Mises and other Austrians often cite Bastiat's distinction between what is seen and what is not seen. What is seen is Apollo and all it implies. What is not seen is what taxpayers could have done with the money had they been allowed to keep it.

Do we need government programs like Apollo to develop new technologies? God help us if we do.

I remember the moon landing quite clearly. I knew something about challenging engineering projects and could certainly appreciate what NASA had accomplished. It brought people together in a positive way. It was an exciting time. It took our thoughts off the war overseas and the riots at home, if only for a few minutes. The moonwalk was magic.

Yes, I'm aware of the evidence suggesting we were really watching a Stanley Kubrick masterpiece. I’m not convinced we were.

Commented 2422 days ago

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Beginning of the headline :In the wake of Sputnik I’s success on October 4, 1957, in which the USSR could stake claim to having built the first artificial earth satellite, a cosmic shift in perception took hold.Whatever advantages US society might have as measured by individual freedom, it came up short when stacked against Soviet science and technology. Soviet space superiority was on display 32 days later when Sputnik 2 launched with Laika, a dog found roaming the Moscow streets who died a few days after takeoff. T... Read More

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