So says astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson, easily the most impressive space lobbyist since Carl Sagan, who was not in fact very interested in people-in-space. Tyson is, passionately.
He wants—among other things—to solve our economic and unemployment problems by doubling NASA’s budget. Lots of people would sneer (do sneer) at that, but he’s right about the broad economic stimulus of space exploration. And as impressive as SpaceX and other private space commerce is becoming, it’s not enough.
Space exploration is so much more economically powerful than handing out trillions of dollars to phony solar cell and electric car companies and other Democrat cronies. Or Republican ones, for that matter. Gingrich wanted a base on the moon. Romney sneered. We’re lucky he didn’t get elected, but the one we got is no better and in some ways worse. And I doubt he thinks he works for us.
Tyson notes in his talk at the link above, very accurately I think, that if the Chinese decided to build a military base on the moon, we would have a moon base within nine months. No more 20-years-to-Mars nonsense. I hope they do it, so we can. In the meantime we can dream along with Tyson and hope Obozo listens to him, too, insofar as he listens to anyone. Someday.
THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER 