One step backwards (Step zero)

sraj wrote:

> Unfortunately much of the fault lies with the scientific and engineering
> community. Look how long they have taken to find out that there is water on
> the Moon!?

That had more to do with politics than science or engineering. After
the cancellation of the Apollo program, there was a "Moon taboo" that
basically made it impossible to get funding for any lunar research.
Lunar Prospector only managed to get there by using alternative funding
sources. (It's been a few years and I've grown fuzzy on the details --
does anyone here remember more clearly?)

> Just as our scientists on terra firma are busy doing all kinds of
> scientific stuff, even as our planet gasps for breath; in space too they are
> busy taking pretty pictures of the universe (not that we don't need these
> pretty pictures), even as they ignore the importance of human presence in
> space.

They're not ignoring it, but space R&D is expensive and mostly
government-funded, so they're subject to the whims of politics.

Lifting the Moon taboo was one of the two decent things to come out of
the Bush presidency.

Best,
- Joe