Did various incarnations of the starship Enterprise make space travel look too easy?

The Space Review ^ | 04/23/12 | Andre Bormanis

[KevinDavis]

In an interview with a reporter from the Associated Press, Scott Pace, the current director of the Space Policy Institute at The George Washington University and a former NASA associate administrator, was asked to comment on the April 12th failure of the North Korean rocket launch. He noted that sending a vehicle into space is still a significant technical challenge, and added, “In many ways, the worst enemy of NASA is Star Trek… Captain Picard says ‘engage’ and the ship moves. And people think ‘How hard can this be?’” Filmmaker James Cameron supposedly made a similar comment about Star Trek’s depiction of space travel several years ago. This, so the argument goes, leads to unrealistic expectations in the public mind about where we should be these days on the Final Frontier. Reality has fallen far short of the galaxy-hopping future envisioned by Star Trek, and NASA takes the blame.

[KevinDavis]

Yes...

[KevinDavis]

[Guyin4Os]

It isn’t that the Enterprise moved... its that space moved. Haven’t they seen the latest Star Trek movie? sheesh

[dainbramaged]

Thus the term, “science FICTION”.

[Justa]

Set hundreds of years in the future, the Enterprise had both impulse power and warp drive.

Comparing future, inter-stellar propulsion technologies with current North Korean rocket technology is... illogical.

[iowamark]

[Jack Hydrazine]

“Captain Picard says ‘engage’ and the ship moves.”

Star Trek - TNG “Engage”
Some things can never be repeated enough.
Make it so!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jd1Ih8EUmw

[98ZJ USMC]

Well,....yeah. If you’re dumb enough to belive that this is science fact.

Oh. Wait......

[98ZJ USMC]

This is, after all, the same public mind that believes in Anthropogenic Global Warming.....

yeaaahhhh....

[Prov1322]

Nonsense!

Everyone knows from Galaxy Quest that it is quite easy!

"Never give up. Never surrender!"

[cripplecreek]

That's why the ship was built and docked in space. Bigger really is better in space but you can't get them up there so you need to build them there.

[xp38]

"Traveling Thru Hyperspace Ain't Like Dustin Crops Boy."

[Gideon7]

From the Starship Dimensions website.

[JRandomFreeper]

I'm not suprised. There are freepers here who think CSI is a documentary.

/johnny

[calex59]

Nonsense! Everyone knows from Galaxy Quest that it is quite easy!

One of my favorite movies, and one of the few with Sigourney Weaver that I actually thought she looked hot.

[mnehring]

Reality has fallen far short of the galaxy-hopping future envisioned by Star Trek, and NASA takes the blame

Imagine where we would be if we didn't have government bureaucrats.

[xp38]

Space travel is especially tough when you cancel your manned space program.

[GonzoGOP]

I don't get hung up on Star Trek. I would be happy with 2001 a Space Odyssey. Who cares what space ships can do 300 years in the future. We were supposed to be able to hop a scheduled run up to the moon 11 years ago.

[Popman]

Did various incarnations of James Bond make getting laid look too easy ???

Geesh...what a stupid premise ...

[LibWhacker]

We can get them up there, but have to give up our rather irrational fear of nuclear propulsion.

But, yes, it's too bad people have gotten the idea we live in a Star Trek universe. In all likelihood, nothing could be further from the truth.