An Old School NASA Engineer on "Our Sputnik Moment"

Over The Horizon ^ | 1/26/11 | Emile Husson

[DManA]

In response to Sputnik Kennedy put up well defined goal - Send a man to the moon and return him safely to earth by the end of the decade.

That is called a specification.

Obama put up a nebulous smoke cloud - stimulate innovation.

That is called waving your hands around.

[KarlInOhio]

I've heard speculation that our delay was intentional. We wanted to establish a precedent of free passage over other countries in space - essentially national sovereignty only goes to the edge of the atmosphere rather than all the way to infinity. We could do that by allowing a Soviet satellite to orbit above us without asserting our rights to the space above the US as we would if a Soviet aircraft crossed our airspace.

I don't know whether it is true or not, or just some rationalization after the first round of the space race.

[DManA]

Parenthetically, anyone my age remembers the another response to Sputnik - a million kids sticking tooth picks into Styrofoam balls and sprinkling them with glitter. Every Christmas tree that year had a Sputnik ornament proudly placed on it.

[SlowBoat407]

The point of the article is, our first Sputnik moment was caused by government putting unnecessary restrictions on technology, just as they are today.

[ClearCase_guy]

Obama said we should "do stuff" -- perhaps more detail would have been helpful.

[SlowBoat407]

I've heard speculation that our delay was intentional. We wanted to establish a precedent of free passage over other countries in space - essentially national sovereignty only goes to the edge of the atmosphere rather than all the way to infinity. We could do that by allowing a Soviet satellite to orbit above us without asserting our rights to the space above the US as we would if a Soviet aircraft crossed our airspace.

I don't know whether it is true or not, or just some rationalization after the first round of the space race.

Sounds like a rationalization of running around with our fingers up our butts to me. I think precedent only applies to action, not inaction. I'm not a lawyer, though.

[PGR88]

Obama defines “Sputnik Moment” as opportunity to spend lots of money over a long period for very vague goals.

[Eagle of Liberty]

Obama put up a nebulous smoke cloud

Obama IS a nebulous smoke cloud.....

[Andy from Chapel Hill]

Our “Sputnik moment” was the (near) collapse of Greece and Ireland.

[musicman]

"In response to Sputnik Kennedy put up well defined goal - Send a man to the moon and return him safely to earth by the end of the decade."

[dps.inspect]

Obama’s mentality is steeped in exploiting “victimization” to achieve the goal of equal outcome for all... problem is, this mentality is never innovative in anything but resentments and “get-even-with’m-isms”. His mental state (and those he seeks to exploit) never rises to the level of overcoming challenges to the physical universe, never soars to see what lies beyond, but stays steeped in pits of envy and itchings for what others enjoy by rights of their own hard work, innovation and free enterprise.

[Joe 6-pack]

I really think Obama meant to say "Dupnik Moment"...

[AU72]

Our next ‘Sputnik Moment’ will be when a EMP is burst over our continent and it will be called a “WTF Moment”.

[Eagle of Liberty]

I’m stealing this. I HOPE you don’t mind.

[Roccus]

Four months later, after numerous launch vehicle explosions on the pad and in mid-flight,...

Thanks for posting that. Many Americans, and FReepers too, are unaware of the frustrations we endured watching or reading about failure after failure. It was bad enought that adolescents had a joke about it.

Q. How do they count backwards at Cape Canaveral?

A. 5...4...3...2...1...Oh...$#@!, back to the drawing boards.

[massgopguy]

I heard the same thing. If we launched first, the Russians were going to go to the UN and get a ban on orbits that violated space over other countries, namely Russia.

[SlowBoat407]

Tom Wolfe covered this wonderfully in “The Right Stuff”.

[musicman]

[Paladin2]

That “no science” statement by the Fearless Leader was totally wrong, ignorant and stupid. Whatta Zer0.