Actually you set the tone when you suggested that NASA engineers are primarily concerned with getting 'big fat sinecures'. And yes I do know that 'sinecures' is a fancy college-boy word for 'cushy job'. In layman's terms, you've accused NASA engineers of wanting to get paid for doing little or no work. So don't get high an mighty about 'tone'.
Since you again have indicated that you know very little about engineers, let me elucidate (wow, big words are fun!) the subject for you.
Typically when an engineer has been working on a single project for several years, his personal pride in seeing the success of that project means more to him than his salary. Thats simply the way they are wired. If these engineers, as you simplemindedly suggested, were truly there only for the 'big fat sinecures', do you really think that they would have successfully landed two rovers on Mars???
You obviously have no concept of the amazing challenges involved with designing, building, testing and implementing a device as technically complex as the Martian rover. Your ignorance and lack of appreciation of the magnitude of this achievement serves to illustrates one reason why this country is going to hell in a hand basket!!
Total utter and absolute bull sh!t. Saying all of these are the result of the space program is like trying to make us believe that without the National Endowmwent for the Arts there wouldn't be any art.
Pardon me, but your lack of insight is really showing here. Technology is driven by necessity. Capitalism is a motivation, yes, but capitalism is by its very nature risk adverse. Capitalism will nurture innovations but rarely new technologies. The largest jumps in technology have usually come during times of war when the risk of national loss offsets the concerns of risk from financial loss. Nations are willing to commit large resources to insure their war technology keeps pace with the enemy.
The great thing about the Apollo program is that it was done in a competitive war like atmosphere that generated new technologies. And nobody had to die!! Here is a good article on NASA technological achievements. I encourage you to educate yourself on this subject so that you will be a better citizen.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2004-01-21-eicher_x.htm
Try a little critical thinking here. If the moon is "high ground", then Mars should be even higher ground right? And Jupiter even higher still.
I am embarrassed for you. This statement is akin to saying that having a heavy winter coat is not better than having a light winter coat because if you had a super huge 2000 lb winter coat it would suffocate you. Nice deductive reasoning!
I have a question for you. Since you are aware that we landed people on the moon and the Chinese didn't, what negative impact did this have on the Chinese?
We landed a man on the moon in 1969 and the Chinese didn't. Negative impact? The Chinese have continued to live as a third world country for the last 35 years while Americans have enjoyed the highest quality of life in the history of mankind!
It is probably too much to expect that you could understand the connection between China's ever growing economic wealth and their continued success at developing their own space program.
It is probably too much to expect that you could understand the connection between China's ever growing economic wealth and their continued success at developing their own space program.
Like their space program is driving their economy. Whatever.