Triumph And Tragedy In Space

Pajamas Media ^ | February 1, 2008 | Rand Simberg

[NonZeroSum]

The last week of January contains a number of notable space anniversaries.

This year, the most prominent one is the fiftieth anniversary of the first satellite launched by the United States, Explorer I, starting our own nation’s space age. Most of us don’t remember that time, half a century ago, but the nation had been shocked four months earlier when the Soviet Union was the first to launch an object into orbit. Most hadn’t even been aware that there was a space race, but suddenly we were losing it. This was compounded on December 6th, 1957 when, in an attempt to catch up, the spectacular failure of the Vanguard rocket on the pad was televised to many all over the world.

So it was a great national relief when, on January 31st of the new year, we had a successful launch on a Juno rocket, despite the fact that our satellite was much smaller than Sputnik. But it punched well above its weight. Unlike the Sputnik, which was just a demonstration of the capability to loft mass into orbit (its larger size was a consequence of the Russian inability to miniaturize their atomic weapons, necessitating larger missiles with which to deliver them), Explorer I was a scientific satellite. It not only confirmed the previously speculated existence of the Van Allen belts, but it demonstrated that we didn’t understand as much as we thought about how objects would behave in a vacuum and in weightlessness. But most importantly, it demonstrated that our rockets didn’t “always blow up,” and that we too could put objects into earth orbit.

[NonZeroSum]

It's a sad week for space fans. Hopefully the future will be more promising.

[Names Ash Housewares]

“It’s a sad week for space fans. Hopefully the future will be more promising.”

It WILL. No doubt in my mind.

But the price forever will be paid sooner or later.
The cost of exploration is in blood sometimes.

I am very strong supportor of NASA and space exploration. The shuttle tragedys hit me very hard, but now, I don’t grieve as much over it, as take pride and be grateful such people had lived and had such strong passions for things I believe we should be doing much more of.

“A ship in harbor is safe — but that is not what ships are built for.” -John A. Shedd

[Fiji Hill]

ROCKET TO THE MOON

Lenny Welch, Decca Records #9-30637,
1958

Me and my baby, we’re going to hop tonight. Yeah!
Me and my baby, we’re going to beat it up right.
We’re going to rocket to the moon to our hearts’ delight.

Me and my baby, down in the old wood shack, yeah!
Me and my baby, and all of the cats, by heck,
We’re going to rocket to the moon, and we ain’t coming back.

We’re going to hop, we’re going to jump,
We’re going to carry on, we’re going to stomp.
We’re going to rocket to the moon, and we ain’t coming back
We’re going to rocket to the moon, and we ain’t coming back.

Me and my baby, we’re going to work all night.
Me and my baby, until broad daylight,
We’re going to rocket to the moon, it’s going to be some flight!

We’re going to shake, we’re going to glide,
We’re going to gig It up, side by side.
We’re going to rocket to the moon to our hearts’ delight.
We’re going to rocket to the moon to our hearts’ delight.