Well, kudos to the folks who were behind the Falcon 9. I have received several updates, direct from news organizations, on the launch of the Falcon 9 rocket, which is part of this new thing called SpaceX.
Here's a sampling of what people are saying:
• Space consultant Charles Lurio, a tireless campaigner for the New Space movement and a tireless critic of the way NASA operates:
"Today’s flight should go a long way toward countering the hoary, 'magical negative thinking' of the past that led many to deride commercial spaceflight efforts. Of course, some will attempt to keep purveying those old myths, but their squawking should now be seen clearly than ever as the pitiful gasps of another era. The Falcon 9 flight, like that of SpaceShipOne, and like many others quietly being marked at pioneering venues around the country, shows that the path to practical spaceflight and commercial innovation driving a 'space PC revolution' is wide open."
• X Prize Chairman/CEO Peter Diamandis, who helped put together the $10 million Ansari X Prize to reward private-sector spaceflight and counts Musk as a member of his board of trustees:
"The maiden voyage of the Falcon 9 marks an important milestone in commercial spaceflight, proving what is achievable by privately-owned companies that are dedicated to pioneering new technologies and making space more accessible. Overcoming the high cost of launching to orbit continues to be a challenge faced by space-related ventures, and the emergence of launch vehicles such as the Falcon 9 contributes to an increasingly competitive environment in the launch vehicle market – a condition which has the potential to drive costs down and open the space frontier to the rest of us. In the not-too-distant future, we hope to see SpaceX and other commercial launch providers transporting crew and cargo to orbiting outposts, the moon, asteroids, and even Mars."
• The Space Frontier Foundation issued a news release that ended with this quote from one of its always-quotable founders, Rick Tumlinson:
“Some have decried the new American space program and harkened back to the good old elitist days of Apollo, and what they see as the end of the 'right stuff' mindset that took us to the moon. Well, they are dead wrong. You want to see excitement and drive of the early days of Apollo? You want to see the Right Stuff right now? Go visit SpaceX or any of the other NewSpace firms and teams out there reaching for the stars. It is alive and well!"
What's sad about all of this is that we are only now facing budgetary constraints which are going to further "cheapen" the idea of space research and space travel. We could see drastic cuts, and soon. It's not that I'm against austere budgets and belt tightening--I certainly am. I'm for supporting NASA with an adequate budget because space research is where much of the innovation comes from. As we begin to rely, more and more, on devices for communications, it doesn't make any sense whatsoever to starve NASA of funding. If we could add satellites to make our communications systems work better, fine and dandy. If we could remove space debris to ensure everything up there keeps flying, all the better.
I'm resigned to the need for cheaper and more practical space travel. I just wish it didn't feel like being kicked in the seat of the pants.
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