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With respect, the comment that "the Apollo project was nothing more than a machine to convert a huge quantity of cash into a one-time use space-car to stick a p
by jes 12y ago
With respect, the comment that "the Apollo project was nothing more than a machine to convert a huge quantity of cash into a one-time use space-car to stick a pole in the moon" seems to drop an incredible amount of context.
I think the Apollo project (and Mercury, and Gemini, the programs which preceded Apollo) resulted in a massive amount of learning, technology development, progress in manufacturing know-how, etc.
Your thoughts?
- sillysaurus3 12y agoHow do you feel about the idea that microcontrollers would have been invented anyway, even if Silicon Valley hadn't established the industry? It's that kind of situation. The learning, technology development, and manufacturing know-how may still have came. We'll never know for certain, and I'm not trying to imply that the Apollo project did nothing for any of those things, but it was largely a political decision to cancel these long-term space exploration projects in favor of the US being able to thumb their nose at the Russians for a bit. (As opposed to those projects being canceled for scientific reasons like feasibility.)