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Mars Mars Mars Mars
I was fortunate to be selected a NASA Social attendee for the CRS-8 launch at Kennedy Space Center. NASA spent two days ferrying 50 of us social media users around the complex, culminating in the launch of the Falcon 9 rocket on a resupply of the International Space Station. It was an amazing experience. I don't think I am exaggerating when I say it was a once in a lifetime event for me.
During the event, I was consistently impressed by the dedication of the NASA employees. These are people who have dedicated their entire lives to what I consider one of the great endeavors of humanity: manned space exploration. I was honored and humbled that scores of busy scientists, administrators, and astronauts took time out of their schedules to talk with us and answer our questions.
If there's one thing that everyone at NASA is focused on, it's the plan to go to Mars. This is a noble goal, to be sure. The problem is that it's basically never going to happen given current funding levels and spaceflight plans. This is an endemic problem with a government organization that is subject to the whims of congressional budgets. Here I want to share some of the highlights of my trip, and also discuss why NASA is putting a brave face on a hopeless goal.
NASA Knows How to Do Big Things
I was continually struck by the size of the the projects that NASA has completed in the past sixty-odd years. Take a moment to look at this thing:
