Why NASA's Moon Landing is the Wrong Model for Science in America

The moon landing in 1969 was inspiring. But today, American scientists are better off fixing what ails planet earth.

“We are attempting to develop major new systems with ten-year technology, eight-year programs, a five year plan, three-year people, and one-year dollars,” he wrote. What’s more, large, corporate contractors dominate the federal procurement process —hiking up the costs of aerospace technology for taxpayers. The consequences of this lax management can be both embarrassing and deeply wasteful: It took engineers six costly tries to get the shuttle ... Full Story »

Posted by Kaizar Campwala

See All Reviews »

Review

Derek Hawkins
3.4
by Derek Hawkins - Jul. 20, 2009

A low-hanging but effective case against space exploration in coming years.

It is a lovely story—retold at the President’s meeting with Bolden and the crew of Apollo 11. However, in the midst of a financial crisis consistently reported as the worst “since the great depression,” it’s not obvious that America should do as Aldrin wants. NASA does a world of scientific good, but the human spaceflight program that is the most prominent and nostalgia-provoking is also the most wasteful and the least necessary. Given the host of other priorities facing America, it might be time for the US to hang up its moon boots.

See All Reviews »

Derek's Rating

Overall
3.4

Average
from 12 answers
Quality
3.5
Information
4.0
Insight
3.0
Style
4.0
Context
3.0
Expertise
4.0
Originality
3.0
Relevance
4.0
Responsibility
4.0
Popularity
3.0
Recommendation
3.0
Credibility
3.0
More How our ratings work »