Rant #1,471: My Universe

The age of manned space exploration may be dead--or at least it isn't what it was 40 years ago--but we still have a wonder about our universe that shows how inquisitive we really are.

Take that probe we sent up several years ago that has finally reached its destination, and is bringing us our first real photographs of Pluto.

When this thing went up, Pluto was considered to be the most distant planet in the solar system. It has been downgraded to a dwarf planet, but whatever the case, it might be the furthest body away that we have ever seen.

And now we have some scientists saying that the sun is not going to last much longer, and will burn out in about 15 years or so, possibly creating a new ice age on earth.

Yup, and I have a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn if you pay me cash.

But heck, I am not a scientist, so who knows if this is true.

Some people still doubt that we walked on the moon, even though we supposedly did it several times.

We hope to one day go back to the moon, and to Mars, with human beings.

That would give the exploration of our universe the personal touch, and I think it would really rally the troops to get excited about further space exploration.

If you were around when Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, whether you were for the project or against it--many claimed that the money for that project could have been better used on earth--you had to have a sense of pride in this accomplishment.

Plus, the very computer I am typing this Rant on--and many other technological advances--can be tied to the space program, so it was a win/win for everyone.

But since these visits to the moon, our country has downplayed the space program.

It still exists, but does anyone get excited about it anymore?

Sorry, space stations don't get me too excited, although I understand that these are necessary steps to going to places like Mars.

But we have dragged our feet on this. We could have been on Mars 20 years ago, or even sooner, but the space program was really downgraded from a priority to an afterthought.

Private enterprise, as well as other countries, are now getting into the space business, but it is still as slow moving as molasses.

I don't know if the current Pluto photographs are going to get anyone really excited, but I would hope that sometime in the near future, we ramp up manned space exploration and go for the gold like we used to.

It is something that I really believe every man, woman, and child would rally around, and give us the feeling, once again, that we, as a planet, can do anything we put our minds to.

That is what we had back in 1969, and why can't we have that feeling once again?