Moon Rocket Scrubbed and Blown Dry 305
loid_void writes "Reutersis is reporting that a giant Apollo moon rocket that never got off the ground is about to get a face-lift after years of rusting away in the Texas heat and humidity at the Johnson Space Center.
Workers will construct a shelter for the Saturn V rocket and give it the equivalent of a "blow dry" in the first steps to preserve the relic of NASA's golden age, said Allan Needell, Apollo program curator for the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum.
The 363-foot-long behemoth has lain on its side in front of JSC since 1977, a favorite sight of tourists, but also a victim of the elements.
Instead of launching astronauts to the moon as it was built to do, it has become a slowly fading hulk of peeling paint and corroded metal where birds live and plants sprout, Needell said on Wednesday during a visit to the rocket.
"There's a lot of biology growing on there," he said, pointing out streaks of algae staining the rocket's white skin."
What a waste (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Sink it as an artificial reef? (Score:3, Insightful)
No because most people don't realize how massive of an accomplishment it was to get to the moon.
All of that rocket, fuel, and oxygen to carry the LM, and CSM, which are small in comparison.
NASA's golden age? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:What a waste (Score:5, Insightful)
Going to the moon may have been the greatest single physical achievement of the human race. There are only three remaining examples of the engine that took us there. This is one of them. I say, let's keep it.
An important piece of history (Score:5, Insightful)
Although I've lived in the US for a few years now, I've never had the opportunity to go see some of this stuff. Seeing this thing cleaned up and in a permanent display will definitely be worth the price of admission.
Re:What a waste (Score:5, Insightful)
And we'll we're at it, let's tear down the Washington Monument and make a Parking Garage there! No need to waste all that space and stone when we could make something useful of it...
Re:What a waste (Score:5, Insightful)
But you're right, there's no sense in remembering things from the past. We should have melted down the Spirit of St. Louis, it has no place taking up space in a building.
In fact, that whole Smithsonian thing is such a waste! All that valuable real estate, wasted by useless relics of the past.
"Those who don't learn history are doomed to repeat it's mistakes." - paraphrased from someone famous.
Re:Sink it as an artificial reef? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:What a waste (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:What a waste (Score:3, Insightful)
I agree! And all those stupid dinosaur bones cluttering up our museums...toss em! And all those damned paintings in the Looo-ver--digitize the damn things and burn em. Waste of space!
not a waste- good for morale and education (Score:5, Insightful)
And to those who have called it a waste of resources, I have only this to say. All the money in the world won't be of any use if we don't create another generation of engineers and scientists. I've personally seen the look in a kid's eyes when they get up close to something enormous and meaningful. You just can't buy that.
Re:Sink it as an artificial reef? (Score:3, Insightful)
You say this because... why? There's almost as many (somewhat) complete Saturn V rockets as ships? So many that it's hard to come up with contructive uses for them, maybe?
Re:What a waste (Score:3, Insightful)
The fact that it was not used 30 years ago is wasteful, but recycling it now would be even more of a waste.
Re:What a waste (Score:5, Insightful)
Years later when I was attending Embry-Riddle in Daytona Beach, I flew down to Titusville to see a friend. I went by the KSC during the evening (before the post 9-11 lock down), here in that night, I could almost feel the power, it was almost as moving as when I was a kid.
Without the past, people have nothing to aspire to, for most people what's in the books is simply writing, it's no more real than Lord of the Rings, but if you put a kid in the rocket park down there, history comes alive, here is what you are reading about, not just in words, but in towering moments to the men that rode them.
It inspired me, I would gladly pay for them to be around to inspire future generations.
Re:Another waste of money (Score:5, Insightful)
No. A whole bunch of contractor companies were hired to design, build, and test parts of it. Companies that hired people. Thousands of skilled people. People that got paid a good salary for a good days work. People that supported tens of thousands of other people by buying food, clothes, cars, houses.
So it didn't get used. The budget and interest ran out. A shame, but not like the money was wasted.
What would you prefer we have done with that money? Collect taxes and merely give it away?
Re:Sink it as an artificial reef? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Great pick-up line... (Score:3, Insightful)
Am I the only one who sees this as a great pick up line? .]
[. .
Random gal: *SLAP*
This is why us geeks can't get chicks. Our definition of a "great" pickup line is the one that generates the hardest slap. :)
What a waste, indeed. (Score:3, Insightful)
Call me sentimental, but she looked like a giant failure of human exploration to me.
Beware of self-fulfilling prophecies (Score:2, Insightful)
As I've said in more than a few other space related threads, I became an engineer because of Apollo. Despite my mild depression, the space program has instilled in me a sense of optimism and purpose I just can't shake. As long as there are bright people with big dreams, we're in for greater days, I promise.
On a more personal note, if you're young, remember that your life is just beginning and, given enough hard work, courage, and luck, you might just help bring about the next golden age.
If you're older, and forgive me because I can't help but be rude here, please don't infect our youth with that nonsense. They need all the hope they can get.
Re:Sink it as an artificial reef? (Score:3, Insightful)
About as cool as seeing how far it could be shoved up your ass without k-y.
Re:NASA's golden age? (Score:4, Insightful)
The real thing that limits space exploration is pretty much cost per pound to orbit. Because it's so damn expensive, you have to make all kinds of nasty comprimizes.
The problem is that the shuttle never lived up to its promise. It takes far too many people to keep it going and far too expensive.
The best solution is to retire the shuttle sooner rather than later, stop spaceflight for a few years, and develop something new. However, in doing so, you run the decided risk of being a budget cut target in Congress (And Congressional budget issues is what made the shuttle suck in the first place) and the entire manned space program shut down.
It doesn't help that the Russians can't keep the ISS going forever with just Soyuz and Progress capsules and that they are, in general, not the best of partners. So if the shuttle is out for another few years, it's highly likely that the ISS will end up like Skylab, which ends up with another hunk of money wasted.
The problem is, NASA wasn't paid to do things *right* it was paid to do things *fast* and *cheap*. So most of the chances to make the space program more of a long-term thing were passed up, even when they were properly funded and run by the guys with sliderules.
Re:What a waste, indeed. (Score:3, Insightful)
wbs.
Re:Beware of self-fulfilling prophecies (Score:1, Insightful)