Glimpse the barren spot where Neil Armstrong first stepped on the moon, July 20, 1969?
Would you like to know about the recent “SpaceX's amazing Crew Dragon in-flight abort test launch?” Does that excite you?
And hey, do you know that if you want to bake cookies in space, it will take you a “surprisingly long time.” That just came out in the news. Hmmmmm. How interesting.
And do you wonder how much it would cost to fly to Mars or the Moon in a private spacecraft? From what Sage’s been reading, he’d guess about $500,000 to $1,000,000. And you’d be privileged to be able to go.
Anyway, do all these things about outer space interest you all that much? The media seems to think they do, because daily, it fills your plate with them.
Well, they sure don’t interest Sage. But, of course, you might feel differently. “To each her or his own.”
But what about this? Say for a normal ticket price in the hundreds, how would you like to be able to fly from LA to Hawaii in two hours or so? Or fly from NY to London in 2.5 hours.
That latter time would be instead of today’s 7 or 8 hours, sardine-packed in an economy seat (maybe a 27-30" middle one) with risk of a blood clot.
Well, way back in 1970, 50 years ago, Congress made a decision for you. That instead of having shorter flying times here on earth, America needed to know more about outer space.
We needed to compete with other nations for space dominance and knowledge. That, in effect, Congress opined.
So, it killed the funding it had previously authorized for an SST program. This was a program to develop passenger jets that would fly faster than sound. It was to solve the problems unique to such jets, like their sonic booms. In other words, SST’s purpose was to make these fast jets routinely practical for passenger travel.
The thinking was; we use such fast aircraft to take on enemies, why not make their use practical for peaceful purposes as well?
But as said, Congress changed its mind and decided that a space program would be better, more useful for the country. In other words, by implication, we couldn’t afford both programs.
And by the way, at that time in 1970, when Congress killed the SST program, Sage was a licensed private pilot. And he was quite upset that Congress had dropped SST. So much so, he drafted a letter to the chairman of the committee involved. But he ended up not sending it. It was just too late.
So, for 50 years now, we’ve spent zillions, and probably will continue to spend more zillions, to explore space. And big deal, we have a space station and know all kinds of things about what’s in those “empty lands.”
But after a half century of space program accomplishments, we have accomplished absolutely nothing to increase air travel speed here on earth. We’ve done zilch to bring everyone closer together.
For example, today, it still takes about the same time to get from New York to LA as it did in 1970. And Hawaii is still some 5 hours from LA.
Yep, 50 years ago, flying times were about the same as they are today. So, we’ve made ZERO PROGRESS.
Australia, New Zealand, and China are still a seeming million hours from us. And with nations, like China, with which we have so many problems, being so far away in time, makes it all the harder to get along with them.
All thanks to that 1970 congressional decision dropping SST, our supersonic passenger jet program.
That decision should not have been “one or the other.” Both programs should have been implemented.
So, as to travel times to places here on earth, we’ve been standing still for 50 long years. Gulp!
The world is far too many hours apart. Bringing people closer together could make friends out of potential enemies.
What a dumb 1970 decision by Congress.
DUH!
But “Whoa, Nellie.” It’s not fair in any way to cast blame on today’s Congress for something another Congress did in 1970. That’s absurd.
However, it is reasonable to respectfully ask this Congress to correct that 1970 error. And it can do so by resurrecting the SST program.
We need the SST successfully implemented to bring the world closer together and enhance chances for maintaining peace.
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Bye for now.
Best from,
THE SAGE
Let The Sage tell you in his own voice a short free sample chapter from his new audiobook, “People Skills Magic.” It’s just five minutes long.
To hear it, first click: People Skills Magic Audiobook
This will take you to a page where you’ll see the audiobook’s cover. At the bottom of that cover, click the tiny circled arrow that says “Sample.” The Sage will then start talking to you.
And let’s say you like what The Sage tells you, so you download his audiobook. Then, you can listen to him during your drives to and from work, long road trips, and flights. And if you properly and religiously implement his tips, you’ll be flabbergasted. Yes, you will, as to how much this old codger can help you in this rat race world. The results will make your jaw drop.
Copyright 2017-20
Notice: The writings in this publication are strictly personal opinions. Furthermore, they should not be taken or relied upon as legal advice. For such counsel, consult an attorney licensed in your jurisdiction.