Poll time!
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@mike_malaska A blow to American exceptionalism? Sign me up.
@david Haha! Yeah, if I could have two more poll options it would have been "Delighted, serves 'em right!"
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@mike_malaska
American here. I checked "okay," but I wouldn't be okay. I'd be disappointed, but not surprised, because it's probably happening. Also disappointed because while China is a more vibrant and healthy state, it isn't, even at this dark time, necessarily a better one. But happy humans did it. But if, say, Japan and India and Europe got their shit together and did it, THEN I'd be delighted. But I can't see that happening either.@JSteven Thanks for the detailed comments!
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@mike_malaska I'm going to caveat my "devastated" response because I'm not OK with, but devastated is not what I'll feel.
Disappointment. And some anger that we squandered a lot of opportunities to be on the Moon already.
So yes, if China gets to the Moon before we return, I'll be deeply disappointed. But hopeful that we'll redouble our efforts to return there for good.
@chgowiz So, as a side bet, do you think if Chinna beat us to the moon that US would double-down on their efforts to establish a base there? Would the American taxpayers and voters feel the continued urgency?
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probably wouldn't much notice
@libramoon fair point.
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When the Chinese land first on the Moon it will be just fine, and a good lesson for Isaacman, a tech bro who now leads a public administration. The reason we will lose this race is NASA bought into the wild SpaceX promises and has wasted untold billions and a decade shoveling money into an poorly conceived really big spaceship white elephant. Perhaps this will inform his decision making on public vs corporate spending going forward, but one doubts it.
@mike_malaska
I don't disagree. There is another white elephant in the air being positioned for static fire testing campaign now. At least they are still at it. -
When the Chinese land first on the Moon it will be just fine, and a good lesson for Isaacman, a tech bro who now leads a public administration. The reason we will lose this race is NASA bought into the wild SpaceX promises and has wasted untold billions and a decade shoveling money into an poorly conceived really big spaceship white elephant. Perhaps this will inform his decision making on public vs corporate spending going forward, but one doubts it.
@mastodonmigration To be fair though, a lot of the commercialization decisions pre-dated Isaacman.
I think the hope back then was to try to kick start space economy even though NASA was dangling the money.
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Poll time!
Here is a quote from NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman (see: https://deepspace.social/@mike_malaska/116384128140587012
“If we wake up and we see our rival’s taikonauts on the moon before we’re able to return, the blow to American exceptionalism will be so damaging, the shock wave will be felt around the world.”
If China beat the US to the Moon, how would you feel personally?
@mike_malaska I voted "devastated" but that's not really the right word. I'd have extremely mixed feelings. As others have said, I'd be extremely disappointed that my country has given up its leadership in so many areas.
On the other hand, I'd get some enjoyment watching the meltdown among people who think our place in the world is something we're owed rather than something previous generations worked hard to achieve and maintain...
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@mastodonmigration To be fair though, a lot of the commercialization decisions pre-dated Isaacman.
I think the hope back then was to try to kick start space economy even though NASA was dangling the money.
Oh absolutely. Bill Nelson was a disaster.
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Poll time!
Here is a quote from NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman (see: https://deepspace.social/@mike_malaska/116384128140587012
“If we wake up and we see our rival’s taikonauts on the moon before we’re able to return, the blow to American exceptionalism will be so damaging, the shock wave will be felt around the world.”
If China beat the US to the Moon, how would you feel personally?
Imagine the shockwave of taikonauts bypassing the moon and walking on Mars.
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Poll time!
Here is a quote from NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman (see: https://deepspace.social/@mike_malaska/116384128140587012
“If we wake up and we see our rival’s taikonauts on the moon before we’re able to return, the blow to American exceptionalism will be so damaging, the shock wave will be felt around the world.”
If China beat the US to the Moon, how would you feel personally?
@mike_malaska i wouldn’t care
as long as humans are making progress for humanity, im happy. we should strive to make these arbitrary social differences irrelevant
the prevailing sentiment from the space race between the usa and the soviet union of yesteryear is not “the usa/soviet union won!”, but that of “wow, im surprised humans are capable of this”
i hope we can all try to think of structural changes we could make to encourage this way of thinking
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Poll time!
Here is a quote from NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman (see: https://deepspace.social/@mike_malaska/116384128140587012
“If we wake up and we see our rival’s taikonauts on the moon before we’re able to return, the blow to American exceptionalism will be so damaging, the shock wave will be felt around the world.”
If China beat the US to the Moon, how would you feel personally?
@mike_malaska I'd be devastated because it would be the result of NASA being wrecked (which is already happening) and that sucks. Not particularly because im against the ideas of chinese spacecraft getting people to the moon or because im particularly attached to the idea of american spacecraft getting anywhere first but space stuff is good.
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@chgowiz So, as a side bet, do you think if Chinna beat us to the moon that US would double-down on their efforts to establish a base there? Would the American taxpayers and voters feel the continued urgency?
@mike_malaska I can't take that bet and I'll tell you why. After my disbelief at what the American voters did in 2016 and 2024, I clearly have no idea what the Zeitgeist is. So it's really hard to tell if that would be motivation or not. I would hope so, but...
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Poll time!
Here is a quote from NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman (see: https://deepspace.social/@mike_malaska/116384128140587012
“If we wake up and we see our rival’s taikonauts on the moon before we’re able to return, the blow to American exceptionalism will be so damaging, the shock wave will be felt around the world.”
If China beat the US to the Moon, how would you feel personally?
@mike_malaska extra funny if China is purposely doing the reverse of USA vs USSR, where USA dealt a great blow to USSR by being the first, where as China basically accelerate the downfall of US empire by getting USA involved in a faux moon race wasting billions recycling old tech while soon to be trillionaire blows up piles of others cash, some of it that of taxpayers, every few months.
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@mike_malaska extra funny if China is purposely doing the reverse of USA vs USSR, where USA dealt a great blow to USSR by being the first, where as China basically accelerate the downfall of US empire by getting USA involved in a faux moon race wasting billions recycling old tech while soon to be trillionaire blows up piles of others cash, some of it that of taxpayers, every few months.
@htpcnz like SDI and the USSR. Intersting.....
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@mike_malaska I can't take that bet and I'll tell you why. After my disbelief at what the American voters did in 2016 and 2024, I clearly have no idea what the Zeitgeist is. So it's really hard to tell if that would be motivation or not. I would hope so, but...
@chgowiz (I prolly should have run this poll on Twitter to check that...)
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@mike_malaska @AkaSci The whole world saw over the last year cuts in science in USA. So I think most of us who live outside understand that China will beat USA to the moon.
I wish ESA would be beat both but ESA is not there yet.
All you need to do is compare the respective mission plans.
China 2030: Send up two of the same rockets, one with a crew module and one with a moon lander. In lunar orbit get in the lander and land on the moon.
USA 2028: Send up SLS/Orion with crew. Send up 15 to 20 Starships to refuel one Starship to go to the moon. Astronauts get in the Starship in lunar orbit and it goes down and lands on the moon.
Which seems more likely to work?
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Poll time!
Here is a quote from NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman (see: https://deepspace.social/@mike_malaska/116384128140587012
“If we wake up and we see our rival’s taikonauts on the moon before we’re able to return, the blow to American exceptionalism will be so damaging, the shock wave will be felt around the world.”
If China beat the US to the Moon, how would you feel personally?
@mike_malaska Trump destroyed the Myth of American exceptionalism. Now it's just boorish yahoos.
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