NASA
The Rambling Squiggy Blog

Moon Bombing Bombed?

November, 16, 2009 02:03 PM
In early October, NASA launched a missile to the Moon. The LCROSS mission blasted off from Cape Canaveral and hit the lunar surface at twice the speed of a bullet. Many people from around the world tuned in to the early morning affair and awaited man’s next cosmic trophy. If you blinked, you may have missed it though, as the screen went black and a crowd of NASA scientists stood cheering.

Huh? What happened?

nasa-moon-bombing-photo
(Woo hoo! We did it! Now what...?)


Well, our expectations may have been quite large, but apparently everything went to plan. In fact, NASA stated this week that the mission was deemed a success, after finding significant quantities of water on the Moon. This could prove to be imperative for future projects involving galactic conquests, but in the here and now, we only know that we could eventually harness said water.

Critics of the plan stated that grandiose missions should not be a major part of the American budget. This mission alone cost $604 million and NASA’s budget as a whole is nearing $20 billion. At a time when many Americans are losing their jobs and homes, and while troops are fighting terrorists overseas, many asked, what was the point of this? Was it really worth it?

I tend to think in the big picture. I see signs of improvements in the economy and believe we will soon find ourselves on the rebound. As such, projects like this are about humanity’s conquest into the future, not the here and now. But when the here and now is shrouded in depression, are big projects like this detrimental to the average Joe?

So, you tell me. Did NASA have a PR blunder when they promoted the moon bombing and gained results that will only be helpful for the long-term future? Or should that money have been spent on bailing out another company domestically? Other thoughts? Sound off below!



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