With the movie theaters all but shuttered, this was the closest we've come to watching a nail-biter in months. And with no sports on TV, we've been looking for a reason to cheer. There was no guaranteed happy ending Saturday. Not even a guarantee that the game would be played. But Americans cheered that afternoon. And had good reason to.
In only a few minutes, two veteran astronauts went from a nice Florida beach to near-Earth orbit. Saturday's launch was picture-perfect. So was the docking with the International Space Station a few hours later. But all that has happened before. What made this flight special is that nobody could joke that this was a government operation.
What pride so many Americans felt Saturday and Sunday as the live footage (so much improved from the Apollo years) showed smiling Americans settling in for a ride, changing from pre-launch uniforms to post-launch uniforms, and then shaking hands with their counterparts on the ISS. It was, perhaps, just the opposite feeling many of us had nine years ago when the Space Shuttle was retired, and Americans were told their engineers, researchers, scientists and others would have to hitch rides with the Russians.
American ingenuity was on display Saturday, in more than one way. During the excitement of the takeoff, when the safety of Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley was still in doubt, the cameras for SpaceX and NASA soon turned to a split-screen. For the gadgets had to have their moment, too. The first stage engine didn't fall to the sea or burn up in the atmosphere. It landed, perfectly, on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You. The name of the ship is perfect. As in picture perfect. Like the launch.
Landing that piece of equipment, it should be noted, was a secondary concern to the safety of the humans in the crew seats. But secondary doesn't mean inconsequential.
Somebody said that Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, pilots on the world's first commercial human spaceflight, left Earth at 17,500 miles per hour. And looking around at the streets today, it was great timing.
There were a lot of doubters when the American government announced that it would leave space launches to the private sector. After all, there are things the government has to do because they are important, just not profitable. Such as policing the streets. Inspecting restaurants. Building lighthouses and airports.
But way back in 2009, using 2009's numbers and 2009's dollars, a government committee said that the next NASA program--this one called Constellation--would cost American taxpayers $34.5 billion. And that was just the estimate of one committee. We read that another estimate was only $20 billion. But has a government program ever come in under budget? We'll take the over.
So the United States decided to award contracts to private companies to make the next paths through space. Of course Boeing was the big name. But there was another scrappy company called SpaceX, led by some Internet billionaire named Elon Musk. What was going on with those guys, and why would the government sign such underdogs?
Because Elon Musk & engineering Co. had an idea: If much of the money spent launching people into space goes into the rocket boosters, then why are those boosters simply allowed to tumble back to Earth? Where they end up in the bottom of the sea, if they make it through the atmosphere. Why not land the things (somehow) and reuse them? Thus making the project cheaper, and maybe even profitable? Instead of spending $20 billion or $34.5 billion or much more, maybe make this work for, oh, about $2.6 billion.
The idea was laughable. So was Kitty Hawk.
Then Saturday, after pushing two astronauts out of Earth's grip, SpaceX landed its booster rocket where, of course, it is still loved.
There are still things the government must do. For example, those lighthouses.
Then again, there were other enterprises that "only" government could do, or so many of us thought. Such as building and running schools. Over the years, it's been surprising to see how privately operated schools--for one example--can sometimes do better by the kids than the traditional schools. (NB: Private does not always mean operated for-profit. Sometimes it can mean operating under 501(c)(3) nonprofit rules or other private charities.)
And for those of us who once thought space exploration could only be a government operation, here is another preconception shattered.
Elon Musk and his people have found a way to not only save the government money, but to make some as well. Sure, private enterprise can save money when it comes to things like inefficiencies and bureaucracy. But that can't begin to explain the magnitude of the difference between government work and private work. The answer must be in ingenuity, creativity and resourcefulness--with the ultimate goal of making a profit.
Elon Musk has said he could send people to Mars in as little as 10 years. At the outside, perhaps 20 years.
Does anybody doubt him?
Get the popcorn ready. This is going to be a must-watch.
Editorial on 06/04/2020