Krauthammer’s head is in the sky

March 3, 2007

Morbo, who usually chips in a few posts on Saturday mornings, is off on a top-secret mission and won’t have any words of wisdom for us today. However, in his absence, I thought I’d make note of Charles Krauthammer’s latest column, because I know how much Morbo loves Charles Krauthammer.

Yesterday, Krauthammer argued that in addition to the nation’s other priorities, he’d like to see the United States focus on establishing a base on earth’s moon. He dismisses “Luddites,” who apparently are overly concerned about terrestrial problems, and “science purists,” who question the value of creating a moon base.

The moon is a destination. The idea this time is not to go to plant a flag, take a golf shot and leave, but to stay and form a real self-sustaining, extraterrestrial human colony….

Nor is it true that there is nothing of use or even of interest on the moon. There are all kinds of materials to be exploited, observations of the cosmos to be made and knowledge to be gained on how best to live off the land away from Earth.

I’m open to persuasion on this, but Krauthammer isn’t winning me over. There are “all kinds of materials” on the moon. OK, like what? What are their uses? How will they be applied? I like the idea of improving our “observations of the cosmos,” but how will a moon base differ from, say, satellites?

Krauthammer offers pleasant-sounding observations such as, “The moon is a destination,” and “[T]he moon base is not pointless,” but I’m looking for a little more.

Krauthammer’s best shot is about “glory.”

And then there’s the glory. If you find any value, any lift of the spirit in a beautiful mathematical proof, in an elegant balletic turn, in any of the myriad human endeavors that have no utility but only breathtaking beauty, then you should feel something when our little species succeeds in establishing new life in a void that for all eternity had been the province of the gods. If you don’t feel that, you are — don’t take this personally — deaf to the music of our time.

This sounds very nice. Really, it does. I support a vigorous space program — but I’m still not sure why we want a moon base.

It would no doubt be the most expensive undertaking in the history of humanity. Thanks to fiscal policies Krauthammer endorses, we’re currently $8 trillion in debt and facing budget more serious shortfalls in the coming years. As James Hrynyshyn explained, “No, not everything has to serve a purpose. But surely the most expensive project in human history should do more than make that half of the planet’s population that can afford to worry about such things feel good about their species.”

We’re also, not incidentally, struggling to tackle global climate change, which is an immediate threat that demands considerable resources. A moon base has to fall somewhere further down NASA’s priority list.

I hear the “music of our time,” but I’m listening to a different melody than Krauthammer. How about you?

Krauthammer resorts to name calling even when he’s trying to be inspirational. We as a species are stuck in a polluted world and he, as a pseudo-pundit is stuck in the world of politics that he has helped pollute.

Besides we’re going to be busy going to Mars. Bush said so.

  • In the sky? Nope, sounds like Charlie’s head is still firmly lodged up his rectum.

    There are all kinds of materials to be exploited,

    Yes, of course. We’ve fucked up our bit of rock, let’s go screw up another one!

    …any of the myriad human endeavors that have no utility but only breathtaking beauty…

    And even if there isn’t anything up there let’s go anyway!

    I wonder if the constant bitch-slapping he gets from commenters has addled his brains.

    But as so many commenters on this latest…offering have said, if Chuck and his buddies want to go first, where’s my check book?

  • Perhaps Chuckie could perhaps show what life would be like on a moonbase using the shining “star” of Brit SF TV, Space 1999. He could explain that this base could be used monitor atomic waste till something bad happened and the exploding atomic waste blew the damn moon out of orbit into deep space so that it could have adventures fighting evil rubber suited wrestlers or telepathic space spaghetti.

    Sarcasm aside…
    On one minor point, I must give the devil his due. Chuckie is right, man must go into space to survive (especially if we’re not crazy about reducing our population to 1-2 billion.)

    According to the SF and science journals I’ve read (and being a Gerry Anderson fan boy has nothing to do with it) the moon would provide materials to build large space stations or colonies at the Lagrange points, where the moon’s gravity and earth’s gravity cancel each other out, which can be sent at a cheaper energy cost than firing rockets into space.

    The moon is a treasure trove of titanium, uranium, aluminum, magnesium, iron and other metals that could be processed and turned into parts. In some ways it could be the perfect mine as there are no environmental issues (that we know of) short of visual blight.

    I’m not disagreeing with CB that the way Chuckie presents it is fatuous and nebulous. Sadly, the money and resources spent in Iraq would have been more than enough to re start the Apollo program and build a tiny moonbase (4-10 people sans crazy folks who wear diapers and carry stun guns…)

  • I’m all for a moon base, just as soon as there is some sort of need (aside from the political need for distraction) for building one. I’m not necessarily opposed to ‘exploiting’ the moon’s resources. But what is there that we need and how much would it cost to get it?

    Calling it a destination gives me a chuckle. That word has been tossed about a lot here on topics such as sports facilities, casinos and a convention center. Is Krauthammer envisioning a world galaxy class casino and a Disneyworldmoon?

    Returning to the moon would be a great thing. But first things first. We need a reasonably efficient means of getting there. If Krauthammer wants to fund accelerated research into how to get there and back without breaking the bank, or tearing holes in our atmosphere, sign me up. But in the ready-fire-aim world of conservatives, where everything is done for a photo op and quick political gain, no thank you.

  • If taxes had to be raised to pay for such an endeavor, would Chuck still be a fan of it? Maybe if it was called a Glory Tax people would go for it.

    Why not have the brain trust that could engineer a moon colony work instead on renewable energy so we don’t need to fund countries that fel compelled to invade periodically? George and Dick’s oil buddies would probably protest that concept.

  • Good lord, I thought I was hearing from a bunch of Puritans reading the comments here- we are the party of John F. Kennedy, who I should not need to remind you said;

    “If this capsule history of our progress teaches us anything, it is that man, in his quest for knowledge and progress, is determined and cannot be deterred. The exploration of space will go ahead, whether we join in it or not, and it is one of the great adventures of all time, and no nation which expects to be the leader of other nations can expect to stay behind in the race for space.” Rice speech, 1962

    Who will advance the causes of sciences if not us?

  • Just cut&run escapism, me thinks. Problems on Mother Earth getting too much for old Krauthammer?

    Nothing new, I suppose. But then what? Of course, there wouldn’t be any pesky red indians to get in the way.

    Never satisfied — that’s the problem, isn’t it? Or maybe it’s because he doesn’t know what it’s all about, yet. Dreaming is such a pleasant indulgence.

    Lot’s of minerals? ..And what do we do with them: make more of the same, for what?

    OK, SF is fun; but Glory is for assholes [Does that make them gloryholes?].

  • There are no good scientific reason that I am aware of to conduct manned space flights. Sending men back to the moon is all about the spectacle and diversion, but it would be at the expense of real science which is not much of a spectator sport. If you spend money to go to the moon there will be less money to look into the existence of the Higgs Boson, which if it is not found not to exist would send particle theorists back to the drawing board; NASA will have less money to spend on atmospheric science, which would more shed light on the causes and possible cures of climate change; and on astrobiology which might answer the question of how life started here on earth. The frontiers of science are sufficiently wide here on mother earth to keep us busy well into the foreseeable future and to the extent that space holds scientific mysteries worthy of study, those studies can be accomplished far more cheaply and safely by unmanned exploration.

  • The point of a moon base is that it is the first satellite/planet to be colonized on the way towards expanding into space.

    Sure there is plenty to do here on earth and there always will be, but we should make the first steps to travel to, and colonize other planets and stars.

    There is still lots to do in the Olduvai gorge, but I’mglad our descendants decided to explore other places.

  • Neil S, I agree with the sentiment you express concerning our ancestors, but our ancestors had no way of exploring beyond their birthplace other than to leave it. Our current choice is not between manned exploration of space and no exploration of space; Our current choice is between manned exploration of space and unmanned exploration of space. We can do the latter more cheaply and safely, yet learn just as much as we would with the former.

  • Doesn’t the Moon “belong” to everyone on Earth? By what right should US (or any other individual country) colonize and exploit it?

  • When we have a weapons stockpile capable of killing all life on this planet, having redundant planets is a good idea.

    Especially since the complexity involved pretty much precludes those who cannot escape the tribalistic paradigm.

  • It sounds very grand to discuss returning to the Moon permanently, but Krauthammer overlooks some “little” problems much as Bush did with his “visionary” ideas about manned missions to Mars. The costs of payloads are enormous; we still don’t have an efficient launch system. While we may develop SF dreams such as a Space Elevator (or “beam me up Scotty”) though such programs the simple need for water currently confounds colonization scenarios. Water is needed for mundane and glamorous uses (such as mineral extraction). Until a source is found on the Moon, the cost of launching water into space is prohibitive and limits all manned exploration.
    Bold thinking requires more than hot air from a journalist. Does Krauthammer think these problems have somehow escaped the notice of scientists or that the problems have been ignored for decades?

  • Maybe Krauthammer realizes that the project for a new American century hasn’t worked out so well in this first decade, so with 90 years left to claim the title, a new project is needed.

  • The one word antidote to inhabiting the moon is Katrina. Katrina is one millionith as expensive and difficult as migrating to space and it ain’t getting done.

    Plus there’s probably a cosmic Tancredo out there who don’t like migrants.

    Bush claims technology will solve our earthly problems like climate change and auto pollution but the problem with technology is that for every solution it creates two more problems.

  • Having a leader like Bush “leading” an effort to go to Mars or to the Moon is like me asking my cat to split and stack the firewood. It just aint gonna happen.

    And the current crop of Repub contenders to replace Bush are all fighting hard to prove they’re all spittin’ images of the most incompetent President ever.

    Some general notes for the clueless guys suggesting grandiose projects to redeem their incompetent leaders:

    You need to have a government not mired in 8 trillion in debt.
    You need an educated, motivated work force (i.e. a true middle class).
    You need to understand and embrace the basic tenets of science and education (i.e. evolution is the real deal, folks).
    You need a stable world economy, not one undermined by your own government’s repeated stupidity.
    You need to maintain the viability of your first (and so far only) space habitat (i.e. fix problems on earth).
    You need a country whose leaders embrace knowledge, truth, and opportunity for all, not lies, secrecy and making the mega rich into the mega, mega, mega rich(i.e. necessary conditions for large successful scientific effort on a national scale – this is where someone like JFK is so important).

  • What ol’ Chuckie Cheese is really thinking is that the moon would be a really dandy place to install some nukular warheads at. And if we built a base first we could keep all them other guldurn foreigners off’n it.

    Makes perfect sense. To him.

  • I’m back from my secret mission and just want to say that if Krauthammer wants to go to the moon, I’m all for sending him there.

  • Before I read the post I though that the air is not where Krauthammer’s head is located.

    After reading it, it occurred to me that whereever his head is the air is really, really thin because it is starting to have profound consequences on his brain.

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