From Linda Johnston, MD:
There has been so much in the news, and even on LR.com lately, about all this Mars landing stuff, I thought I would tell you of an experience I had last August. A date decided that since I was a brainy type of gal, he would take me to that month’s monthly talk at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The topic was this project of a Mars landing, etc. The room was packed with fellows. ( I must say I did rather enjoy being one of the very few females in the room among all these men, but that is another story!)
The speaker talked about the project and the special challenges that needed to be solved to create, build, and test the space vehicle which was to get there and then carry out a bunch of tests and experiments. As I was sitting there watching the slide show and hearing the speaker, I looked around the room at all of the men in rapt attention to this whole presentation. It suddenly flashed in my mind that MEN JUST LOVE THEIR TOYS!
All these fellows, including the speaker, were just little boys with Tonka trucks moving dirt around in the back garden – but 50 years later. That is to say, 50 years later with an engineering degree (read – Ph.D in Tonka Trucks), an unlimited budget, and the world’s affirmation on what great, smart and clever boys they are! (Mommy, Mommy look at this!! Daddy, Daddy did I do good?)
I doubt that NASA will ever go away until there is somewhere else for the urge to solve problems, tinker with machines, and get pats on the back is found. Why couldn't these guys be content with the 57 Chevy up on blocks in the garage and their girlfriend sitting by looking mildly interested?
It seems to me that when we have legislators, they feel the urge to legislate, when we have lawyers, they have the urge to sue, and when we have a bunch of engineers, then they will have the urge to engineer. Somehow they have convinced the taxpayer to fund their hobby and as I was sitting in that room, it really did seem like nothing more than a very, very, very expensive hobby.
This week as I saw those first pictures of Mars that cost billions and billions of dollars and millions and millions of man-hours to produce, I could not help thinking that it looked even more like the back garden dirt pile than I had even realized last Aug at JPL.
