Why Go To Saturn?
The NASA site itself poses the question, but I think I have a couple answers:
- Because the science is useful to us down here (even I can figure that out, and I didn’t even read their spiel).
- Because the successful insertion of a spacecraft into such a hostile orbit shows that our guys can still do some pretty hairy stunts and come out of it without blowing up a bazillion-dollar machine which is good for the morale of the people working other programs.
- Because if we’re ever going to get the proletariat off of this rock, we need to know how to do long-term travel, and analysis of other planets remotely, and understand the hazards better before we even think about contemplating sending a senator’s daughter up there.
- And because the grainy B&W photos even caught dopes like me off-guard with their beauty and provided me with a glimpse of something I thought I understood, but clearly don’t (take a look at the pictures of the rings that show the waves! Cripes!).
Yeah, I think it’s money well-spent. But hell, I also thought that I’d see civilians flying into space in my lifetime.
Your pal,
bob