Remembering the Space Age. - Black Vault Radio Network (BVRN)

366 reMeMberINg the SpaCe age
the Congress a bunch of stupid idiots,” he complained. “Worse yet, they may
believe their own estimates—and then we are really in bad shape.” 36
a persistent drumbeat of criticism from the left for NaSa’s eforts in human
space exploration has sometimes reached crescendo proportions. Critics have
long condemned NaSa for “overselling” the space exploration agenda and then
failing to deliver on that promise. Many liberal americans have agreed with Leo
Mcgarry, the White house Chief of Staf in the fctional West Wing television
series when asked about NaSa’s overreach: “Where’s my jet pack, my colonies
on the Moon? Just a waste.” 37 More recent ventures in space exploration, and
especially their failure, have wrought even more energetic criticisms. 38
CrItICISM of SpaCefLIght froM the poLItICaL rIght
from the beginning of the Space age, some fgures on the right of the
american political spectrum have also criticized NaSa’s exploration agenda
as an excess of federal power, another counter to the master narrative. In
their view, the federal government should not do much of anything, ofering
a persistently libertarian position that emphasized individual prerogative and
personal freedom over state action. as an example, for this reason eisenhower
believed that empowering NaSa to accomplish the apollo Moon landings of
the 1960s was a mistake. he remarked in a 1962 article: “Why the great hurry
to get to the moon and the planets? We have already demonstrated that in
everything except the power of our booster rockets we are leading the world
in scientifc space exploration. from here on, I think we should proceed in an
orderly, scientifc way, building one accomplishment on another.” 39 he later
cautioned that the Moon race “has diverted a disproportionate share of our
brain-power and research facilities from equally signifcant problems, including
education and automation.” 40 Likewise, in the 1964 presidential election,
republican candidate Senator barry goldwater urged a reduction of the apollo
commitment to pay for national security initiatives.
With the coming of the successful Moon landings, however, the american
right largely retreated from any high profle criticism of apollo. that position
dominated until the 1980s when a full-scale assault on the “great Society” eforts
36. Quoted in Ken hechler, toward the Endless Frontier: History of the Committee on Science and
Technology, 1959-79 (Washington, DC: government printing ofce, 1980), p. 274.
37. “the Warfare of genghis Khan,” episode #513, West Wing, broadcast: february 11, 2004.
38. greg easterbrook,“the Case against NaSa,” New Republic, July 8, 1991, pp. 18-24;alex roland,
“priorities in Space for the uSa,” Space Policy 3 (May 1987): 104-114; alex roland, “the
Shuttle’s uncertain future,” Final Frontier,april 1988, pp. 24-27.
39. Dwight D. eisenhower,“are We headed in the Wrong Direction?” Saturday Evening Post,august
11-18, 1962, p. 24.
40. Dwight D. eisenhower,“Why I am a republican,” Saturday Evening Post, april 11, 1964, p. 19.