NASA Promised Us a 10,000 Person Space Colony by 10 Years Ago

"In the summer of 1975, NASA Ames hosted a ten week program that brought together nineteen professors of engineering, physical science, social science, and architecture, along with students and volunteers..."

Ah, the power of group think.

Gee, so, I guess once in a while some federal agency will make a promise it can't keep.

In defence of NASA these predictions were made before the modern home computer, internet and cellphones were invented.

Oh how these have changed the world we live in and touch all our lives every day in ways we couldn't imagine back then, rendering many predictions of the future obsolete.

I don't draw the connection.

NASA brought in a group of people and they fell in love with their own ideas as a group. It is called group think and it happens all the time.

It might be interesting to try and make some 25 year predictions ourselves. Then when 2036 rolls around, we can have a laugh, if we're still standing.

Long term predictions that depend on multiple factors including, innovation, available wealth, political will.... cannot be accurately made. It's like the weather.

However, I suspect that giggle juice played a role in this particular prediction...

ooo.. I like that.

please start a thread on this!

Chris

I would blame, not NASA, but the banking cartels, for this not coming true.

Just remember, 5000 years ago, the babylonians built a space launch tower and system to rival the gods systems. Big things can obviously be accomplished with the right mix of politics, finance, and goal setting.

I don't even have to bring up JFK and the moon landings. It just got done.

so it isn't technological or imaginative limitations. period.

chris

Yes, but they had slave labor.

I'm guessing... and there have been a lot of economic troubles (and wars) through the last century that I lay at the bankers feet. (central bankers more specifically)

however, I do think you are right in that the public interest waned a bit.. but part of that is stress over money... so it goes back to economics again...which I put to the central bankers again.

One of the reasons for the creation of the Fed was to eliminate large private capital pool formation, which was on the rise prior to 1913. that and a couple of world wars did their job.

Chris

You wrote, "but part of that is stress over money... so it goes back to economics again."

First, you have not established to what degree that factor (economy) stressed people to the point of diversion. What part? How much? So, I can't see this as a valid argument. Your cause and effect link is too weak.

Second, the 1970s was a decade of great social changes. It was coined the Third Great Awakening or the Automatized Individualism.

The name alone gives understanding to the problem of a lack of interest in NASA and space. There were clearly other factors, but social changes are the backbone.

As the name Automatized implies, it was a "me" generation and large collective goals and aspirations were not the primary target on the radar for the vast majority of people. This was the prelude to the 1980s where people became totally absorbed in their individual wants and needs.

I don't know of any way to credibly link bankers as the root cause to the social changes of the late '60s and '70s. I suppose you could try, but the root of those social changes were anti-establisment in their nature, which distances them from central anything.

Lastly, NASA was/is a publicly funded agency through federal taxes. In the late 1950s and early 1960s we (the Western World) were under the threat of the Soviet Union and Communism in general.

This is an external threat to a nation or group of nations. External threats are one of the best ways to rally a cohesive response from a public or nation. It was the Cold War threat that kept the people focused as a nation and the duel between the West and the East reached a crescendo when JFK threw down the glove with the race to the Moon.

In 1969 that race was won and the West felt vindicated and that the threat was now abated or at least mitigated. The Soviet Union dropped out of the race after that and public attention turned back into itself introspectively, moving from a state of unity to individualist thought. The ending of the Moon Race was the enabling agent for Automatized Individualism.

With the fall of the Soviet Union in the 1980s the last nail in the coffin was complete and people moved onto other concerns. Banks had no significant part in this.

According to urban legend, in the 1880s someone predicted that by 1920, the city of New York would be knee-deep in horse manure. Then someone invented the road motor, and the vision abated.

Actually, the manure just moved to Washington.

hee hee hee.

Space exploration can be a huge benefit to mankind. But, only if we continue to push the edge of what is known and possible. It is in the trying to answer questions that have never been answered that we push discovery, and thereby hand down the fruits of those discoveries to the populous.

NASA has fallen into the doldrums of diminishing returns. Mostly due to its diminishing budget, I know. But, does anyone remember, "Faster, Better, Cheaper?" Followed by spiking a few probes, BTW. Great daring must be followed by great success in order to be praised by the masses. Even in the face of occasional failure, daring is rewarded, IF there is enough triumph in between.

NASA fell back on conservatism. Good if you're stabilize a failing economy. Bad if you're a frickin SPACEMAN!

NASA seems to have asked, "what interesting thing can we do on this next launch?" Rather than, "How can we significantly move the bar with EVERY launch?"

The viewing (paying) audience can only be captivated by zero gee ants and toy boomerangs for so long before finding more interesting things happening on "Jersey Shore."

-A-

NASA lost its best and most charismatic figure head with Kennedy. The ignorant masses would have followed him to fixing the system the bankers control.

Too bad, The solar system is our next frontier.