SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
I honestly don’ t know which side of the coin to go on. For me personally, I would like to see us up there. It seems like the United States, we, don’ t learn from history, which means we can repeat things. You know Sputnik, Pearl Harbors, to give you some examples. I don’ t know, that may be something that lights a fire under people.
Former NASA Administrator Mike Griffin, who was testifying before Congress, I’ ll give you an example I’ m talking about; He was testifying and he asked members of Congress, and he asked this rhetorical question: How are you going to feel when the Chinese land on the moon, crate up the American flag, bring it back and put it on display in a museum in Beijing? Now it’ s not clear the Chinese would do that, but it’ s driving home the point, how are you going to feel when another nation is up there doing these things and you’ re not.
Grant it, we did it 50 + years ago, but we’ re not doing it now, and that’ s a message that may resonate with politicians and that could change things.
MISSION CONTROL:
What’ s it going to be like for the country that gets to Mars first?
DR. JIM RICE:
It’ s to be determined what will happen with Mars and getting people up there. The country that gets there, they bring their way of life, their form of government, and their values. That’ s just the way it goes. Exploration, has always worked that way. People in the US like these things: Juno, Jupiter, Gold Rim and the 4th of July, they like these thing but they don’ t really. You can believe whatever you want in the poles. It depends how the question’ s asked. They have these poles and you can believe what you want to, it depends on how the question is asked. People in general support NASA but when you ask if they want to increase the budget, they don’ t want to. Once again it’ s about leadership. Once you have the leadership. Once you have the leadership in Washington DC. The president and congress to sign it off, things will happen. Once you get that critical Mass and momentum going, things will happen.
MISSION CONTROL:
There are now countries launching missiles into the satellite zone around Earth, which means that in a war time scenario, satellite communication can now be disrupted by military force. It seems that as time goes on space will become the new battlefield. How important are the technologies used in the Mars Rover missions in aiding to defend countries and nations?
DR. JIM RICE:
The same technology that’ s used to precision land a spacecraft on mars can be used for military purposes to put a nuclear warhead down your smokestack. So these things go together. Now NASA is a civilian space agency, with the Chinese government, for example, there is no separation of civilian and military use, it’ s all under one big bag.
You see, it’ s a technological world we live in and it’ s becoming more technological every second and if you can’ t compete in that technological arena and don’ t have an educated populous, then you’ re not even in the game. You’ re out of the game. So you have to compete in this, because our lives our becoming more and more dependent on technology and it’ s not going to change. It’ s only going to get more so.
MISSION CONTROL: What’ s your involvement with the Mars Rover missions? DR. JIM RICE:
My title is Science Team Member but also Geology Team Leader, this is on the Mars Exploration Rover Project called MER and those were the twin Rovers called Spirit and Opportunity. Opportunity is still going as we speak but Spirit quit working about 6 years ago. There’ s another Rover mission on mars called curiosity but I’ m not on that Science Team. I have friends on that team. Opportunity has been on Mars for over 12 ½ years and still going. It’ s an amazing story, those Rovers were only supposed to last 90 days and both of them exceeded expectations by orders of magnitude.
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Fall 2016 1961 Magazine