Gravity - In three sentences (or so)

[cybercoma]

August, I find your criticisms of Hadfield not just dismissive, but pretty insulting to the man. He was an RCAF fighter pilot, who earned a Masters degree in aviation systems on an exchange program with the US Air Force and Navy. He was one of the guys that installed the Canadarm2 on the International Space Station. During his time as Commander of the ISS, he was responsible for an entire crew and ran numerous scientific studies. He had been with NASA for 20 years of service. However, if someone were to listen to you talk, it sounds like they took some joker off the street and threw him in the Space Station. You make it sound like the guy won the lottery and doesn't have a lifetime of education and experience behind him. If one were to read your posts, they would be left with the impression that the guy was on vacation in the ISS.

[kimmy]

And perish the thought that a guy should be using his fame to promote science and education rather than sports merchandise or music or reality TV shows.

-k

[August1991]

And perish the thought that a guy should be using his fame to promote science and education rather than sports merchandise or music or reality TV shows.

-k

"Promote" is perhaps the keyword there.

[Wilber]

"Promote" is perhaps the keyword there.

Promotion is what makes the space program go. Armstrong's modesty looks good on the man but it did little to advance the program. You may think it tacky but Hadfield has probably done more for the future of the space program than any other recent astronaut.

[bush_cheney2004]

Promotion is what makes the space program go. Armstrong's modesty looks good on the man but it did little to advance the program. You may think it tacky but Hadfield has probably done more for the future of the space program than any other recent astronaut.

I doubt that....Neil Armstrong was and remains the biggest icon for NASA's manned flight, and many others "advanced the program" on missions that would cost some their lives. Unmanned missions also have significantly "advanced the program". Hadfield is an accomplished pilot and astronaut, but he ain't no William Shatner.

[Bonam]

I doubt that....Neil Armstrong was and remains the biggest icon for NASA's manned flight, and many others "advanced the program" on missions that would cost some their lives.

Sadly, the missions that cost astronauts their lives set back "the program" quite a bit, rather than advancing it. For example, note the huge setbacks caused by the destruction of the Challenger and Columbia shuttles. Each loss of astronaut lives significantly increased risk averseness, costs, and delayed schedules by many years.

[bush_cheney2004]

Sadly, the missions that cost astronauts their lives set back "the program" quite a bit, rather than advancing it. For example, note the huge setbacks caused by the destruction of the Challenger and Columbia shuttles. Each loss of astronaut lives significantly increased risk averseness, costs, and delayed schedules by many years.

I disagree...the very term "pushing the envelope" came from pilots and astronauts advancing spaceflight with risk and sometimes death. Hadfield is a big deal in Canada...I get that...but he is not the current hero of another nation's NASA and its many program "advances" over many years.

[Wilber]

I doubt that....Neil Armstrong was and remains the biggest icon for NASA's manned flight, and many others "advanced the program" on missions that would cost some their lives. Unmanned missions also have significantly "advanced the program". Hadfield is an accomplished pilot and astronaut, but he ain't no William Shatner.

Armstrong commands respect as a man and for his accomplishments as a pilot and engineer but his modesty prevented him from doing much to promote the program after his moon flight. I agree with your assessment of Hadfield as an astronaut but it is his ability to engage the public in what they are doing that makes him different from most. He may be a bit of a ham but in a very positive way.

[bush_cheney2004]

.... I agree with your assessment of Hadfield as an astronaut but it is his ability to engage the public in what they are doing that makes him different from most. He may be a bit of a ham but in a very positive way.

Buzz Aldrin was a bigger "ham" and promoter than Hadfield will ever be, but also a strong advocate for manned spaceflight for many years. Sally Ride and other high profile astronauts were the equal of or better than Hadfield for public outreach at a time when there was no Internet.

Edited December 24, 2013 by bush_cheney2004

[Wilber]

Buzz Aldrin was a bigger "ham" and promoter than Hadfield will ever be, but also a strong advocate for manned spaceflight for many years. Sally Ride and other high profile astronauts were the equal of or better than Hadfield for public outreach at a time when there was no Internet.

I wouldn't call either of them "recent".

[bush_cheney2004]

I wouldn't call either of them "recent".

"Recent" is a relative term.....Hadfield is a current resource for outreach and education that will run its course, just like the film Gravity.

[DogOnPorch]

Yes...unfortunately, he's retiring.

[Wilber]

"Recent" is a relative term.....Hadfield is a current resource for outreach and education that will run its course, just like the film Gravity.

Of course, everything runs its course.

[bush_cheney2004]

Of course, everything runs its course.

Not Neil Armstrong's footprints on the Moon....timeless.

[Wilber]

Not Neil Armstrong's footprints on the Moon....timeless.

There are a lot of other footprints up there as well and there will be many more some day. True there can only be one first but all firsts eventually become run of the mill.

[Wilber]

Will Armstrong's first footprint on the moon become a moon heritage site or will a condo be built on it? Only time will tell.

[bush_cheney2004]

There are a lot of other footprints up there as well and there will be many more some day. True there can only be one first but all firsts eventually become run of the mill.

I doubt that...the Americans still celebrate controlled flight at Kitty Hawk too....happened over a century ago. I don't think Hadfield's guitar will have such lasting interest.

[Wilber]

I doubt that...the Americans still celebrate controlled flight at Kitty Hawk too....happened over a century ago. I don't think Hadfield's guitar will have such lasting interest.

I agree but I'm not comparing the two.

Merry Christmas

[August1991]

Armstrong commands respect as a man and for his accomplishments as a pilot and engineer but his modesty prevented him from doing much to promote the program after his moon flight.

That word "promote" once again.

The Englishman Isaac Newton, the Italian Galileo and the Pole Copernicus were all men, all born in Europe and all could write in Latin. But none of them "promoted" anything.

[Michael Hardner]

Without democracy there is no value in appealing to the commons.

[DogOnPorch]

Will Armstrong's first footprint on the moon become a moon heritage site or will a condo be built on it? Only time will tell.

Seeing you can buy an overpriced McMansion on the Bull Run battlefield...

https://goo.gl/maps/y2F6y

Edited December 26, 2013 by DogOnPorch

[Wilber]

One would certainly hope Armstrong's first footprints are never disturbed by humans, but you never know who will be there in future and what their motives might be.

[bush_cheney2004]

True to this concept of self promotion, it was Buzz Aldrin who hyped the "first footprints" on the Moon, not Armstrong:

Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin Aldrin photographed this iconic photo, a view of his footprint in the lunar soil, as part of an experiment

Edited December 26, 2013 by bush_cheney2004

[Wilber]

Promotion has always been a large and essential part of NASA getting funding, so it is not a bad thing if a bit of self promotion works toward that purpose.

[bush_cheney2004]

Promotion has always been a large and essential part of NASA getting funding, so it is not a bad thing if a bit of self promotion works toward that purpose.

Not necessarily, as NASA was largely funded as a Cold War cover story for many years. NASA is still funded at levels far exceeding a percentage of GDP than in other nations. Canada's CSA funding has not benefited much from such promotion by Hadfield and others.