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• Thor Hougen – December 6 2006

  Mr Rutan is right! Unfortunately. I read once that “if an alien race examined earth history of the 20th century, they would undoubtedly ask the question; Why, at the height of their technological powers, would the United States choose to slip backwards and out of sight?” I’m not sure there’s a good answer to that question, but I’m sure it would be an embarrassing one.
  
  
  
  As a professional pilot for almost 20 years I have seen a lot in the way of technological progress in the aviation field. Unfortunately, most of that innovation has taken place in the private sector (e.g. the X-Prize) and not by the government. On the whole, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. But, what is sad is the lack of widespread, genuine interest in Space and the technologies that will allow us to explore it. And normally governments are the only ones with enough money to invest in those technologies.
  
  Instead of investing in technologies that will go leaps and bounds from where we are today we build ‘super-carrier’ aircraft (e.g. Airbus A380). They don’t travel much, if any, faster than the previous generation of commercial aircraft-they're only bigger. So, they offer us the opportunity to travel, and board, and de-plane, with 500+ of our closest friends. People don’t want to wait in what will inevitably be longer lines to get on and off aircraft, they want to get where they’re going. And they want to get there faster! But, alas, we have let that technology go by the wayside as well.
  
  
  
  I’m not sure what the end-all-be-all answer is to the current lack of aviation/space enthusiasm. But, I would offer the following as suggested starting points:
  
  1. Set a goal for America that links space exploration with the solving of real world issues. There are plenty! Show people how investing in space is an investment in their environment.
  
  2. Dismantle NASA. Yes, dismantle NASA. Start fresh by building an organization that does not have the bureaucratic overhead that NASA does now.
  
  3. Give the new organization a realistic budget. NASA’s budget is pathetically small given their charter. Don’t set people up for failure by asking them to do a job that they can’t possibly achieve with the amount of funding provided.
  
  4. Expectation management. And this is a hard one. The general public needs to see clear progress towards achieving the goals. Not a plan of “be patient. You’ll see.”
  
  
  
  As the Nintendo/Playstation/X-Box generation grow up, they need to see and understand that there’s something even cooler than the next ‘big-game’ out there.
  
  
  
  Thor Hougen
  
  San Diego, Calif.

• Thor Hougen – December 6 2006

  Mr Rutan is right! Unfortunately. I read once that “if an alien race examined earth history of the 20th century, they would undoubtedly ask the question; Why, at the height of their technological powers, would the United States choose to slip backwards and out of sight?” I’m not sure there’s a good answer to that question, but I’m sure it would be an embarrassing one.
  
  
  
  As a professional pilot for almost 20 years I have seen a lot in the way of technological progress in the aviation field. Unfortunately, most of that innovation has taken place in the private sector (e.g. the X-Prize) and not by the government. On the whole, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. But, what is sad is the lack of widespread, genuine interest in Space and the technologies that will allow us to explore it. And normally governments are the only ones with enough money to invest in those technologies.
  
  Instead of investing in technologies that will go leaps and bounds from where we are today we build ‘super-carrier’ aircraft (e.g. Airbus A380). They don’t travel much, if any, faster than the previous generation of commercial aircraft-they're only bigger. So, they offer us the opportunity to travel, and board, and de-plane, with 500+ of our closest friends. People don’t want to wait in what will inevitably be longer lines to get on and off aircraft, they want to get where they’re going. And they want to get there faster! But, alas, we have let that technology go by the wayside as well.
  
  
  
  I’m not sure what the end-all-be-all answer is to the current lack of aviation/space enthusiasm. But, I would offer the following as suggested starting points:
  
  1. Set a goal for America that links space exploration with the solving of real world issues. There are plenty! Show people how investing in space is an investment in their environment.
  
  2. Dismantle NASA. Yes, dismantle NASA. Start fresh by building an organization that does not have the bureaucratic overhead that NASA does now.
  
  3. Give the new organization a realistic budget. NASA’s budget is pathetically small given their charter. Don’t set people up for failure by asking them to do a job that they can’t possibly achieve with the amount of funding provided.
  
  4. Expectation management. And this is a hard one. The general public needs to see clear progress towards achieving the goals. Not a plan of “be patient. You’ll see.”
  
  
  
  As the Nintendo/Playstation/X-Box generation grow up, they need to see and understand that there’s something even cooler than the next ‘big-game’ out there.
  
  
  
  Thor Hougen
  
  San Diego, Calif.

• Thor Hougen – December 6 2006

  Mr Rutan is right! Unfortunately. I read once that “if an alien race examined earth history of the 20th century, they would undoubtedly ask the question; Why, at the height of their technological powers, would the United States choose to slip backwards and out of sight?” I’m not sure there’s a good answer to that question, but I’m sure it would be an embarrassing one.
  
  
  
  As a professional pilot for almost 20 years I have seen a lot in the way of technological progress in the aviation field. Unfortunately, most of that innovation has taken place in the private sector (e.g. the X-Prize) and not by the government. On the whole, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. But, what is sad is the lack of widespread, genuine interest in Space and the technologies that will allow us to explore it. And normally governments are the only ones with enough money to invest in those technologies.
  
  Instead of investing in technologies that will go leaps and bounds from where we are today we build ‘super-carrier’ aircraft (e.g. Airbus A380). They don’t travel much, if any, faster than the previous generation of commercial aircraft-they're only bigger. So, they offer us the opportunity to travel, and board, and de-plane, with 500+ of our closest friends. People don’t want to wait in what will inevitably be longer lines to get on and off aircraft, they want to get where they’re going. And they want to get there faster! But, alas, we have let that technology go by the wayside as well.
  
  
  
  I’m not sure what the end-all-be-all answer is to the current lack of aviation/space enthusiasm. But, I would offer the following as suggested starting points:
  
  1. Set a goal for America that links space exploration with the solving of real world issues. There are plenty! Show people how investing in space is an investment in their environment.
  
  2. Dismantle NASA. Yes, dismantle NASA. Start fresh by building an organization that does not have the bureaucratic overhead that NASA does now.
  
  3. Give the new organization a realistic budget. NASA’s budget is pathetically small given their charter. Don’t set people up for failure by asking them to do a job that they can’t possibly achieve with the amount of funding provided.
  
  4. Expectation management. And this is a hard one. The general public needs to see clear progress towards achieving the goals. Not a plan of “be patient. You’ll see.”
  
  
  
  As the Nintendo/Playstation/X-Box generation grow up, they need to see and understand that there’s something even cooler than the next ‘big-game’ out there.
  
  
  
  Thor Hougen
  
  San Diego, Calif.

• Thor Hougen – December 6 2006

  Mr Rutan is right! Unfortunately. I read once that “if an alien race examined earth history of the 20th century, they would undoubtedly ask the question; Why, at the height of their technological powers, would the United States choose to slip backwards and out of sight?” I’m not sure there’s a good answer to that question, but I’m sure it would be an embarrassing one.
  
  
  
  As a professional pilot for almost 20 years I have seen a lot in the way of technological progress in the aviation field. Unfortunately, most of that innovation has taken place in the private sector (e.g. the X-Prize) and not by the government. On the whole, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. But, what is sad is the lack of widespread, genuine interest in Space and the technologies that will allow us to explore it. And normally governments are the only ones with enough money to invest in those technologies.
  
  Instead of investing in technologies that will go leaps and bounds from where we are today we build ‘super-carrier’ aircraft (e.g. Airbus A380). They don’t travel much, if any, faster than the previous generation of commercial aircraft-they're only bigger. So, they offer us the opportunity to travel, and board, and de-plane, with 500+ of our closest friends. People don’t want to wait in what will inevitably be longer lines to get on and off aircraft, they want to get where they’re going. And they want to get there faster! But, alas, we have let that technology go by the wayside as well.
  
  
  
  I’m not sure what the end-all-be-all answer is to the current lack of aviation/space enthusiasm. But, I would offer the following as suggested starting points:
  
  1. Set a goal for America that links space exploration with the solving of real world issues. There are plenty! Show people how investing in space is an investment in their environment.
  
  2. Dismantle NASA. Yes, dismantle NASA. Start fresh by building an organization that does not have the bureaucratic overhead that NASA does now.
  
  3. Give the new organization a realistic budget. NASA’s budget is pathetically small given their charter. Don’t set people up for failure by asking them to do a job that they can’t possibly achieve with the amount of funding provided.
  
  4. Expectation management. And this is a hard one. The general public needs to see clear progress towards achieving the goals. Not a plan of “be patient. You’ll see.”
  
  
  
  As the Nintendo/Playstation/X-Box generation grow up, they need to see and understand that there’s something even cooler than the next ‘big-game’ out there.
  
  
  
  Thor Hougen
  
  San Diego, Calif.

• Thor Hougen – December 6 2006

  Mr Rutan is right! Unfortunately. I read once that “if an alien race examined earth history of the 20th century, they would undoubtedly ask the question; Why, at the height of their technological powers, would the United States choose to slip backwards and out of sight?” I’m not sure there’s a good answer to that question, but I’m sure it would be an embarrassing one.
  
  
  
  As a professional pilot for almost 20 years I have seen a lot in the way of technological progress in the aviation field. Unfortunately, most of that innovation has taken place in the private sector (e.g. the X-Prize) and not by the government. On the whole, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. But, what is sad is the lack of widespread, genuine interest in Space and the technologies that will allow us to explore it. And normally governments are the only ones with enough money to invest in those technologies.
  
  Instead of investing in technologies that will go leaps and bounds from where we are today we build ‘super-carrier’ aircraft (e.g. Airbus A380). They don’t travel much, if any, faster than the previous generation of commercial aircraft-they're only bigger. So, they offer us the opportunity to travel, and board, and de-plane, with 500+ of our closest friends. People don’t want to wait in what will inevitably be longer lines to get on and off aircraft, they want to get where they’re going. And they want to get there faster! But, alas, we have let that technology go by the wayside as well.
  
  
  
  I’m not sure what the end-all-be-all answer is to the current lack of aviation/space enthusiasm. But, I would offer the following as suggested starting points:
  
  1. Set a goal for America that links space exploration with the solving of real world issues. There are plenty! Show people how investing in space is an investment in their environment.
  
  2. Dismantle NASA. Yes, dismantle NASA. Start fresh by building an organization that does not have the bureaucratic overhead that NASA does now.
  
  3. Give the new organization a realistic budget. NASA’s budget is pathetically small given their charter. Don’t set people up for failure by asking them to do a job that they can’t possibly achieve with the amount of funding provided.
  
  4. Expectation management. And this is a hard one. The general public needs to see clear progress towards achieving the goals. Not a plan of “be patient. You’ll see.”
  
  
  
  As the Nintendo/Playstation/X-Box generation grow up, they need to see and understand that there’s something even cooler than the next ‘big-game’ out there.
  
  
  
  Thor Hougen
  
  San Diego, Calif.

• Thor Hougen – December 6 2006

  Mr Rutan is right! Unfortunately. I read once that “if an alien race examined earth history of the 20th century, they would undoubtedly ask the question; Why, at the height of their technological powers, would the United States choose to slip backwards and out of sight?” I’m not sure there’s a good answer to that question, but I’m sure it would be an embarrassing one.
  
  
  
  As a professional pilot for almost 20 years I have seen a lot in the way of technological progress in the aviation field. Unfortunately, most of that innovation has taken place in the private sector (e.g. the X-Prize) and not by the government. On the whole, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. But, what is sad is the lack of widespread, genuine interest in Space and the technologies that will allow us to explore it. And normally governments are the only ones with enough money to invest in those technologies.
  
  Instead of investing in technologies that will go leaps and bounds from where we are today we build ‘super-carrier’ aircraft (e.g. Airbus A380). They don’t travel much, if any, faster than the previous generation of commercial aircraft-they're only bigger. So, they offer us the opportunity to travel, and board, and de-plane, with 500+ of our closest friends. People don’t want to wait in what will inevitably be longer lines to get on and off aircraft, they want to get where they’re going. And they want to get there faster! But, alas, we have let that technology go by the wayside as well.
  
  
  
  I’m not sure what the end-all-be-all answer is to the current lack of aviation/space enthusiasm. But, I would offer the following as suggested starting points:
  
  1. Set a goal for America that links space exploration with the solving of real world issues. There are plenty! Show people how investing in space is an investment in their environment.
  
  2. Dismantle NASA. Yes, dismantle NASA. Start fresh by building an organization that does not have the bureaucratic overhead that NASA does now.
  
  3. Give the new organization a realistic budget. NASA’s budget is pathetically small given their charter. Don’t set people up for failure by asking them to do a job that they can’t possibly achieve with the amount of funding provided.
  
  4. Expectation management. And this is a hard one. The general public needs to see clear progress towards achieving the goals. Not a plan of “be patient. You’ll see.”
  
  
  
  As the Nintendo/Playstation/X-Box generation grow up, they need to see and understand that there’s something even cooler than the next ‘big-game’ out there.
  
  
  
  Thor Hougen
  
  San Diego, Calif.