Pg. 290...Space, A Novel by James A. Michener copyright 1982.
While Mrs. Kolff cleared the table and Magnus went to his room to study, the two engineers sat on the porch and began a conversation which challenged all that Mott's committee has been doing:
MOTT: Whats eating you Dieter?
KOLFF: The decisions you're about to make. They distress me
MOTT: I was told you supported Von Braun's proposals.
KOLFF: I do. I'm always a loyal soldier. You know that.
MOTT: I'm sorry you simpler plan couldn't be accepted. But the Jules Verne Approach...
KOLFF: I argued I lost. Thats finished.
MOTT: Then what's the problem?
KOLFF: The idea itself. It's corrupt with error.
MOTT: Going to the moon? You've talked to me about that for years. In El Paso...
KOLFF: To the Moon, yes. But never to the Moon as a major target.
MOTT: What's wrong with the Moon as a major target?
KOLFF: Because when you hit the wrong target you congratulate yourself. As if you accomplished a great thing.
MOTT: Do you doubt we'll land on the moon?
KOLFF: We'll land there. Trouble is we'll never get off.
MOTT: Now wait! Just wait! I've spent months reviewing every step of our procedure, and I'm morally certain we can get our men safely off.
KOLFF: The men, yes. The nation, no. Once we land on the Moon, we'll remain imprisoned there.
MOTT (soberly): What do you mean?
KOLFF: I mean the terrible error of sending astronauts there. The terrible error of making the Moon shot a circus event.
end exerpt...
I feel for the families and my heart reaches out to them in this trajedy. I also feel we have so much left to discover. I fear, the next major event for NASA will be putting a man on Mars in 2015 or so, and afterwards the space program will lay stagnant as it did after we landed on the Moon. We need to boost funding in space program ten fold in the coming years. To smile and give encouragement to our children when they gaze up at the stars and say 'I'm going to visit them someday'. We landed on the moon 33 years ago and yet we claim to have won the space race. I think we have a long way to run.
-the player of Derivan
Come have an ale and check out the Tavern Troupe! Elanthia's premier and Zoluren's official performing order. http://www.taverntroupe.net
