"I think the big thing we need to do is to inspire our present generation of kids, because, if we don't, what are we going to expect in the future?" Rutan asked rhetorically. "The folks that were inspired by the invention and quick development of the airplane turned out to be - every darn one of them turned out to be on my list of the top ten mentors and heroes."
Now this response is just funny:
Of course, suggesting that mass space tourism could possibly inspire the next generation of Alan Sheppards is to suggest that Carnival cruises have been inspiring the next generation of Jacques Cousteaus. It's a preposterous claim. But Rutan seems intelligent enough to discern the glaring differences between, say, Ferdinand Magellan on the one hand, and a pleasantly-drunk tourist wandering about in what amounts to a floating Vegas hotel, to whom the sea is the single least noticeable feature in his vicinity, on the other.
He's right. The Backstreet Boys getting a ride into the dark beyond is going to inspire no one. It'll generate some publicity, but that's about it.
What does inspire is Burt Rutan himself. If he is successfull, an entire generation of young people will be inspired to do as he has done.
Because it will show one thing: you can make dreams come true. And when it comes to space exploration, that's one field where dreams have a habit of being shattered.
No comments:
Post a Comment