There are times when Clio, the muse of history, decides to play the role of Shakespeare’s mischievous fairy Puck whose antics in A Midsummers Nights Dream drove the mortals crazy, much to the amusement of his fellows. “Lord, what fools these mortals be” Puck sighs as another one of his tricks hits its intended mark.
Clio was working overtime today as history and fantasy collided in such a way as to jar our sensibilities and shake our complacency about what the Greeks referred to as “the fates” - three sisters who sing of what was, what is, and what will be.
Today, a small part of our past died when James Doohan who played the character Scotty on the original Star Trek series passed away at the age of 85. In a delicious irony that Clio herself would enjoy, we also celebrate the 36th anniversary of what can honestly be described as the most significant technological achievement of the human race; placing the footprints of man on the surface of the moon.
At first glance, the two events would seem to have little in common. After all, Star Trek was off the air by the time Neil Armstrong stepped off the bottom rung of Eagle’s ladder to take the small step for man that sadly, seems to have stalled in mid leap. The last episode of Star Trek aired on June 3, 1969 much to the chagrin of the series’ fanatical followers. But in a very real sense, the death of Scotty and the remembrance of Apollo 11 has everything to do with what we humans dream and how those dreams inspire us and drive us forward to achieve great things.
James Doohan played the Chief Engineer, one of the more popular characters on Star Trek. His “can-do” attitude toward the technical problems associated with the complex and futuristic systems on the starship Enterprise called to mind those NASA engineers who made so much of the space program look effortless.
The scientists and technicians who sent Americans into space were thought of as our country’s best and smartest. They were for the most part young, talented men who graduated from the best schools and came to NASA to participate in the great adventure of space flight. And while the NASA PR machine made it seem as if just about everything was always perfect, behind the scenes - like Scotty on the Enterprise - the engineers in Houston dealt with one problem after another and through sheer brainpower and the occasional piece of good luck, brought the astronauts home.
Scotty would have felt right at home working at NASA in the 1960’s. Scotty, like the NASA techies, lived, breathed, and slept their jobs. To some extent, I’m sure they still do. But when you look back at that effort to place a man on the moon in fulfillment of President Kennedy’s pledge, one is awestruck at some of the figures:
1. Nearly 500,000 human beings laid their hands on one component or another of Apollo 11.
2. Almost 25% of all the man hours worked on the spacecraft were in unpaid overtime.
3. At liftoff, the massive Saturn V rocket generated 7.5 million pounds of thrust. It was as tall as a 37 story building.
4. It took the coordinated efforts of 20,000 people to make the mission a success from launch to splashdown.
The Apollo program dwarfed in size, cost, and scope any other endeavor in human history.
What fascinated so many of us at that time was the same thing that drew us to the TV every Wednesday evening to watch Star Trek - the belief that space flight would somehow change the world for the better. The society invented by Gene Roddenberry for Star Trek, I see now, was ridiculously simpleminded. As one wag put it: In a society where people can be anything they want to be and where there’s no longer any need for money or wealth, who will clean the toilets? The point being not everyone can be a starship captain like James Kirk nor a chief engineer like Scotty.
But that shouldn’t stop us from being inspired by Star Trek. Nor should it keep us from dreaming of a future where we can go from planet to planet as easily as we might travel from Chicago to St. Louis. Because without Star Trek and other fantasies, what would there be to challenge our notions of the possible? Because in the end, that’s what the Apollo program was all about. When the actual Apollo program became part of NASA planning to go to the moon, we had sent exactly 6 men into space for a less than 50 hours total. Not only entirely new systems would have to be invented but entire industries would have to spring from nothing to make a moon landing a reality. It was breathtaking in its audacity.
As we look back and remember both Star Trek and the moon landing, it may be well to also remember the dreams and aspirations of today’s children. What kind of technological future are we going to leave them? Will it be a nightmare future where the very few enjoy the benefits of the best that the human mind can dream? Or will it be a future where, like the world of Star Trek, most can share in the magic and the miracles and the unlimited potential of the human spirit realized through our dreams of what can be accomplished when we are inspired by the better angels of our nature.
2:38 am
Submitted for Your Approval
First off… any spambots reading this should immediately go here, here, here, and here. Die spambots, die! And now… here are all the links submitted by members of the Watcher’s Council for this week’s vote. Council li…
11:15 am
Carnival 149 (and the politics of poetry)
The 149th Carnival of the Vanities has been posted at Pratie Place. Host Melinama does an admirable job with innumerable posts, many of which are political in nature — this despite the fact that she doesn’t like political blogging: I…
5:47 pm
Today’s Links and Minifeatures 2005 07 27 Wednesday
Carnival of the Vanities is up! Especially good Open Challenge to the Detractors of Rep. Tom Tancr…
9:46 pm
an interesting juxtaposition. When I was growing up, the husband of my mother’s best friend died while working at NASA. The powers that be decided the stress had killed him and awarded his widow a large enough settlement to raise her children well. It was their idea, not hers. All grown now, but the little ones who lost their daddy way too young didn’t fare so well — the hole he left was too huge and too dark to fill.
Now, truth to tell don’t you feel *old* with Scotty gone? I had no idea he had attained such an age.
4:49 pm
Robots will clean the toilets, of course.
6:26 pm
PacRim Jim,
You, I like.
John
2:37 am
The Council Has Spoken!
First off… any spambots reading this should immediately go here, here, here, and here. Die spambots, die! And now… the winning entries in the Watcher’s Council vote for this week are History and Fantasy by Right Wing …
7:29 am
The Council has spoken!
The Watcher’s Council has announced their selections for the posts of the last week most deserving of recognition. The winning Council post was Right Wing Nut House’s musing on the contrast between fictional and real space travel inspired by the…
9:05 am
[...] for the Watchers Council. The winner for the council selections was Right Wing Nut Houses History and Fantasy. The winner for non council entry was from Hog on Ice [...]
9:36 am
Watcher’s Council Vote
The winning entries in the Watcher’s Council vote for this week are History and Fantasy by Right Wing Nut House, and Anonymous Rectal Intercourse by Hog on Ice (I never expected that phrase to show up on my site). Here…
8:54 am
Sheriff of The Ministry
Weekend Edition of the best NIF on the web!
2:07 am
The Coalition of the Willing
As you may or may not already be aware, members of the Watcher’s Council hold a vote every week on what we consider to be the most link-worthy pieces of writing around… though I don’t actually vote unless there happens…
8:08 am
Watcher’s Council best posts week ending July 28
The Watcher’s Council selected these best posts from among those nominated last week. History and Fantasy at Right Wing Nut House was voted best Council post. Runner up: Responses to Nuclear Terrorism at The Glittering Eye. (That seems important.) Bes…
3:15 pm
[...] consideration in the upcoming nominations process. Here is the most recent winning council post, here is the most recent winning non-council post, her [...]
11:30 pm
So delinquent with Watcher posts
So neglectful of my Watcher’s Council obligations, here are some recent results. From July 8: Votes Council link 1 2/3 Border Freebies: Using the Race Card To Get an Education The Education Wonks 1 Happy Independence Day e-Claire 1…
11:46 pm
[...] are the results for the July 29th vote: Right Wing Nuthouse wins the Council category with “History and Fantasy” a touching tribute to the passing of Jame [...]
11:08 am
[...] bsp; The July 29th results: Votes Council link 2 2/3 History and FantasyRight Wing Nut House 1 2 [...]
2:28 pm
Today’s Links and Minifeatures 2005 07 27 Wednesday…
Carnival of the Vanities is up! Especially good Open Challenge to the Detractors of Rep. Tom Tancredo (I disagree, but it’s a good article), Top Secret Democrat Party Strategy Meeting - Exposed! (I think it was intended as satire), Physics,……