I am a member of the generation born during the years of the Apollo space program. Growing up in the 1970s in science class and in science fair projects, we were building model rockets. Dad bought me a telescope when he went to the US for a visit in 1977. The nights in Quezon City then were dark enough to use a telescope to see the rings of Saturn or Jupiter’s Red Spot. The in thing in science then was spaceflight. Even the Marcos science establishment fantasized about the country and its New Society being advanced enough to launch its own rockets and put up its own satellite. This was at the height of the Marcos regime. I will discuss the Marcos fantasy of rockets and satellites a bit later. It is not as fantastic as it seems.
In the 1980s manned space flight took a backseat when NASA realized that by sending robotic probes, like Voyager, we can get the same science for less bucks and less chance of people being lost in space. The space shuttle was sent aloft in 1981 or thereabouts. Russia’s Mir space station was launched in 1986. In the same year just before the fateful February Snap election, the Challenger blew up like a giant kwitis and an ailing Ferdinand Marcos commented on the disaster. Two weeks later, Marcos was history.
The question that bugs space fans like me (and all the Apollo astronauts) is that how come the US never went back to the Moon? As for the Soviet Union, it realized that it can’t keep up with capitalism and settled for a space station program using 1960s Soyuz derivatives (which still works). The USA had the money but the 1980s Reagan years were an age of waiting for the Soviet Union to collapse (which it did). Together with the communist collapse, went the Soviet space program. Its copycat shuttle “Buran” went to space on remote control only once. Russia reincarnated the space program by 1) selling launch time to the Americans and 2) space tourists on Mir.
Today a recession hit America and a resurging Russia are considering going to the Moon on the way to Mars. America needs a spaced out distraction and Russia knows that now it has the cash to finally beat the Americans. America may find the cash, but I don’t know whether doing a JFK is enough to boost the morale of jaded Americans. As Obama’s “change that matters” begins to sound like “change that hardly mattered”(and Oprah and other talk show hosts begin to eat their words.), Obama may do a JFK to boost his sagging image and send someone to Mars. A politically inclusive and correct publicity stunt is to send a black American who may first set foot on the red planet.
But another Space Race is too expensive for Obama and Medvedev to contemplate alone and since the shuttle will be retired, NASA and the Russian Space Agenc will have to use 3 stage rockets and Russia’s dependable Soyuz, once more to send supplies to the International Space Station (whose scientific value is hotly debated). It is likely that the Russians and the Europeans will play a large role in the Mars mission.
And planting the Stars and Stripes or the Russian tricolor would be the most un-PC thing to do on Mars. It is likely that an environmentalist “Earth Flag” will flutter in a Martian dust storm.
Readers may not know it and wags may laugh about it but the Republic of the Philippines has its own space program. It is under DOST direction and focuses on remote sensing and space based research on monitoring the Philippine environment. The Pinoy space dream is to have out own natural resource sensing satellite. However we don’t have any launch capability (hey wags! Don’t mention “kwitis” from Bocaue!) and thus the program surely has security implications. Who is going to launch our satellite? The Americans?, Russians?, Europeans? Chinese?, Japanese?, Indians?, Pakistanis? or the Dear Leader in Pyongyang?
Of course all these parties will do it for a fee. How much could the fee be? It could be that these parties may demand that we give them some remotely sensed data about our dwindling natural resources. The security issues are very obvious. Our own satellite can track down those pesky Abu Sayaff and zap them with a cruise missile. Marcos even in his dictatorial days realized the advantages of space. And Prez Gloria (who according to PDI’s Amando Doronila is the A student in Marcos 101!) I assume realizes the same potentials and advantages.
One thing hindering countrywide research on the Philippine environment is the cost of remotely sensed data. For example, my research project staff inquired how much the cost of the latest image of Quezon City and this was quoted at 1 million pesos! The French and the Americans own the images. Some “freebies” may be obtained from NASA, ESA and the US Navy but these are usually of low resolution. In many cases we have to content ourselves with Google Earth!
Thus DOST has called for space technology applications research proposals in the last two years or so. Two national conferences have been hosted and I attended one. In these conferences it is obvious that a space program will help us protect our resources and our national security. How the Philippines develops its space program is likely to be in cooperation with space nations in the region. Here the Chinese and Russians have shown interest. So far I haven’t heard any peep from NASA aside from their call for our scientists to help them put up a aerosol monitoring station in the Philippines. Since this has military applications, the security aspect is real and obvious.
Popularity: 1% [?]
There is no way we can launch a Rocket Program. For military or civilian purposes. Rocket Science is a specialized field. You need a lot of highly qualified technical people to have a Rocket builing
program. North Korea has one. But, you can see its people are
starving. Some are running to the Chinese borders and to other
countries just to have better EATING condition. These fleeing North Koreans have even suicide pills with them. They will commit suicide when apprehended. They dont want to go back to North Korea and starve
to death.
Pakistan has one. Just to counter the threat from India. Iran has one. But, its program is causing some economic difficulties of its
people. Israel has one. But, it is for its defense and survival.
Let the U.S. and Russia satisfy their egos. Someday they may blow
each other up.
Do you know we dont even have an ammunition factory? Our Armed Forces fighting in Mindanao are lacking in bullets. Supply them with
slingshots to fight the rebels?
Economy-priced made-in-Pinas ammo available by mail from dot-com vendors if you can’t find them at WalMart. [Reliable enough for 7 or 8-out-of-10 onto a palm-size target open sight at 100 yards (10-out-of-10, thumb-size target, 50-yards farther if you have a scope) but economy-pricing is because the ammo dirties up the barrel worse than average.]
[ Accuracy unpredictable when targets can shoot back. ]
Ammo is not just ammo. It must fit the chamber of the rifle.
High powered guns have different chambers than sports guns.
AR 14 ammo is different from AR 16 ammo. Same as the AK 47, FAL or
other rifles.
You cannot just manufacture these ammo. They are protected
by Patent Laws. There are also special ways, machines and technologies to manufacture these ammos. Military use is different from civilian use. Gun powder used in the military ammo is also different. A high explosive, high velocity type.
We used to have an ammo factory in Bataan
Isn’t it??? Armed forces/Philippines has so many bullets to use against the MILF that the Armed forces/Philippines sells extra bullets to the MILF.
Best my knowledge, Pinoys in Pinas laugh at the practice or at least look the other way as pakikisama-sympathy for low salary paid to Pinas troops.
actually, the soldiers have not been receiving their salaries – it went to russia presumably :)
so, soldiers selling bullets seems to remedy the perennial thievery of the AFP generals – as above so below =)
Well if the country managed to get the Agila-II satellite launched back in 1997, why not another one for scientific research purposes? Another partnership with China or Japan for this sole purpose would be much better than those lopsided bi-lateral deals.
With this, we can improve maps of the archipelago and other SEA countries without having to practically beg Google for it. And that’s just one of the many benefits we will gain from this.
Why not just put up a super-huge balloon, tethered to Batasan.
The tether (4 kilometers or more in length) can be 8 to 10 plastic tubing braided for strength, with a device capturing the hot air :roll: coming out of Batasan and getting pumped upward to the balloon afloat.
Let them talk…. for the greater good! :mrgreen:
as the classic pinoy propensity goes, “puede na yan”, which benigno pointed out sometime back.
As for a launch deal with China, we pray that Mr Sticky Fingers keep out of it.
Blackshama,
“Obama may do a JFK to boost his sagging image and send someone to Mars. A politically inclusive and correct publicity stunt is to send a black American who may first set foot on the red planet.”
You really think he is just an ordinary political guy, don’t you? The US is already probing Mars, digging for the water that can sustain a colony there. You would not perhaps consider dinging Bush for his war adventurism that blasted the US economy to hell, simultaneously undermining space budgets with his fiscal recklessness?
Obama will embark on a prudent policy of space exploration, not a Kennedyesque throw everything at the moon program. He is a pragmatist leader, not a scheming politician, or someone who would manipulate the space program to get a black brother aboard. He would listen to his space experts and do what they recommended.
The Philippines can get a satellite up if it wants to. It is that simple. It is a matter of wanting to. Take the funds being diverted to pork and pockets and put it into space. I question whether that is the highest and best use of money, considering the plight of the poor here, and knowing space investments are usually about war, technology, or communications . . . none of which are Philippine priorities.
Now global warming? THERE is a Philippine priority.
Joe
Joe
Bush is history and let him be so. Dinging him is a waste of time. As for Obama, the bottomline is that he is a politician and will use all tricks in the book to be politic. He ain’t the Messiah and only the naive would expect him to deliver on all his promises. And that is beginning to sound like “change that HARDLY MATTERS”
Blackshama,
Ok on Bush; pragmatic approach. My main problem is that Obama is trying TOO HARD to deliver on all his promises; like, slow down or scale back that Health initiative.
I’m gonna figure out something we can wager on, and some way to define a winner. Obama has to be political to work the partisan halls. But he is more principled than any president I’ve seen in my lifetime (which is a tad longer than yours).
My stock portfolio is up 40% since Obama took over, so I think he is doing fine, fine, fine.
Joe
“Bush is history and let him be so.”
Maybe not. I have been thinking hard about this debate on whether or not to investigate the conduct of Yoo, Cheney, CIA-folks, many others in regards torture-policies, keeping Congress informed, spying on American citizens.
I believe that “.. but they all meant well and were only trying to defend the nation!!!” can only go so far. The American population (especially the American leaders) need to be informed as where the boundaries are beyond which actions become violations of USA laws. All the serious transgressions must be clearly identified via USA court proceedings — the President can handle pardons as necessary — but the boundaries on what are violations of the USA laws must be clearly identified. [Side-note: I am impressed that Dubya Bush did NOT give a pardon to "Scooter" Libbey.]
I also say “… maybe not just quite yet…”
with regards “Ver (of Marcos era) is history and let him be so.” Pinoys in Pinas have to be reminded what the Pinas Constitution (current and prior-year versions) allow in the name of protecting the country from communism and other -isms.
UP:
Communism needs to be protected from Filipinos… =)
UP n grad,
Yes, you are right. The “alleged” excesses of the Bush “regime” needs to be checked for violations of law.
Joe
Someday Man will colonize the Moon and the Planet Mars, and other
Planets. A development of an efficient and sustainable propulsion
fuel and system will do the trick.
Remember when man traveled by Galeon Ships? Then, by Steamships
and finally by nuclear powered ships. It is a development, with
technology on the forefront. Progress is by stages.
However, we have not yet learned to live in peace together. To treat each other humanely. Greed, power hungy politicians, scammers of all kinds, etc… are still
with us.
Didn’t China launcg our Agila satelite during FVR’s time?
Nice piece, blackshama.
Indeed, there had not been a 2nd trip to the moon after the first. Up until today, I never have to believe that trip to have really occurred if what I only remember having seen is that ‘low resolution’ footages of the ceremonial ‘walk and float’ on 1970s TV, was it?
At least, I know from my readings that in Mars, those banyan trees favorite for bonsai do grow in that little known planet.
Maybe, if RP can later send its own ‘crew’ to Mars, why not take GMA with them. Perhaps, blackshama can play host. Just joking.
The vertically challenged will grow taller on Mars weak gravity!