Neil deGrasse Tyson on why the Americans went to the moon
(ORDO NEWS) — American astrophysicist, writer and popularizer of science Neil DeGrasse Tyson is able to surprise many with his unconventional thinking and straightforwardness in the moments of expressing an alternative opinion regarding any topic.
For example, he once said:
“NASA was created as a response to the moves of the Cold War.
There are those who thought that we went to the moon because we are explorers.
No. We went to the moon because we were at war with the Soviet Union.
So, when it became clear that he was not going to the moon, we ended up with flights [to the moon].”
His statement obviously did not please everyone, as some literally foaming at the mouth began to prove that the United States was guided solely by scientific interest, and the arms race, which forced them to do crazy and risky things, had absolutely nothing to do with it.
And yet Neil deGrasse Tyson is right!
A total of 24 US astronauts have flown to the moon and back, but only one of them was a civilian scientist named Harrison Schmitt. All the rest were military men with very respectable ranks.
Is it impossible to find civilian specialists to carry out missions pursuing scientific interests?
Of course, the Apollo lunar program was part of a military campaign aimed at ensuring dominance over the USSR not only on land, but also in space.
For each action of the opponent, it was necessary to come up with and implement something so that the enemy would “swallow the dust” for several more years.
If the Cold War suddenly became “Hot”, then on Earth and beyond it would have to operate not civilian scientists, but the military.
The moon was clearly seen as a sphere of interest for the United States, where, for example, nuclear weapons could be transported (all this was before the bans on such events).
In the end, the United States even considered a plan for delivering a powerful nuclear strike on the Moon, so that the inhabitants of the USSR, looking out the window at night, saw what their geopolitical competitors were capable of.
Fortunately, times are changing and the upcoming return to the moon is a purely scientific program, which is being worked on by an alliance of developed countries.
Progressive humanity is tired of the meaningless competition “who has the bigger rocket” and rightfully strives for space, because we are all children of the Universe, the secrets of which we have yet to unravel.
—
Online:
Contact us: [email protected]
Our Standards, Terms of Use: Standard Terms And Conditions.
