Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Gene Cernan Call for Bold New NASA Space Program

[cresidue]

The US Government is not interested in inspiring young people, they want us all to be slaves to the machine. If we keep feeding the beast, we will be nothing but pawns of the beast!

[TheSerho]

@cresidue

It is world wide interesting - to be slaves of $ and consumption. Not only US Govermment as you think.

[cresidue]

@TheSerho True enough.

[SaveMannedSpace]

1:37:00 Cernan: That sign that said "Moon," hung on every door...

[SaveMannedSpace]

1:35:45 Cernan: (unmanned program, rovers, Hubble vital, but...) "I don't mean to make light of it, but I don't think there's ever been a ticker-tape parade for a robot! Neil's name is the most known name in the universe... for a reason. He's a human being. He can come back and tell you what it feels like, what it looks like, what it was like, to be there."

[SaveMannedSpace]

1:32:30 Rep: Neugebauer (R-TX): "After President Kennedy set the goal out for our nation, that everywhere you went in NASA was little placards that said "The Moon" because that was the goal and it was the focus, and that everybody got up in the morning and said 'what do we do to advance the goal of going to the moon?'" He then said we don't appear to have a clear goal in space.

[SaveMannedSpace]

1:22:00 Cernan: the first thing we've got to do is prove to the rest of the world we're for real... Get the shuttles out of the garage down there at Kennedy, crank up the motors, put it back in service! You want a launch vehicle that will service the ISS? We've got it sitting down there! So before we put it in a museum, let's put it to use.

[SaveMannedSpace]

1:16:30 Cernan: The excitement is there. There is nothing... more than aviation and space that excites kids' minds and hearts; that inspires them to dream, to be one of those...why can't I go to the moon? The kindling is there, we've just got to put a little bit more fire in the pot. We've got to market what we've got. ...

[SaveMannedSpace]

1:16:00 Armstrong continues, quoting the JSC Director: His greatest challenge is the retention of the installation's human spaceflight expertise, in the face of falling budgets and significant personnel losses.

[SaveMannedSpace]

1:15:00 Armstrong: The reality is that people can be highly motivated if there is hope. Right now, the sense that I have is too many young people have the view that there's too little going on in the American space effort in the next decade, which they're preparing for, so they may turn other directions. Having something in the pipeline that gives hope to the young people is key. It's important not only to the young people but the existing people of NASA.

[SaveMannedSpace]

1:13:00 Rep. Sensenbrenner: How do we rekindle the imagination of the public...? We've got to have a John F Kennedy moment, because the public backed what Kennedy called for in his address, and NASA got it done on time and under budget. The money will follow if the public supports it.

[SaveMannedSpace]

1:11:00 Griffin: What is the value of US leadership? That's the question to be answered, not what the cost is. If the US fails to lead in space, it is unimaginable to me that we will remain a leader on earth, and I submit that the cost of that is far higher than the NASA budget many times over.

[SaveMannedSpace]

Oops, the 1:43 and 2:06 listings are 1 hour:43 and 2 hours:06, not the 1 or 2 minute points in which Youtube will transport you if you click the times.

[SaveMannedSpace]

19:00 Armstrong starts his narration of his landing to the accompaniment of the video.

[SaveMannedSpace]

1:43 Cernan: When I leave this planet, I want to know where we are headed as a nation. That's my big goal. I just feel so strongly about that. I feel sometimes helpless other than to share those feelings with ladies and gentlemen like you, because I'm not making the decision to make it happen. I can only try and get people enthused about pointing themselves in the right direction.

[Leavon]

I thoroughly agree that NASA needs to provide a means for government interests and exploration to be met but thus far Civilian endeavors have demonstrated that they can meet the needs of not only low earth orbit but beyond as well and do it far less expensively. The Government simply needs to get the hell out of the way.

[SaveMannedSpace]

2:12:30 Cernan: "Can I get personal for 20 more seconds? Neil and I were the tip of the arrow... Tell your kids and every other kid you you'll ever see. Tell them the guys who went to the moon said: Always shoot for the moon, because even if you miss, you're going to land somewhere among the stars. That's all they need; that's all they need to foster their dreams."

[SaveMannedSpace]

2:06 Griffin discusses Chinese Long March V and how 4 of them docking in orbit could take China to the moon. Griffin is asked if we have anything comparable to that: "well, we have nice Vugraphs."

[SaveMannedSpace]

1:58:30 Griffin: "The greatest value of a civilian human spaceflight organization is its national security value... The United States is a world superpower; we are a world power and I think we want to continue to be...

[SaveMannedSpace]

1:23:30 Griffin: "China understands what it takes to be a great power; we have written the script for them... I would worry very much about the future of this nation if we were not seen by all to be a world leader. I do not understand how a nation which when the Chinese can reach the moon and we cannot; I don't see how any other nation would regard us as a world leader"

[SaveMannedSpace]

1:22:20 Cernan "Get the shuttle out of the garage..."

[SaveMannedSpace]

You are invited to note in comments here the time various important points and quotes occur to assist others in locating them. Thanks!