Flying High in the Sky

Imagine you're going away for a while. You won't have access to the usual accoutrements of your life. It's like an extended business trip. Now imagine you're going to be strapped to a massive rocket which has previously exploded on liftoff once before or caused damage to your ship numerous times in the past, once being a catastrophic failure of the wing when entering the atmosphere of the Earth. Knowing all those things, most people would want to have a few stiff drinks before getting on board. If the recent reports from NASA are any indication, that's exactly what happened. Reports released over the past two weeks have indicated that in addition to the apparent sabotage by a contractor of a computer bound for the space station, astronauts have also been launched into space while heavily intoxicated. Now in light of the fact that they are risking their lives while climbing on board and being launched into space, is it any wonder that they prefer to make the trip a bit high?

I am a heavy supporter of the space program and I always have been. I make frequent pilgrammages to the Air and Space Museum and can be seen wandering those hallowed grounds as I look to the vehicles of the past and the ones that are leading the way into the future with reverent awe. I know that our astronauts are helping to lead the way into the future but I also know that they are human. After all, wasn't it Neil Armstrong who said, "that's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind?" He wasn't talking about some other species, he was talking about us and if the rest of us get drunk on a Friday night why not them? I can hear arguements from the web coming back and telling me that they should be held to a higher standard because they are in such responsible positions.

Really? If people in responsible positions aren't supposed to drink then I think we'll need some emergency elections because I think the entire government will have to be replaced. Top to bottom. Others will say that they are riding atop a stack of rockets that can be mis-directed and cause the death of innocent people. To any of my gentle readers who assume that, please read up a bit more on the space program. While a degree of control is left with the crew given the fact that they are experiencing the launch and would know of any problems, the ship can actually be controlled from the ground from start to finish. If you've ever seen the control centers, then you'll know that each system and component is being controlled by the ground and that they can keep things safe if need be.

When astronauts sleep (and they do indeed sleep in regular cycles -- and at the same time) then who do you think is in control? They don't leave it on cruise control and switch off the link to the ground; the ground control crews take over. So then are astronauts just glorified versions of Ham the Chimp (America's first Astronaut)? Not actually. They are highly trained for the job they have to accomplish but they are also chosen because of their abilities, not the fact that they are monks. I agree, that it is probably unprofessional of them to drink to excess on the eve of a space shot but can you really blame them anymore? The fact that this scandal came out is the most NASA has been covered in recent days. Well, this and the time Lisa Novak drove to confront her lover's lover.

I remember a time back in the early 80's when Ronald Reagan announced that soon, shuttle launches would become so regular that nearly every few weeks we'd have a launch. It was an ambitious plan and one that didn't come quite to that type of fruition but it came close enough. Prior to that time, shuttle launches were big events which people watched with fascination. Then over the years (especially in the post-Challenger) days, it was basically relegated to the tail end of the news when they tell you the 'oh yeah' stories. 'Oh yeah' stories are the stories like 'Oh yeah, I got a new set of shoelaces for my dress shoes' or 'Oh yeah, we have to go to the grocery store because they're having a special on Cheetos.' In that manner it's nothing of importance to the common person.

It suddenly becomes a matter of national interest when there's something scandalous involved. Given the amount of checks and balances that go on in the space program, barring some scenario out of a Bruce Willis "Die Hard" movie, the chances of a shuttle landing in the LA reservoir are about as likely as Dick Cheney accepting an honorary French citizenship award. This is because there are backups for the backups of the backups. If they drink, okay, it will likely reflect badly on their next yearly review and they probably won't get that promotion they had been hoping for. But as far as hanging them out to dry for drinking? I say cut them some slack. They are supposed to be representing mankind... not the Gods. Then again, even the Greek Gods had ambrosia.