Oct 052016
 

After two posts in two days about horrible, horrible people who want to talk down space exploration, progress, the future and, essentially, hope itself, there’s this:

Hope, Courage and Unity: The story behind the young cancer patients who painted space suits

The four elephants march in a row down the right arm of the space suit, one behind the other. They are linked trunk to tail, except for the last elephant. It is a baby elephant, and it sits alone, with its trunk pointing towards the sky. Stars and planets surround them.
The first three elephants represent Kat’s father, mother and older brother. The baby elephant is Kat. …

Kat didn’t live to see the launch. She passed away on June 4.

“I think space is where I’m going to end up,” Kat told her mom when asked about the planets and stars surrounding her elephants.

Space exploration inspires hope, even in the worst situations. What does opposition to space exploration inspire? “Stop looking at the stars, kid. Get used to the gutter.”

Grrrr.

Is there a one-word descriptor specifically for the sort of evil person who wants to shut down manned space exploration for reasons of cowardice or “social justice?” The kind of person who actually celebrate and embody the line from Interstellar,We used to look up at the sky and wonder at our place in the stars. Now we just look down, and worry about our place in the dirt.”

If not, I believe such a word is in order. I’m open to suggestions. “Gutterists,” maybe. But with a bit more bite, I should think.

 Posted by at 11:56 am