[X] My Assistant

[dvandorn]

It has occurred to me, over the past few months, as I see some of the most exciting planetary missions being planned for the 2010s, 2020s and even 2030s, that I may not be around to see some of them.

I just turned 50 years old last month. I was 13 going on 14 when we landed on the Moon, and I'm becoming worried that I may not live to see men walk on the Moon again.

I'm getting definitely concerned that some of these really interesting missions, like the Europa orbiter and the potential Neptune and Uranus orbiters, won't return results until I'm in my 60s, 70s, or even 80s. The target date for the new manned Moon landings, in 2017 (IIRC), will be when I'm 61 going on 62.

Now, I may very well still be around until 2025 or 2030 -- but I'm getting pretty certain that no manned Mars mission is going to be attempted by then. In fact, I'm almost thinking it might be a good idea to die *now* and get reincarnated in a hurry, so I would be about the right age to try and wrangle a seat on the first manned Mars expedition (which I'm beginning to think might not happen until 2035 or so, if it ever happens at all).

So, what do y'all think -- those of you who are young enough, what do you think you'll live to see? And those of you who are older, like me -- what do you think you might miss?

-the other Doug

[ilbasso]

I suffered from depression when I was in high school (1970-1974). What frequently kept me going was telling myself that I had to live at least until I saw the pictures of Saturn from Pioneer 10...then Voyager's views of Uranus, then Neptune. Anyway, that sure kept me motivated. Now I suppose that I can say I have to keep going at least until I see NH's photos of Pluto!

I was seriously hoping we'd see men on the moon again in my lifetime but now I'm not so sure. Last night, I was watching the special features section of the "Apollo 13" movie DVD, and it was mentioned that Dave Scott doesn't believe man will walk on the Moon again for another 100-150 years. Wow, that's a sobering thought - but he's more in the know than I am.

If I had to dream, maybe it would be for us to detect some sort of signal from another system, that we'd land probes on Europa, and that we find evidence of life on Mars (via a robotic probe, no doubt).

Think any of us will witness the de-orbiting of the ISS?

[SFJCody]

I was born in 1982, the same year as KSR's fictional 'first man on Mars', John Boone. I now imagine the first person on Mars to be somewhat younger than me... about 8, maybe.

I like to think I'll see an image of a terrestrial exoplanet at a resolution of <500km/pixel in my lifetime.

[Bob Shaw]

Think any of us will witness the de-orbiting of the ISS?

It's in the EOM plan, believe it or not - but I'd wager that some form of international consortium keeps it up for quite a while...

Bob Shaw

[edstrick]

Solar System Encyclopedis, 2115 edition:

"International Space Station Alpha was finally deorbited into the Pacific Ocean after 75 years in orbit, first serving as an international science and space technology laboratory and tax sink, before being privitized in 2023, and serving a second life as a space manufacturing and industrial research facility. When industrial operations shifted to privately launched facilities and funding for the ISS dried up in 2045, the station was sold to the highest bidder and operated as a space torism center for another 15 years before a final change of ownership, and a last career as a zero-G brothel."

[Bill Harris]

I was 8 years old when Sputnik was launched, 11 when Echo was visible, was a teenager during Gemini, was in College during Apollo, graduated College during Viking, established a career during the Shuttle, working, married, divorcing during Voyager and almost ready to retire during the MER program.

Who knows what is next?

--Bill

[um3k]

I'm 16. I hope to see everything.

[ilbasso]

When I was 16, I hoped to see everything, too--but after you've seen enough naked people the excitement begins to wear off.

[um3k]

When I was 16, I hoped to see everything, too--but after you've seen enough naked people the excitement begins to wear off.

[ljk4-1]

I was seriously hoping we'd see men on the moon again in my lifetime but now I'm not so sure.  Last night, I was watching the special features section of the "Apollo 13" movie DVD, and it was mentioned that Dave Scott doesn't believe man will walk on the Moon again for another 100-150 years.  Wow, that's a sobering thought - but he's more in the know than I am. 

And an English scientist once said that the concept of space travel was "utter bilge" - in 1956.

Amusingly, when Sputnik 1 began orbiting Earth just one year later, some English newspapers had the headline "Utter Bilge Circles Earth".

I too hope to see many space milestones in my lifetime that I was promised back in the glory days of Apollo. My concern, though, is that if we rush too fast - in particular placing humans on Mars - we may end up with another Flag and Footprints scenario and have our descendants whining about no followup to Project Ares 50 years from now.

Then again, maybe we do need to rush to get at least some of us on other worlds to keep the species going, in case we do something really stupid to strand us on Earth or wipe ourselves out completely.

[silylene]

I am 47, born in 1958.

I have always been fascinated with space and ate up every shred of informatin I could get from TV, newspapers, magazines, libraries, etc. I have distinct memories of most of the Gemini missions, all the Apollo's (I cried when the astronauts died in the Apollo 1 fire) and I knew every astronaut's name and background for every mission. I remember the Surveyors, the Vikings, the Venera's, the Vega's, Lunakhod, Skylab, Salyut, and I was starting grad school when Pioneer passed Saturn. I grew up in New Orleans East, only a few miles from Michoud, and I could hear the Saturn engines being test fired at the range almost weekly when I was a boy. The roar was deafening, even at our distance.

I stayed up all night to watch Walter Cronkite and listen to everything that happened with Apollo 11. I couldn't sleep if I wanted! I still have photographs of our TV screen from Apollo 11.

When Apollo 13 had its crisis, I took a newpaper clipping of it to school for our "current events class". I remember my teacher telling me I broke our class rule by bringing "bad news events" to school, and she refused to allow it to be discussed when I started reading it. What a twit.....

[Guest_PhilCo126_*]

I'm alsmost 40 years old ( Midlife ? ) and the very first thing I really recall is watching the Viking Landers on Mars as a 10-year old it sparkeled my intrest

I certainly hope to see a manned mission to Mars in my lifetime
Philip

[ustrax]

31, 1974

Hope I'll see the first man on another planet, Mars.
And would die for testifying Contact with other evolved civilization in my lifetime,
maybe then there was a secret to keep me alive, watching the marvels to come...