Originally posted February 7, 2010
For This Week's Song and Commentary Click Here
Quackin Duck is a humorous political commentary blog specializing in satire on current political events and social issues. All political commentary & songs comment on news stories, current event issues and the hot topics of today. The political commentary and social opinions are the express personal opinions of each author and intended to look at the news stories and issues satirically without malice or rancor. If you would like to submit an article or political commentary to Quackin Duck please e-mail to lmd@quackinduck.com. Your contributions are welcomed.
For This Week's Song and Commentary Click Here
Quackin Duck is a humorous political commentary blog specializing in satire on current political events and social issues. All political commentary & songs comment on news stories, current event issues and the hot topics of today. The political commentary and social opinions are the express personal opinions of each author and intended to look at the news stories and issues satirically without malice or rancor. If you would like to submit an article or political commentary to Quackin Duck please e-mail to lmd@quackinduck.com. Your contributions are welcomed.
Commentary on
Blue Moon
Something has to go. The nation’s budget deficit must be addressed and all “ineffective, outdated, or duplicative programs” must be cut. So we say goodbye to NASA’s Constellation Systems Program and 4,600 jobs at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and hello to a 3.5 billion dollar savings to pay for some of the pork allocated this year.
The Constellation Program’s mission was to return astronauts to the moon by 2020 and eventually send them to Mars and beyond. But President Obama has different ideas and directions for our space administration. NASA’s new emphasis will be on blazing “. . . a new trail of discovery and development.” NASA Administrator and former astronaut Charles Bolden said, ”We will facilitate the growth of new commercial industries and we will expand our understanding of the earth, our solar system and the universe beyond." Maybe he should have added, “with our feet firmly planted on the ground.”
It all began with a thing called Sputnik 1, launched on October 4, 1957. That launch really started something. I was a sophomore in high school when the realization hit the whole United States that we had been one-upped by the Soviet Union of all things. President Eisenhower was under the gun and forced to put away his five-iron. The attack on Eisenhower came from all sides. America wanted an answer to why Eisenhower was able to free the world from Nazi domination but couldn’t protect the universe from a Communist takeover. Eisenhower’s answer came at 10:55 pm on January 31, 1958, when the Juno 1 booster carrying Explorer 1 lifted off the ground from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
And, on July 29, 1958, President Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act into law and NASA was born. NASA officially opened its doors on October 1, 1958, less than a year after the launch of Sputnik 1, and the Space Race went into full swing.
So here we are now, fifty years later, and trillions in government debt are forcing the end to this magnificent adventure. I will miss watching as the rockets disappear into the blue from my vantage point in New Smyrna Beach directly across from the Cape. I will miss hearing the sonic boom that always signaled the shuttle’s reentry into our atmosphere and always elicited an involuntary sigh of relief. I will miss the after-shock that rattled my windows and marked the shuttle’s safe return and landing from a mission well done. But hopefully in the near future the program will be refunded. Hopefully it will return in full force invigorated and redesigned. And hopefully it will employ all the newest technologies that will propel us well beyond the 21st century.
To all involved with the Manned Space Flight Program: Thanks for the ride. It is what dreams are made of. And you made it possible. Thanks so much.
The Constellation Program’s mission was to return astronauts to the moon by 2020 and eventually send them to Mars and beyond. But President Obama has different ideas and directions for our space administration. NASA’s new emphasis will be on blazing “. . . a new trail of discovery and development.” NASA Administrator and former astronaut Charles Bolden said, ”We will facilitate the growth of new commercial industries and we will expand our understanding of the earth, our solar system and the universe beyond." Maybe he should have added, “with our feet firmly planted on the ground.”
It all began with a thing called Sputnik 1, launched on October 4, 1957. That launch really started something. I was a sophomore in high school when the realization hit the whole United States that we had been one-upped by the Soviet Union of all things. President Eisenhower was under the gun and forced to put away his five-iron. The attack on Eisenhower came from all sides. America wanted an answer to why Eisenhower was able to free the world from Nazi domination but couldn’t protect the universe from a Communist takeover. Eisenhower’s answer came at 10:55 pm on January 31, 1958, when the Juno 1 booster carrying Explorer 1 lifted off the ground from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
And, on July 29, 1958, President Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act into law and NASA was born. NASA officially opened its doors on October 1, 1958, less than a year after the launch of Sputnik 1, and the Space Race went into full swing.
So here we are now, fifty years later, and trillions in government debt are forcing the end to this magnificent adventure. I will miss watching as the rockets disappear into the blue from my vantage point in New Smyrna Beach directly across from the Cape. I will miss hearing the sonic boom that always signaled the shuttle’s reentry into our atmosphere and always elicited an involuntary sigh of relief. I will miss the after-shock that rattled my windows and marked the shuttle’s safe return and landing from a mission well done. But hopefully in the near future the program will be refunded. Hopefully it will return in full force invigorated and redesigned. And hopefully it will employ all the newest technologies that will propel us well beyond the 21st century.
To all involved with the Manned Space Flight Program: Thanks for the ride. It is what dreams are made of. And you made it possible. Thanks so much.
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Blue Moon
Sung to the tune of Blue Moon
with apologies to Richard Rogers
Please press play February 7, 2010
Blue moon
From now on you’ll be alone
cause NASA’s funding is blown.
Obama cut to the bone.
Blue moon
No shuttles scheduled to fly.
Sky Lab, we’re saying good-bye.
And Constellation will die.
I remember
when the Eagle landed,
there stood Armstrong
with the Earth behind.
We watched
as our flag was planted,
and he took
a giant leap for mankind.
Boo Hoo
The universe has to wait.
Manned space flight’s out of date.
The program’s now dead weight.
Sung to the tune of Blue Moon
with apologies to Richard Rogers
Please press play February 7, 2010
Blue moon
From now on you’ll be alone
cause NASA’s funding is blown.
Obama cut to the bone.
Blue moon
No shuttles scheduled to fly.
Sky Lab, we’re saying good-bye.
And Constellation will die.
I remember
when the Eagle landed,
there stood Armstrong
with the Earth behind.
We watched
as our flag was planted,
and he took
a giant leap for mankind.
Boo Hoo
The universe has to wait.
Manned space flight’s out of date.
The program’s now dead weight.
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Quackin Duck is a humorous political commentary blog specializing in satirical songs and pithy commentary on current political events and social issues. All political commentary & songs comment on news stories, current event issues and the hot topics of today. The political commentary and social opinions are the express personal opinion of the author and intended to look at the news stories and issues satirically without malice or rancor. If you would like to submit an article or political commentary to Quackin Duck please e-mail to lmd@quackinduck.com. Your contributions are welcomed.
