Gore's call for energy independence

Five Trillion (4.00 / 1)

The number is way off, even for back of the envelope stuff.  Just look how it was derived.

Also, a key point that the VP made in the speech: as demand increases for coal and oil, the price goes up.  As demand increases for solar, the price goes down.

Imagine a cost projection, made in 1984, of putting a computer -- with the power of the laptop I'm using -- on the desk and in the home of every working professional in the US.

Imagine also what oil economics would look like if we 'internalized' the cost of protecting the Persian Gulf (in all the manifestations that task takes).

Confirm thy soul in self control, thy liberty in law.

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by: CharleyCarp @ Sat Jul 19, 2008 at 17:41:50 PM UTC

Jay, I think you misunderstand the concept of "Apollo Project" (4.00 / 1)

Leave aside what NASA spent and what it accomplished with Apollo for a moment, and look at what was asked of our nation: that we sacrifice (even during a time of war) time, money and surpass technological constraints to accomplish a lofty goal.

You can argue that setting a man on the moon is not nearly as necessary of a goal as achieving energy dependence, and at face value it seems easy to do so. But when you break down what the accomplishment entailed, and look at derivative benefits of it, it becomes clear that Kennedy brilliantly challenged Americans to move outside of their preconceived notions and the boundaries of technology. And with one speech changed the course of human history.

Setting a man on the moon was a goal that galvanized people across the world. It pitted nations against each other in a competitive race that accelerated the advancement in technology in a way that had never been seen before. In a way, the actual trip to the moon brought the peoples of many nations collectively together, breaking down long standing barriers and attitudes towards one another.

But once the goal had been accomplished, all of the advances in technology and infrastructure, and human process (problem solving, team work, thinking outside the box), all of that was transferred into the public domain and has fueled the technological revolution over the past 4 decades. Without Apollo, we may never had developed computers and the internet as we know it; we would still be typing away on our Remingtons right now. Blogs would have yet to be conceived. The promise of solar panels may never have been realized without NASA's absolute need for them to power spacecraft and satellites, instead of using nuclear electrical systems.

The derivatives of Apollo permeate our society and industry in an almost infinite assortment of ways. So when Gore calls for an "Apollo Project" approach to solving our energy and global warming crisis, he is challenging us to put aside any preconceptions and limitations on how we may do so.

And while current NASA projects may seem to be wasteful boondoggles, the agency still is on the cutting edge of technology, human process, and infrastructure, with the new goals of returning to the Moon and eventually Mars. The stated goals of looking for life may seem thin, as even a positive find means little in the short term for us earthlings, and an outrageous expenditure. But when you look at the international cooperation and competition that is driving these goals, it is no less auspicious than the original Apollo Project. And there will be huge dividends to be reaped as the technology is transferred to helping to solve our energy future and global warming crisis.

Gore would be at his best if Obama were to offer him a place in his administration overseeing the drive to achieve energy independence and battle global C02 emissions and warming. The uber-energy czar, and chief scientist.

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by: JC @ Sat Jul 19, 2008 at 18:18:30 PM UTC

eh... (0.00 / 0)

I wasn't around for the Apollo program, but I have been around for the Space Shuttle program, which has been an absolute waste of taxpayer money. The only mission that I can recall that had any lasting use was when they fixed the Hubble telescope. Otherwise, just $$$ down the tubes.

This is something I wrote on years ago -- so long ago, there's no archive left...but basically the Shuttle is antiquated un-useful technology that was implemented solely to wedge more funding from the taxpayers after we landed on the moon.

Yes, maybe we got some good tech out of the program. But why not have a...I dunno...a tech program devoted to researching and developing useful technology? Where's our hydrogen battery? Where's fusion power? Where's our scalable, affordable solar panels? Where's our 100-mpg car? Instead we have a tubby, 1960s-era bus that makes an occasional PR trip to space.

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by: Jay Stevens @ Sun Jul 20, 2008 at 04:17:59 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Bingo........ (0.00 / 0)

Al Gore has already given the world the next-to-the-last rites. Gore will be remembered as "The Father of Global Hoaxing".  Norman Liebmann

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by: squid @ Sat Jul 19, 2008 at 20:23:16 PM UTC