Buzz Aldrin Blames Science Fiction

Don't you just hate it when one of your childhood heroes opens his mouth and inserts his foot. That is how I see Buzz Aldrin's slam of science fiction this week ("Aldrin Slams SF's Effect On Space").

I beg to differ with Buzz Aldrin's take on science fiction being the cause of today's lack of interest in space exploration and science. I squarely put the blame on NASA and the government for spending the last 40-plus years of trying to make us believe their one size fits all approach to space science. They still rely on a lot of very old ideas in their take on going to space. A great deal of technology today was inspired by science fiction. From the launch of Sputnik to everyday communication a lot of the ideas came after their use in science-fiction stories. Anyone who flips open their cell phone today who doesn't give credit to the fictional television show that used "communicators" just isn't thinking at all.

Of course, the government has been trying to make us all be good little blindered citizens with their "Don't look at the government behind the curtain" talk for more than 70 years. They would love to have all of us think every word they say is gospel. They would also like NASA to be completely under their thumbs so we would only hear from that august space agency when they want us to. I am one of those who believe we need a publicly funded, or at least partly publicly funded space agency. Oh wait, isn't Sir Richard Branson doing that already? Maybe we need to send him our money instead of NASA.

This rant from Aldrin sounds suspiciously like some one is using him to get a different take on science across. Buzz Aldrin has been one of the few astronauts and former astronauts to be out in the public fairly regularly. He has seldom been reticent about his thoughts and ideas about the space programs and science. This current spew of anti-sci-fi hatred seems forced.

If these are really Aldrin's views, I guess one more hero falls on his face. And I, and everyone I can convince, shall not watch his new show.