I was totally obsessed with space as a kid. I read every book I could get my hands on about the Russian space program, the Apollo program and particularly the space shuttle program. Launching a plane into space and then landing it on a runway with all the crew remaining in there still feels technologically impressive.
It was all so compelling. Brilliant and brave people from different nations achieving astonishing things just seemed so marvelous. Though the space programs were underpinned by geopolitical tension and competition, they showed the good side of what that competition could produce.
So, to see Artemis II lift off for the first lunar space flight in more than 50 years felt like the rekindling of a memory from a better time. A time of boldness and ambition. A time when we were focused on what we can build more than on what we can destroy.
We were, of course, engaged in destructive things as nations in that era. But the balance felt different.
It’s a naive hope, but maybe, just maybe, choosing to go back to the moon can be the start of something. Maybe it can again involve countries pulling together, maybe to get us back onto the moon’s surface, and then who knows what else, and where else.
That wouldn’t be trivial. Nor would it be a waste of money. It would be a demonstration of what humans can do when we are at our best.
In a modern world that is divisive and destructive, seeing a rocket launch on TV to further humankind gives me the tiniest bit of hope that we’re still capable of doing amazing things, rather than just tearing each other down.
Let’s hope, just a little. I think we all need a little hope right now.
Nick McDonald, London
How high is the national debt?
As a retired engineer and high school math teacher, I researched the national debt. It’s hard for many to grasp the concept of just how large 1 trillion is.
A $100 bill is 0.0043 inches thick. And 10,000 $100 bills add up to $1 million dollars, which stacked would be 43 inches tall. A stack of $100 bills representing $1 billion is 1,000 times that, so 43,000 inches or 3,583.333 feet. A stack of $100 bills representing $1 trillion is 1,000 times that, so 3,583,333 feet or 678.66 miles.
The U.S. national debt is $39 trillion. Therefore, a stack of $100 bills representing $39 trillion would be 26,467.74 miles high. That’s more than a tenth of the way to the moon, which is 238,900 miles away on average.
Tim Brechon, Apache Junction, Arizona
TSA’s problems may continue
In 2001, Congress made the Transportation Security Administration “self-funding” by placing a $2.50 fee on all airline tickets to pay for the new agency. Today, travelers standing in three-hour lines pay only $5.60 for that privilege. Congress should again increase this user fee to $13 and adjust future increases as necessary based on security concerns, inflation and passenger throughput.
The flying public might think that the worst is over for security lines due to newly available funding. However, many TSA employees received a large and well-deserved pay increase in July 2023 to bring their compensation in line with similar positions on the General Schedule pay scale. This led many retirement-eligible employees to delay retirement, as the higher salary would increase their “high-3” average used to calculate retirement benefits. That change takes effect this July, when many employees will have 20 or more years of federal service. The federal hiring process takes time — a lot of time. Given the current environment and the potential wave of retirements, long lines might remain a problem throughout the summer.
James Curren, Reston
The writer is a former senior research and studies analyst for the Federal Air Marshal Service and the Transportation Security Administration.
American’s weirdest flight
I was very interested in the March 29 Travel article “Surprise! That flight booked? It’s actually just a bus ride.” I also had the experience of booking with American Airlines and ending up on a bus for more than half of my journey. I flew from Reagan National Airport to Philadelphia International Airport and was put on a bus for the rest of the trip to Wilkes-Barre Scranton International Airport. I found the seat quite uncomfortable, but what was truly inexcusable was the bathroom on the bus. There was no sink, no running water, and no soap or hand sanitizer. One would think that personal hygiene is something American Airlines would consider a necessity on all its so-called flights.
Bonnie Smith, Wheaton
The post The joy of Artemis II shows why going back to the moon matters appeared first on Washington Post.
