[sunbug]

Norland and Stephen,

I have sometimes wondered if part of what has given the UFO/Public/Myth Dream such elevation *chuckle* is the perception of an indeterminate PAUSE in “manned” (woman/human) space flights/missions beyond coming and going to Space Stations?

When the space shuttles were retired I felt the same look in Mother’s eyes…a sad wistfulness.
To be sure we have the X-rockets from the Private Sector and have cheered the landings of various rovers.

But I still remember crying over Challenger as a young kid. Remember how we would stop and watch the build up to other launches (which always felt like a wonderful mythic event but Real! And scary!) This much I can say aside to Shaahayda: one of the earliest memories I have is a photo of a Saturn Rocket in stark black and white…towering into the sky. As a kid it scared me…but not like monsters under the bed…it wasn’t evil…but what it was was powerful. And it demanded respect. I wouldn’t “look directly at it,” kids y’know ha ha. As a very young child I didn’t understand why it scared me. But now in reflection perhaps something deep in my psyche was responding to that image. Hm.

But I’m off on a tangent sorry…

I do understand funding was and always has been an issue with the space programs as we know them…

And we All are thankful for Hubble blazing brightly in our minds or the beauty we glimpse through our own telescopes or even with our naked eyes.
With or without wonders of ETs and UFOS, I know the starry heavens were glorious to my Mom (and Dad too…and Grandmother who all saw those sights of nebulae and galaxies and the planetary bodies)

I think about how far we came…until humans were walking on the moon!!
It remains mind blowing to so many of all ages (even though iPhones have demanded the next generations undivided attention)

From my own perspective growing up back in the 80s and 90s when one talked to their friends about space we all knew by The Millennium not only would there be flying cars…but we would take flight shuttle taxis up to Space Stations where our space ships were docked…and we would be on Mars! We just knew!

Because 50 years before Man walked on the Moon… “horseless carriages,” were the new fangled transportation of 1919!

What would another 50 years bring?!!

Ok so yes some of us grew up seeing old Star Trek reruns and Watching The Next Generation. The imagination was ready!

But instead The Shuttles were retired with no replacements except X-rocket/planes and we got the mini-pocket computers known as smart phones. The computers at least shrank from refrigerator size.
But it is kind of cool to see the iPad touch screens inside of rocket ships.
“Scotty” would approve Grin.
Part of what made the Moon Missions so wonderous and the shuttles was not only the Mythic feeling…but it was Us! We were all a part of this as the Human race! We were with those men and women looking into the Horizon calling us on and calling us to look back to our beautiful home planet earth and know the value of Her!
We are participating in the new discoveries made now perhaps a bit more long distance but computers along with photography are bringing us images in new ways…that’s still inspiring Rovers included! I thought the latest Mars rover looked just like a Drone! So that’s new!
And there is something to be said for not obsessing on Space Travel at the expense of Spaceship Earth. For sure!!
When we had manned missions it’s interesting to note, the Story is About Us and Our Planet…the journey has nothing to do with Aliens/ETs it is Us!
We are the heroes and heroines of those journeys! Both in bravery and tragedy.
This was the next Myth that Campbell envisioned bringing us back to the outer reaches of inner space!
Yet there is a sense of a PAUSE on those kind of journeys or the build-up to them. There are so many channels now and streaming services that unless one is focused, the lift off of an X rocket  or the Mars Rover is relegated to an “internet viewing,” or if one is diligent a video on NASA or Space.com etc.

Or signs in first to Stream the Live Feed.

There is no longer that feeling of a “Live Event!” “A Happening!” “A Real Human Endeavor!”
These events used to be covered that way on our TVs but unless my perception is off…not as much.
Or perhaps it’s just been so long since those manned missions. Except astronauts have been doing some interesting endeavors concerning the Space Station.

Maybe the Artemis Mission with a Woman journeying to the Moon will inspire us once more!

Have other thoughts on this in continuation but will return to those later…concerning UFO myth…