Citizens in Space
I applaud the trend that Alcestis Oberg laments (“Let ‘We the People’ Have a Role in Space Flight,” Op-Ed Page, Aug. 4). When President Kennedy’s “New Frontier” reached the moon, the astronauts, the support technicians, the researchers and designers were pros. Of course, the space capsules of that time did not have room for VIP passengers.
If the business of National Aeronautics Space Administration is to be space exploration and the extending of frontiers, then we had better reintroduce the concept of “The Right Stuff.” The egalitarian amateurishness, of which reporter, school teacher and congressional astronauts are a symptom, is not going to get the job done.
Rocket scientists are not created in a six-month cram course; neither should be the pilots of their creations.
WILLIAM S. SECKLER
Costa Mesa
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