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Comment by brianjlogan

13 hours ago

As an American I feel like I've been going through a bit of an identity crisis from what I remember growing up.

Probably the rose tinted glasses of being a child but being from Florida I always had a sense of amazement and wonder as I heard the sonic boom of the shuttle returning to earth.

Really felt like I was coexisting in this incredible scientific powerhouse of a country full of bright and enabled peoples that knew how to prioritize curiosity and innovation.

Feeling like a bit of a "vibe" post which is everything wrong lately but I can't help but feel some satisfaction that we're still able to accomplish something like this in our space endeavors.

19 comments

brianjlogan

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llbbdd  13 hours ago

I think especially online there's a lot of emphasis on "everything is wrong". A mission like this is hard to ignore and highlights the bias. On the whole, despite setbacks, we continue.

  • simplyluke  12 hours ago

    If you want to dispel a bit more of the ever-pervasive online pessimism bias, read up on global rates of hunger the last time we flew to the moon (1972) vs now. The reality is, for all the problems we face today, there's no sane answer other than today to the question "when would you prefer to be born as a random person on earth"

    • andrepd  25 minutes ago

      A global view is probably not the right way to look at things, encouraging as it may be. Of course globally hunger rates fell and so did child mortality. If nothing else, by the inexorable progress of science and technology.

      But what about comparing the same country/region? After all that's a better sense of how things are progressing locally to you, and when people are asked "are things better or worse" they probably compare the way they live with the way their parents lived.

      Would you rather be born in 1980 or 2020 in China? In Poland? No question. Same question but in the USA? In the UK? The West in general? I'm really not so sure.

    • hkpack  12 hours ago

      It is about trends and perceptions - 70s were very hopeful, now with global problems - wars, climate, AI, uncertainty, what is growing is desperation.

      I definitely don’t envy kids that are born nowadays.

      8 replies →

  • bombcar  12 hours ago

    There's a lot of money/hay/political power/etc to be made from "everything is wrong" - it's hard for "good news" to really get into your bones.

    Not to say it's the best of times, nor to say it's the worst of times, mind you. Just that it's really hard to objectively compare.

userbinator  8 hours ago

Many of those who saw the first moon landing as a child are still alive and remember what it felt like.

pjc50  2 hours ago

From one of the ground staff for Artemis: https://bsky.app/profile/captnamy.bsky.social/post/3mi36brfw...

"1968 and the country was on fire. Vietnam. Assassinations. Civil unrest. Protests.

Apollo 8 was the one bright event of a terrible year.

2026 and the country is on fire. Iran. Corruption. Fascists. Civil unrest. No Kings.

I hope Artemis II will stand out as a bright spot for our country."

Some more background on her: https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2026/04/01/chicagoan-amy-l...